New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-05
WHAT THE INSPECTORS SAW.

custodians Of the city's health TO effect a much
needed and practical reform work In the tenement-
house districts. The law defines a tenemeut-bouse
to be any building IN which three more families
live separately and consequently includes tho
different classes of so-callcd French fats some
of which come nearer being genuine tenement
palaces than tenement-houses. Very few OF these
costly apartmenthouses arc built on the French
pavilion plan, that Is, with four sides
inclosing large court. in many instances az largo
as the space occupied by the buildings, and which
contributes so much toward the healthfulness OF
French apartments. This style Of building compels
the landlord TO own more than one lot. or makes
necessary the association of several lot-owners for
the erection of one tenement-house. Here landlord
have beon at liberty to erect common tenemente as
well as the better class of fats lot twenty-five
or less feet wide and from eighty to ninety feet
deep, with opening for light and air only at tho
narrow ends. The law, II enforced, VIII
put an end to the sacrifice Of human
health and comfort. 1t provides chat here
after whatever the size Of the building
lot siKty-6ve per cent of the ground only snail DO
occupied by the building. tho osher thirty-fve per
cent to be left vacant; that h devoted to air shafts,
interior courts and back yards. Few OF the better
class of Hat houses already built would meet tho
requirements of this law. The Board Of Health may
give permission to build on every square foot OF
lot, but such permission would scarcely be gwen
except to the owners Of corner lots, where on two
sides there would frequently be a frontage Of l25
feet on two streets. The law provides also that
every landlord shall furnish least 600 cubic feet
of space or air to each person.
The law gives the Board of Health power to en-
force within limits these requirements on the land
lord or the sub-landlord And it was with the pur-
nose of obtaining information 10 be used in coer-
cling landlords TO observe the Sanitary laws that the
Board OF Health appointed forty inspectors who be-
gan work last Friday. and will be kept at work
perhaps during the Summer or least TIL the board
of Health has systematic and nearly concise sani-
tary report on every tenement-house in the city.
THE INSPECTORS AT WORK.
For beginning the inspectors were sent into thai
part of the city bounded by Houston, Fourteenth.
the Bowery, Third-ave. aud Avenue-C, which cor
responds nearly with the Seventeenth Ward and
Seventeenth Police Precinct. They were assigned
TO certain blocks by lot. As rule they were found
taking their observations with much care and maxi
ing their notes with great neatness. In some few
instances they showed the want Of experience IN
small vet essential particulars, by overlooking tho
existence of air shafts 1t not always possible
10 learn when the house built OF whether 1t was
huiIt for tenement-hOuse or had been used hrst as
a priyate dwelling. Most of the tenants have sense
enough to understand that the inspection Is for
their benefit and do not object 6y word or aetionto
the Intrusion of the inspector, even II he has re-
norter I'm his train But occasionally the inspector
meets with a surly man OF frowning woman.
Civil EngineerJ J. b. Macintosh and L. W. Martin
were assigned to blocks on Thlrteenth-st, on Fri
day. whore there were few tenement-houses, but q
rather high average OF ilth in some places. They
finished their blocks by Saturday evening, aad yes
tcrday were provided with new fields in the blocks
boupded by First and Second-sts. And Avenues A,
b and c.. Mr.. Macintosh was found IN the hallway
Of No. Q Avenue-B, where the Widow Simpson, q
young person for a widow, and an amiable one, was
irving with many Establishments to nsiauato that
q Young civil engineer Of suoh engaging manners
could not hesitate TO consrue the frghtful stencil
canning from the yard as not very dsa greeable after
all The back yard if it could be called yard since
il was narrow aud inclosed on all sides, was more
eloauent in It's way than the widow Three closets
that scented the whole house aud mads the yard
itself smell like a were next to tho worst ex-
amples of bad sanitary condition that Mr. Macia.
tosh had met with. There were eight families in
the house. most of them Hebrews, aud in their own
apartments exceedingly clean and tidy. woman
on the top floor said she paid 80 month for three
rooms, and did not mind any slight Inconvenience
caused by the closets in consideration Of other adj
yantages. She proposed not to give up the rooms
so long as she could keep them. They were airy
and the floors showed that the amount Of scrubbing
thew had received might be accOuatsb bic for the
thinnoSs OF the housewife She had y husband AZ
work in the city and daughter who also brought
home honorable wages each week. dinner Uas 90
the fire Slowing for the absent ones, and when the
wind changed so rs TO blow toward, instead 1T
from the closet pipe, which not as far above tho
roof AS the law requires this humble tireslde was
not less fragrant than rich mans kitchen.
TWO PLAGUE SPOTS.
Other bad spots in Mr.. Macintoshs route were
No 35l East Thirteeuth-st and No. 221 First ave-,
both on the same corner. No. 351 ID liquor store
with tenements overhead. The closets were found
ten OF twelve feet underground in the cellar which
was wet and smelt beyond the capabilities Of the
English language TO register. In this house there
were sixteen adults and thirteen children. No. 221
ia n bakery. and the bake-room. which Is UNDER
ground. has q door opening within six feet Of
the ceaspooI connecting with the closets mentioned
above. Worse than this, the waste-pipe carrying
the Stops from the four stories above, passed
through the bake-room aud were In very leaky
condition. The baker had tried to help matters by
binding plable tin plate about the waste pipe. In
No. POI there were found eighteen adults and only
| eight children, poor average. woman who
had been a tenant for years says she bad not been
| sick for twelve years. The worst of Ii is, that
! where the inspectors discover wretched sanitary
| conditions they seldom find anybody sick. OF can
| learn that anyone ever sick in the house. In a
very foul tenement Mr.. Macintosh found the pres.
| ence OF death. but the tenants declared that the
man had been of on terrible spree which wa
solely responsible for his taking on
young philanthropist was found on Houston.
| ST between Avenues aud Il. He was O German