The New York herald., 1879-08-02
How the Working People Of the
City Are Housed.
SWEAT BOXES FOR THE POOR.
What Health Inspectors Saw in
the Seventeenth Ward.

r Thirty-two inspectors were yesterday COM
missioned and started out by the Health
Board, with instructions to commence care
full scrutiny Of the tenement houses OF the dis
trict to which they assigned in the Seven
teenth ward. The corps of inspectors is composed
half of civil engineers and the other half of
medical DOCTORS Each doctor was accompanied by
civil engineer, detailed to examine the houses.
The instructions to ascertain the name of the
owner. agent and housekeeper of each house;
the year in which the house was built.
the number Of stories in the structure.
exact number Of families each floor.
number Of adults and children in each family. and
the length and size of the building. Besides this
report to be made of the condition of the yards.
cellars roofs and water closets of each house. The
means OF light and ventilation the principal
matters to be dealt WITH landlords are generally
negligent about those elements OF health. The in
fuenee OF the HERALD is shown in the fact that the
inspectors instructed report carefully points
which the HERALD has repeatedly brought to the
notice of the Board The articles in these columns
last followed by the action of the Tene
ment Reform Association last winter and the points
most widely discussed are those which the Board of
Health is now examining into s'
THE INSPECTORS AT WORK.
Promptly at noon the inspectors were informed OF
the districts they were expected to cover and work
began. HERALD reporter met with one of the in
spectors on his watch the practical working Of
the new sanitary system. Dr. Owens assigned to
the block of houses bounded by First ana Second
avenues and Fourth and Fifth streets. The tene-
nents were fair average of the residences Of the
east side laboring class. The first house entered
was No. 237 East Fourth street. 1his a small
house and not good type of "tenements" Nor
was No. 235. The next house, No. 233, was four
stories high. On entering, the hallway
found TO be in good condition. The stairway
was lghtelDby skylight in the roof and each fam
lily had q close. dark sleeping apartment. without
windows. An unhealthy smell was detected in the
cellar. The privy had no sewer outlet and gen.
Grated foul odor Next door. No. 23. tho house was
five stories high. Eleven families occupied the
house. including twentysix adults and twenty chill
dren. There ten small rooms each floor
Ave each side of the hall. They lighted by
what few rays of sunlight the door might Chance to
admit. In the hallway the water taps were found to
be LEAKING as in almost every house visited. The
ted very offensive stencil The house, on
ascending the stairs. presented scene Of
dirt and sQualor. Lazy men and women lounged
in the rooms. where fires burning In the stoves
all day long. Little children. who should have been
seaside or country. crowded around the floors of
these verable stencil ovens. Beads OF sweat poured
eyes of children whom nature intended should be
images of smiling health and happiness. There
haggard. while careworn mothers hung over
washtubs. with no thought OF their dlrt-be-
necessity lighted fires every floor with the ther
mome.er oat m e h The nsnector I set ths hanse
| down as doubtful" The next tour was through
No. 800. The house is six stories hgh is owned by
| q. j. Oswald and built in 1875. There only
families at present occupying it, consisting Of
eighteen adults and thirteen children. The rooms
not measured as the inspector was not provided
with q tape measure. The yard and alley
fair condition. and the halls were lighted by sky
light. A cupoladoor opened onto the roof and gave
ample ventilation.
THE srEScHEs.
The water closets, six in number. were so vile
that they could not be approached no connection
with the street sewer having been formed The gut
very filthy. and emitted ntolerable smells. which
could be plainly dckected from the upper windows.
Several ventilation pipes ran from the to the
bedrooms and admitted air to these close apart
ments. As the Inspector approached one door TO
knock the fierce barking r. OF se canine n . wns
ing of dogs any animals is violation
of the sanitary laws. The yelpine monster proved
to he only dminutive cur, perfectly harmless.
No. 227 contained in four stories, Tour families, con-
sisting of fifteen adults and six children The
with the exception of the yard. The water closets
had sewer connections and were credtably clean.
| The cellar also good No. 225 was four story
house in excellent condition. 1t has only two fam
lilies present residing in it, No. 223 Is owned by
Dora Dare Herme. 1t is four stories high, and ac-
commodities six families of eleven adults and ten
| children.
! WV BAD VENTILATION.
The rooms very small, and connected by
doors. which were the only means OF ventilation.
The hallway lighted by large skylight, and the
cellar in excellent condition The water closets
were very vie-mere sinking cesspools. No. 2l9
was five stories high, and contained six families
OF sixteen adults and nine children. Between the
kitchen and parlor of each family were four small
dark sleeping apartments. which were ventilated by
very small windows opening to the hall. The water
closets were declared by the inspector to be
rank" The cellar and other apartments
was the last house visited by Dr. Owens
1t five stories high and contained ten families
consisting of thirty adults and twelve children
| he hal Ia wer by a
rear house of three stories, accommodating four
families of ten adults and six children The walls of
cracked and patched in thousand places. The in
spector could have kicked hole in the wall without
extraordinary exerton. The rear cellar was one
mass of filthy. decaying vegetable matter. which
could not but be strong source Of disease The
cluded the tour and the inspector left his dis
trict, tired out.
! Inspector Robert A. Johnson assigned to the
district bounded by Ninth and Tenth streets and
! First and Second avenues. In company with
HERALD reporter he made a most minute and
careful inspection of Nos. 3O3, 800, JO1 aud 800
| Ninth street. The neighborhood is an excep-
tionally good ono for a tenement district. and
tho houses are far above the average OF houses
of that KIND An ample space so - epslt ,xo
good sweep OF air for ventilation. and the ground
is high and solid. Tho houses themselves, like the
most OF those by. are OF u kind that call for
little impro vement, long as the tenement system
itself is not condemned. and II all tenements were
| equal to the four mentioned there would be little
! talk of reform or the four No. 800 Is the largest
and the best example of what may be done under
favorable circumstances in the way of making
| home for a score of families under single roof
without the of any of what arc called the mod
ern improvements.
The house itself stands on lot almost of the full
size being 10 feet VIDE and 92 feet deep The house
occupies the full width and 10 feet OF the depth,
leaving ~ feet for yard. 1t IL i've stories in height
above the basement which IL sunk three steps below
the sidewalk and is of the most economical pattern
! in regard to space. the hall running through the
centre of the house and each side of the house ON
each floor being divided into six rooms two suits.
f,tp mil mr. M MI nush
noor besides the basement. On either side of the
hiuh steps, IN the basement is small store, with
| suit OF living rooms behind, so that A. the house
| were full there would be twenty-five families living
in IT.. 1t Is not full. as two suits of rooms stand
vacant and one family occupies two suits (six rooms.
80 that only seventeen families in the house.
! These seventeen families incuac scventy-one per-
sons, about one-hat of whom are children
The var is paved with bluestone, having vege-
tation or room for vegetation in IT, Almost in the