The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-03-23

EXPLANATION
"This diagram" continued General Viele ''repre-
sents the floor of tenement house on lor 35x1O0.
leaving space for yard at the rear Of IA feet The
first around floor devoted to business stores
and janitors quarters, and, by the way don't
think any tenement house should be allowed to exist
without a 1anitor, who can produce certificate
from the Board of Health and Police Board to his
qualifications. This floor is arranged for four FAM
flies, allowing three rooms 12xl2 ieet to each. The
middle room is lighted with a window on both sides
and a transom over the door. The window in the
room opens into the court, in which
are located the water closets. coal BINS anu a
lift for elevating the coal. The front rooms are
lighted by bay windows thus receiving air and light
from three different directions. and the balconies ut
the end of the hall give opportunity for placing
plants there in the summer. The halls divided
by solid petition. Allowing six floors to house
and four families to floor at an average rent of SO
month the landlord would be in the yearly receipt
Of 50, $3.50, sum equal to the rent OF first class
house up town costing double as much to build SO
lation of this kind, which will not only prove a
pecuniary success but most essential benefit to the
moral and physical health OF the city
IMPROVING THE EXISTING TENEMENTs.
''What plan would you devise. General, for improv
ing the condition OF the existing tenement houses 2?
''Where ventilation has been attempted in the
tenement houses already constructed the result has
been failure, because the effort made to get
vertical currents OF air to ascend through narrow
ues in which the cold air is more likely to descend
than the foul air in the rooms to rise, and as a
matter of course. the tenants shut OF these descend
ing currents OF cold air. resulting in ventilation
ut all. In those houses where there Railways
running through from front to horizontal cnr-
rents of air can be carried through on line with the
ceilings in gavanised iron pipes having openings in
every room through which they pass, and emerging
on the front and rear walls with grated openings
HOUSES THAT SHOULD BE REBUILT
''Would any amount of improvement rectify the
radical defects i'll most OF these tenement houses!
Many of these tenement houses especially on the
east side, should be rebuilt. There is doubt
that the pastering used in most OF these teements
absorbs the infection that may have BEEN at any
time in the rooms. and most of the tenements that
have been built a number OF years are unfit to be
occupied for the that the atmosphere of the
rooms is constantly in contact with what the walls
have absorbed from long occupancy by unclean ten
ants II the walls were covered with wash OF sill
cite acid it would form coating impcrvious to the
impurities of the air. and could be cleaned like n
marble tablet. In the tearing down of the old New
York Hospital some of the workmen were taken i'll
with typhoid fever, and several died. the infection
emanating from the walls they were engaged in pull
ing down. though the rooms had not been occupied
for long time previously
"Where lies the great difficulty in securing q re-
form in tenement house construction
well You see the extreme value of land in New
York makes tenement houses necessity. They have
sprung up within comparatively short time, and
have now become numerous, and the amount of
capital invested in them is enormous and the in
tercst paid to owners the shape great
that il seems almost an impossbty to accomplish
any reform. These tenemelts are almost invariably
so constructed as to make tolcrabe ventilation
entirely out of the question. IL this city not
more favorably located tor health than almost
any other city earth nobody could live
here. Let the same state of things exist in
New Orleans and it would be decimatcl
at once, and would London. The nth and odor
of some of the tenement houses in this city I'M
imagincl by respectable folks, anu it is wonder
that more people die in New York than in almost
any other city on the face of the globe. our tene-
ments for the masses are so constructed as to shut
out the light and make ventilation impossIbility,
while the surroundings without are made to COM
bine the very elements of DEATH
''Who are the men to undertake this reform?'
''well. it won't do to depend for the agitation of
this subject consulting plumbers with patent
traps. 1t must be taken in hand by men of broad
views and ample means. who can see a good invest
mcnt un,tcd to q philauthropic object.