New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-07
DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK.

ished the blocks at first assigned To them ana To
ported to the Board of Health for new dlsIrlcls'
DR. James the Assistant Sanitary Supohh-
tendont has told several OF the inspectors that
they were not making as rapid progress as
was desirable Judging from what the eleven above
mentioned had done. Some OF the doctors nave
their regular practice TO attend to, ana Whle they
cannot give more than three or four. or at the OUT
side FIVE bours to the work daily, they go about II
in a more Dusiness-ike manner than younger
men of less professional experience. Ohe
inspector will find in every thrd house I'D
block tenement-house, and it Is no easy task to
procure the statistics and measurements necessary
for a complete report asingle large tenement An
other inspector may have only SIX or eight houses TO
visit in his district. TIP 10 yesterday the only ID
spector who had completed two blocks SAID that III
his second district there was only one tenement
and that fiat house.
DFNsFIY CROWDED SPOT.
The Seventeenth Police Precinct, IN which the
inspectors are doing their trial work, is by no
means the worst tenement-bouse district OF the
city, Tut it Is the most crowded district, and mas
greater population of human beings TO the acre
than anv other spot on the American Continent
Since principal feature OF the new law Is me pro-
vision against overcoming II is evident that the
the enforcement of the law would do the most good
Dr. James saws that the information already pro-
cured shows that the houses in this district are
greatly oyercrowded. The more tenants there are
in house. of course the more difficulty in keeping
the halls and passages clean, and the smaller the
incentive usually to keep clean. Persons who are
naturally tidy soon tire of cleaning after sloyenly
neirhbors. Then the Groves of children who are
brousht up in filth add to the general nasiiness
by throwing rubbish and tine odds and ends OF their
bites between mea IS into the areas. and even into
their nei 1hbors' windows. Teuemeut-houses con-
.aIu anyw here from ten TO forty children, who are
subjected TO very httle restraint, aud play
in the cutters and tenement courts, in this
weather without very much clothing on
them. aud almost always very dirty. The
wonder Is that so few sick children have been
found in this crowded district. Their outdoor
life, and the fact that they are bred to hardi-
hood seems TO make them proof against
disease. Many pretty little girls of natu-
rally winning manners may be seen in
the little troops playing AZ the tcnement-house
doors, and many an urchin whom soap and water
would transform into rs bright and handsome lad
as ever behaved badly IN SuudaySchool. II IS very
evident that the tcnementhOuse districts of the city
are furnishing vastly than their fair quota TO
the next generation. In many Instances 1t Is
large family of children that comDes the parents,
who may be very Industrious to take rooms in
cheap and crowded house. As a rule, there's a new
baby Oh every floor of the crowded tenemsnts.
ENFORCING The LAW.
The Health Commissioners have spent much
time at their meetings in argument with owners
of tenement-houses who have been required by the
new Tenement-Housc law to make changes in their
bindings so as 10 provide better facilities for ven
lation and cleanliness After making many en-
treaties the house-OwncTs went away fully assured
that the Commissioners meant To enforce the new
law and that the cost OF alterations AMI repairs
was not to be compared with the health OF tenants
About go plans tor tenement-hOuScs have breu
submitted to the Board of Health Tor approval dur
ing the past year. OF these less than 10 per cent
we're approved az at lTst submitted, anu many were
only accepted alter repeated alterations. In one
case plan for a house was modified nve times be-
fore IL was made 10 conform 10 the
requirements of the law. There are
some instances where houses have been
erected during the year according to plans
that were rejected ny the Board. All such cases are
60 be investigated and the owners compelled to
make all necessary changes. The new laws make
much better provision for hight and AIR than hereto
fore least ten feet of space Is required be ween
the rear of the building and the back OF the !Ot,
cent in cases where ample provisions for light and
ar ire made in OtLer ways. In many OF tine tene-
ment districts OF the cy houses are found eucTOaCh
ing upon nearly the whole OF the lots. aud IN some
greatest evils of the tenement-hOuSe system is
sIdrred TO be the inadequate ventilation OF what
called inside rooms. Almost universally these have
no openings except small WlndOW INTO an outer
room or nall, and many Instances have been found
where these were not even provided. As such
apartments, almost devoid OF hight aud
sitting for want Of air, are wholly uhhi Tor
human beings to sleep IN, the new law has provided
that there should be at least one window opening
out OF each inside room to the outside AR. Wnere
such arrangements are not practca'le, discretion
AIRY power Is gwen to substitute air saits or other
means of ventilation. In number OF the plans
provision for bOtu air aud llgAt IS made by lndeut
ing the walls with recesses of Triangular shape.
FORTY CHILDREN Is ONE HOUSE.
Twenty-Five houses have been examined by In
spector Shelly in the square nciosed by Fifth and
Sixtb-sts. and Aycnue-A and Avenue-B These
buildings were inhabited By Germans with a few
Flemish aud few BJhrmaus. In one house six
teen adults were found aud forty children. In ad-
ditiou 10 beng thus Overcrowded, the house was
meaCre in its ARRANGEMENTS Instead Of the usual
nnu,bar of inner rooms, two TO each suite. there
were four. two of them off Of hall, ventilated
bv one small window each. and the other
two inferior rooms next 10 the hall, with no
openiurs except the doors into them and a small
window in EACH All thoughts Of providing air for the
unfortunate occupants seemed 40 nave Dccu utterly
dIsregardcd IN the construction oI these rooms.
The tenants all loud M tbelf compliant Of the
heat ana The almost sufOcltlng atmosphere. AZ a
house few PAGES further on there was more air,
but vile odOrs from unframed closets IN the ycin-
ity rendered il unit iOr breathing On the first
floor there was a lager Deer saiOOn, vi. n dance
house in the rear. in the cellar below cooking WAS
going on most OF the time, and tins hliet the air
with OdOIs a vile aS those wnlcI came from the
yauif Refuse matter was found on The premises
which had oozed in from the vaults belonging to
the adjacent yard.
Al No 5I7 ien persons were living IN four small
poorly lighted basement rooms, only seven feet
hiQh. The mother of this numerous family said
that she had always lived in "a basement, aud that
her husband preferred living UNDERGROUND TO up
stars. She Did not appear 70 concur IA her hus-
bands opinion. as she added that she didn't know
why he should. AS the walls were damp. aud
musty smell pervaded the place the Inspector was
not able TO penetrate the husbands philosophy
elfhrr. few doors away theIe were two families,