The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-24
TENEMENT LIFE.
What a Reporter Saw on a Tour of
Inspection Yesterday.
DEsTITUTION, DEGRADATION and DIRT.
The Beehives OF Sheriff and
BrOOnae Streets.


past week ON their rounds among the poor people in
The tenement houses OF the city, he has asked the
natural question, How IN the world do the little
i've. surrounded by nlth and cooped up LITTLE dirty,
hot rooms, where the sun mover comes and where
there is no such thing fresh ARR" The reply has
boon the same 10 every 81 do not know. II
seems incomprehensibls" But TO this Dr. Schweig
added phrase which pregnant with meaning.
He sad-"We see those that live; but those that die
We do not see" Yet spite OF the facts limited at
In those few Words the marvel the less that
any should live, and such phen omenon ss was found
yesterday seems impossible to explain.
In traversing portion Of his district
With Dr. Heiumulcr, tenement house
found at No. So Sheriff street, which more
than an yother house visited seemed very beehive.
II is four story tenement house, inhabited by Ger
mans, the most 0i whom Jews. Two families 1.-Two
IN each floor, having TWO largo rooms front and
back, and two small rooms between In these
eight families thirty nine children, acct
dents there will be four during the fail
The halls full OF little ones, as Doctor
climbed the narrow stairs, accompanied by the
writer nine children between three and years old
went with the visitors, getting in front of them aud
under their ieOt with reckessness that seemed
fatal. On tho first floor were seven children, on the
nlne the third ton, and tho fourth thir-
tesn the oldest OF all beng hardly thirteen years Of
age. All the men III the house seemed be
taors, and every back talor's
shop 10 which the boss. aud from one
to ave journeymen were busy at work on
sewing machines that made moro noisc than steam
presses. Tho house dirty. of course. IT was IN
iact very dirty ana hot and il-ventilated, though
the door leading the roof stood wide OPEN Yet all
the inmates were toerably well dressed, and lhero
odd persons living IN twenyi0ur rooms flor the shops
could not be rssKoned as living roomsl only lour
summer complaint The circulars OF the Board OF
Health giving directions about tho care OF children
we're distributed freely, and number OF tickets tor
tree given out well es presc riptions
for those that needed Thorn, and The Doctor picked
leaving the writer TO follow best he could. ana
laughing At Elm as he stumbled down the crowded
STAIRS
THE ADJOINING HOUSE.
In the building next door, No "a sheriff street, only
three families are living. rhey are Polish Jews ami
live IN state OF squaior that cannot be realized with
out seeing IT, though every man and woman ana all
The children over eight years old hard ut work
making cigars he first family found had one sick
biby, only SIX months old, which terribly enact
sted from the effects OF The scourgo Of the poor chill
dren. Tue iather held IL in his arms with clumsy
tenderness, and explained in almost incomprehensbe
German all that he was doing Tor it, aud listened
eagerly 10 all the Doctor told him. while the mother
kept on Win her work tue cigars A prescription
aud an excursion ticket were received with thanks
were was coups wb he NV neA
ing In Two rooms The mother was cook
ing the iathsr and the two oldest children
asleep IN crib aud TWO larger babies played
around the aoor. all in one room. and that not
and two windows and ono ooor furnished them
with all the ventilation they had. The floor
The smell 0i poor food cooking OF
bad tobacco made Inc air foul beyond description
Hero was one baby sick ana tue Doctor gave II his
rate, leaving prescription and sAcursion ticket
which aroused tho ialhcrs graltuue that he would
had not politely but firmly refused. In This house
there was no pretence At ventilation, aud the halls
sunk viley by reason Of their lou condition.
A SUDDEN DEATH.
No. So is a wider house ana only three stories In
height, 30 that the task OF ven,iang properly would
be easier than IN the houses hrst visited but as no
one seemed 10 know or caro- anything about ventila
tion no ateinpt was made, ana the close halls were
heavy with horrible doors Here, loo. the people we're
taii0rs, and Tho children In proportion the numUer
OF parents seemed Almost numerous as IN the hrst
house. In one room mother who was divided
between anxiety Tor her sick child grief for her
dead one. who had been well when the Doctor
called before. she told the SIMPLE details Of
his dea.h with piliiul earnestness, aud sam that
IT was harder Tor her 10 lose him wno had
been SICK only a day than one she had lost TWO
years before VINO mad boon sick several months. "He
was only SICK Tor day. sne said again, land then
he weul 50 student told my husband would take
him TO The DOCTOR the morning II he was not bet
ter, and IN the morning he was dead"
't was strong, plump. pretty boy" sad the
Doctor. "and perfectly we'll when was around here
week ugV.'
In the OF No S. In the of nearly all tho
houses ne block. there rs small tenement house
put IN 10 economics land, which IS valuable. Hero
also was tailor, who worked cross-icggcd his
childreu. One OF these was smlten wlth boiis iu
rious places. The worst of these bolts u the
Dut uaavailingly against It's being ianced, but was
comIoried aitcrward by the prospect OF gong ON AN
excursion.
CHILDREN CARING FOR BABIES.
Across tho street, al No. 63, Old wreck that
bad formerly been house, but had long since out
lived tho appearance OF one; yet e stili shelters "a
number Of families which, tar tho writer could
see, consist principally OF washcrwomen and their
children ana young women VINO clustered around inc
for harmless pleasantly. Inc wasbcrwomcn were
mostly away, and the bauies were ut nome IN charge
one o. tne other. One motheriv little thing OF
possibly eight ycars OF age had the care
o. wso.s , srood OF smaller ones . ana
sickness (for Of course IL sica and took the pre-
scrptons aud the directions carefully, as well as a
ticket Tor an excursion on which nor mother would
tnko the CHILD. "F0r she doesn't be ut work every
day" she said. The main house and the rear tene-
lnent better ventilated tnan most tenements Tor
they were small aud theo was good sized yard, and
Der Of The windows were entirely missing, but
closets in the yard, but the more
vsusnt stairways were heavy with the worst Of
ousiy. and more Than one OF the little ones looked
suspictousiy thin and ple.
BgooME STREET sxrERrEScKa
Leaving SberiG street Dr. Hoiumuier led the way
10 No. % Broome street, where hs went through
long nlicy cut through front tenement housc INTO
Tho yard, where stood block oil rear tenements.
These, he said. the IN hrs district. There
are few worse piacss In the city, Tor the yaris and
bouses ciut,ered uc NTH, there is drain
age worth mentioning, tho water is only to be had
from hydrant In The yard, and huge piles oil lumber
In an adjoining umbe yard OF what breeze would
otherwise blow through tho houses. On the second
hoor OF the house In the rear OF No. 92 ID tenspent
81 three rooms, ono OF whicA Is the living ROOM
K'chsn and parior Tor family OF nine. rhe father
was out, but tho mother said despondenty in answer
10 the Doctors nrst question, Eyes, SIR; he's very
TICK vet took the prescription you gave me TO he
drug store, but had no money 10 give The mcdi-
cine au' he wouldn't give II 10 me withouL"
SHOW many children have your" asked the
writer, after Doctor had gwen her two pre-
scrptions or anotncr enid was sick also).
''5even, SIR, an lbs moighty harrud work TO get
along, have, am the ouldest wan only cleviu year
old,U
"Doss your husband drink"
s.Not dhrop, sir; but IT'S little he gets to do. He
be's around the docks all the ime SIR out IT'S only
Is he's brought me homo Ia three weeks"
chow old is your youngest chidr ~
"Three months, SIR; ana Maggie, there, ts only
eighteen months old. II hadn't so many OF thim
TO take care could may be, get bit o. work to 10
myself 10 heIp along; but IT'S hard 10 lave the
childher"
"Could Won eo on an excursion With some Of them :"