The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-03-31
TENEMENT HOUSE CLEANLINESS.
0nooKLrN. March ~. 1879.

3RooKLYN. March q, 1879.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALp:-
willy you please allow few remarks in your valu-
able paper in reply to Gepcral Egbert L. viele's re-
marks on healthful tenemcnts. He says that after
considerable study he has made q diagram of
model tenement house. Allow to say to the
General that he is in his infancy on that topic His
model and remarks ridiculous regards light
and privacy. unless he restricts the family
to man and wife and baby. Where would
be his privacy in boys and girls and father and
mother in room. Then. for light. 1t would
be very dim. it would be borrowed from staircase
or what is termed well hole Again for janitor
pass inspection by the Board of Health police
would be grand fzzle for the owners but great
affair to make generals that could not make
Of any enterprise with their money and brains
in competition with others. As to n great many re-
marks by other speakers think that the majority
them speak without the practical knowledge Of what
they talking about. But there also very
good remarks. For instance. one says that IL some
OF the ladies that live in some Of the palaces
on Murray Hill were put in Of tho
houses that now called pest holes the pest holes
would soon be turned to palaces. if some Of the
people that nov live In these post holes were put in
the palaces they would turn them into pest holes in
less than six months. Now. my humble opinion,
after thirty Ave years Of digent personal attention.
overcome. and the one think of the greatest i'm
portancc. is to get people to clean away their
Nth. They afraid of cleaning thim-
bieful of dirt for others that they leave barrels Of
dirt of their As for jantor. IL very doubtful
to me II there could be much money collected
from the property as would pay the expenses that
would be required to keep IL in order have tried
that TO my hearts content. The only remedy see
Ia to do IL yourself and get the law to aid You. by
disposscssng people for being dirty without cost to
the owner. 1 have tried that, but could not do IL
without paying from 81 to 81 20 when there has BEN
thrcc or four months rent due me. II the owner
agent could call to his aid the inspectors OF the
Board Of HEALTH so that the owners could get
possession of their property for dirtiness with
out cost, or compel the tenants to Clean
there might be great Improvement. You will no
doubt say, "Why not make rules for the tenantsr'
have done that. but find IL failure for the follow
ing reasons when IL comes to cleaning the hall or
water closet will not feel well enough 10 do 1t
and cannot afford to get any to do 1t. and SO no
one viii do II. 1 have property that will stand
the test Of careful examination for strength
nght ana air. as most OF my houses
have seven good windows open to the air with
clear space from ten to forty ect besides doors and
other windows In the hall tor each four rooms and
with water closet on each floor for two families
built OF the best material aud ma good plan as
know Of The percentage IL SO great that would DO
glad to sell IL at large sscridcc with small amount
OF cash and balance at four per cent interest," giving
agood long time to pay uAiance in long AS inter
est was paid prompt. WILLIAM SWAINE,
No. IS South Sccc.d street. Brooklyn, n. ID.