The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-10-11
TENEMENT House LIFE.
PlCTuREs OF POVERTY AND Decu.
pATloN IN CROWDED DISrRlCTs.
"unt n visit Ia tho Abodes OF the Eoor md
Desitu'o Revealed to nm Inspector.
tFrom the New York World.l

opstructed the sidewalks In MULBERRY
street. The cool breeze which made
life tolerable in other parts of the city
was wanting there. The heat radiated
from the uneven tiagstones and noisome
smells rose from stagnant pools. On
either side OF the street lowered the
high brick walls of the tenements within
which resided countless thousands OF the
city's poor, whose number defy the
census-taker.
Passing down Mulberry street, where
it was evidently market day, the side
walks and roadway were thronged with
"are-footed women and children scantily
and shabbily clad, who jostled each
other III their eagerness to get near the
Tnrlous wagons and stands of hucksters.
Entering dark, narrow allev on Mnl.
berry street, the reporter and his guide
emerged into courtyard.
A dozen or more bright-faced. healthy
children were playing there. One OF
them was flying miniature kite which
IN Its widest ascent never rose two feet
above the surface of the ground. Four
old women were ensconced on benches
needless of their surroundings, while
Others were washing clothes in small
tubs, and number of men sat on tho
rickety steps and Sazed la4ily ut the
visitors. The buildings were five stories
high and offered shelter to twenty fam
lilies.
ITALIAN HoNEs
Tho landing of the fire-escapes were
literally covered with bedding, boxes
and refuse, which made egress almost
impossible and would prove a fruitful
source of danger in case of fire.
On ascending the steps small hall
was discovered whose walls had been re-
comfy whitewashed and which had a
fairly clean and hfbitable appearance.
Each family has two rooms. the outer
serving for kitchen and dining room and
tho inner for bed-chamber. Tn these
two rooms are crowded from four to ten
persons when the family and "boardcrs"
are all at home. At this season of the
year most of the male members of the
household whose presence is not needed
for rag-pickirg are Gin the country"
which means that they are working on
railroads or tramping with their organs
and monkeys through the outside towns.
Further down the street were found
The lowest class Of Italian rag -pickers.
The odor which came from the out-ho,ses
was something nauseating; remnants of
food were scattered about and the mir
was rocking with filth When asked if
there had been any deaths in the house
during the season, boy--the only one
who could speak English-said that all
had been we'll. On ascending dark,
narrow stairs the rooms were found to
be in q very unhealthy condition.
Still further down the street two large
h""T"S were visited, the appearance Of
whlrA N,". ""r than any in the quar-
Ter. The waIYs OF the alley-way had
recently been whitewnshed and the
inside bore the marks of late renoya.
ton.
Progress through Baxter street was
slow. The shopkeepers. the majority of
whom seemed to be Poles-and n filthy
looking set they were-lisplaycd their
merchandise OH and above tho sidewalk
TO such an extent that the pedestrians
proceeded with difficulty and discom
fort. Secondhand clothing and second
hand shoes are the staple goods in Bax-
ter street.
POLISH HOMES
One OF the worst houses in the dis
'r''t which was visited by the reporter
was five-story rookery where the very
lowest elements of Poles and Italians
herd together. Passing through an
alley-way into courtyard a scene was
revealed which bcggars description.
Congrcgated in that small inclosure
were at least fifty people, men, women,
boys, girls and infants. Ragpickers
were continually coming in with their
burdens, the result of the mornings
labor, which they deposited III q loose
lnlo previously gathered from the gut
ters of the city. One Of the neighborine
merchants was Offering for sale an arm
fnl OF old clothes which should have
found fitting resting place on tho heap
or rags. An old woman, bent double
with age, had small basket of decayed
ish on her arm which she spread before
her customers. Pushing through the
miserable crowd and stumbling over
seVeral infants on a dangerous stairway
the officer led the way to the roof, which |
was apparently the summer bedroom of
the community. IN the corners and
along the sides were piles of straw and
rags, covered with veimin and breathing
forth disease and death in the noondaV
heat. >'''
On Park street stands one of the lof.
uest tenements in the vicinity, the front
pclnG seven stories high and the rear
Iour stores. Underneath the front Dor
non, IN the basement, were found two
,nar-rooms. There are over thirty fami.
l'cs IN the structure, principally Irisb,
with mixture Of Italians. but tho ap-
pearance of the rooms betoken a general
care and neatness.
While walking along Mott street the
nhcer Sn1 suddenly turned into basement
Aho reporter followed as manfully as
pWSSioic, though the darkness prevented
nls seeing more than six inches before
MN, untl, after devious turninps and
winnings and the ascent of a short fight
VI t4m6le-down steps, small court was
CHINESE HOMES.
Upon opening door made Of pain
deal boards n large room was Seen
which appeared to be Chinese opium
den. A long bunk made of straw mat
ting extended nearly across one side Of
the room, on which a white woman was
sleeping off the effects of the drnr, On
the opnc-'' oidn was n double bunk of
n