The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-07-17
PURIFY THE TBNEMEN7S.
A Reporters Tour Of an Over
crowded District.
SUFFERING BABYHOOD.
Instances of Neglect on the Part
of East Side Landlords.

A HERALD reporter met DR.. o. A. Gorton by APP
pointment yesterday morning and accompanied him
on an inspection of tho tenement promises con-
tanned in the block bounded by Grand and Hester
streets on the north and south, and Mulberry and
Baxter streets on the east and west. 1t was not a
very inviting morning for a tramp up tenement
stairs and through back alleys but yet the intense
heat was beneficial in throwing everything open for
inspection. Starting from Grand street the first
visit was made to No. 155 Baxter street. rather
dilapidated wooden tenement containing six fami-
lies One flight back the Doctor found Mr.. Arm
strong and five daughters The girls, ranging from
ten to about five years. looked il there a
scarcity of water in the neghborhood. and Mr.
Armstrong, who inclined to be loquacious.
offered to make the Doctor present of a couple
of the girls. courtesy that politely declined.
There were swarms of children around the stair
way attracted by the hope Of obtaining ticket for
a Floating Hospital excursion and they all seemed
pretty healthy and literally revealed in dirt. Next
door there four colored families in the front
and ten families in tho rear The children were
all in healthy condition. and the yard between the
two houses appeared to be kept tolerably clean.
The building of No. las is occupied by six
families. and though they packed together in
pretty close quarters there reports of sick
1t perhaps rather difficult to obtain
rect information, in many instances the Doctor
appeared to be looked upon an intruder instead
OF visitor DESTROYS and willing to alleviate their
sufferings. Seven families lived at No. 1877. and in
the rear eight families located.
PICTURESQUE SCENE
tolerably large yard separated the two houses
and furnished scene that would have made good
subject for the brush of figure painter. swarthy
of Italia seated three-legged stool in
the shade Of the rear house, churning up q can Of
ice sun burned dark eyed, dark haired,
pleasant faced woman. evidently from the same
country, stood in the background with group Of
twenty-five or thirty children. representing all
tionalites. crowded round the can and smacking
their lips the artist occasionally pulled out the
spoon in order to see if the cream had reached q
proper consistency. The faces of those children.
with their eyes almost starting out of their heads
they gazed at the tempting delicacy, expressed
wistful longing that could not fail to touch the
hearts of those that take pleasure in making children
happy.
Next door the Doctor discovered five families and
up flight in the lady engaged in baby farm
ing. Sho had two children-one her own and one
she had taken i'll to nurse The stranger did not
possess the lneaments Of the regular patrcian and
there such decided difference in the appear
of the babies that there would have been some
difficulty in mixing them up" The Doctor
thought little fresh air would be beneficial. and
gave them ticket for an excursion in the Floating
Hospital By this time the news had spread around
the street that the Doctor making his visits. and
he and the reporter were met at the door by tall
interesting looking young with baby
in her Her little one had been sick
and she thought that an excursion on the water
would be beneficial. The Doctor of the Same
opinion and the young mother went away happy in
the possession of ticket. The Doctor then turned
round the corner into Hester street and went up
alley to inspect the house in tn rear OF No. 200.
There were eight families in the house. and IN one
the Doctor discovered four little Ones the eld
est about six and the youngest sprawng on its back
in the cradle There were two women in the room,
the mother of the children. and the family APP
peared to be in very poor circumstances. The room
close and the little around lightly clad
The mother was given ticket that entitled her to
benefit of cool sea breeze
AN AILING CHILD
In the front building there a little child very
sick with cholera infantum. The Doctor entered and
offered his assistance and found several sympathiz-
ing neighbors present. The sick child about year
room aud the hectic flush its cheek betrayed the
ravages of disease. The Doctor examined the little
sufferer. but the mother said she had doctor at
tending to the case did not attempt TO prescribe.
but merely remarked that the child appeared to be
doing pretty well. These words of consolation APP
peared to cheer the mother and her visitors and the
former said that she had been afraid during the
early morning that it would die. but II appeared to
be gaining strength every minute
No. 20l Hester street the next house visited
and proved quite pleasant change from the houses
that had Just been left. There are sixteen apart
ments in the house. fourteen of which were occu-
pied, and there was also III air of cleanliness and
comfort, resulting from proper care in the con-
strucion of the building and the attention of the
housekeeper. In room l6. the fourth story, u
family discovered with three little children that
were just recovering from the whooping cough.
The husband was home busily engaged in lacking
up some white window curtains, while the mother
was engaged in the preparation of the MONDAY
meal One of the little ones was sprawling on its
back in cradle and when the Doctor announced
his errand the mother brought him
bright looking little boy that was still
cmaciated from the effects of the harass-
ing cough. The Doctor examined the patient and
prescribed something in the way of tonic. There
other houses on Hester street that appeared
to invite inspection. The first thing to attract the
eye i'll Mulberry street the filthy condition of the
roadway. with large pools of stagnant water in the
gutter, forming tempting pool tor the youth OF
the neighborhood to walk about IN No. 13l Null
berry street contained eight families and sick chill
dren. The people did not appear TO DO at all commu-
NEGATIVE, and evidently objected to an inspection that
might relieve them from some OF the dirt and filth
with which they were surrounded In the next
house there only antilles and the children
from all accounts in remarkably healthy condition.
THROUGH An ALLEYwAY.
Up an alley that I'D to the back yard of No. 139
were found % couple of women hard at work over
the wash tub. The rocking chair had been brought
out and placed in the shade OF the house. forming n
cradle. baby lay ON his back cushion. with
a net stretched over his little fat body to keep off
the flies. There evidently German residents in
this house. and the mothers brought out their
children the Doctor to look at. The atmosphere
was not quite as pure as It might have been, and
mule occupied unpeasantly close quarters in a shed
attached to the of the house. There were only
three families in this house. and the children. with
one exception, looked in pretty good health.
The women appeared quite pleased at the
idea of taking the children on an
curson, and eagerly accepted the tickets that
the Doctor offered them Passing up the alley lead
ing to the OF No. 14 the reporters nostrls
assailed with the most offensive odors which came,
the inmates OF the tenement said. from drain
that led from the next house, No. 139, into their
yard. There was an open drain. from which some
foul water was trckling on the pavement of the
yard, but there was also stable. containing three
horses which did not appear to receive the requisite
amount OF attention, as large quantity OF manure
was piled up outside the door just underneath the
windows of the rear tenement. The inquiry of the
Doctor rs to when the stable was cleaned out elected
a rather dubious response, fixing the date some
whore about ten or fourteen days back. There were
lot OF children about the yard. but they appeared
to DO thriving i'll the midst of these pestilential
odors there evidence OF sickness about
them. Something ought ccrtainly to be done. the
tenants insist to prevent No. l4l suffering from the
refuse water that escapes from No. 49,
TwESry-FouR FAMILIES.
visit was then paid to No. 49, probably the
largest tenement property in the block. The first