New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-21

tween tho front and rear un'u,"f' NY 80 i"ns
from this In constantly chohcu ny o"r, i ''",'
,hrown in nv careless persons The rear building "a
worse than The 'front.' one AID has almost no light ~
'rolinwing nrc some notes of recent visit u! in
spacton which made to this monster hnilhihV VI
front room on the third i0of on opening IN" dour
was confronted by aHialwatt woman wearing oply
n chcnise and pcttiCOnt whilo seven otl'r women
more or less scaniy clad, ana several oi tn"n' srn-
inu 10 he the worse for quor sat or louhg'd h"ul.
Thev pretended to work by the day cleaning Offices,
but was told by others in the bniidng hat they
led vicious life and were constantly drunk anu nn
orderly. The disr0bed female hid bchind Tue loor
while she put on another garment. ana one Oh tne
Others reluctantly answered my questions, stonty
declaring that only three persons were living ID the
three and that the other women were calcis'
Before an adjoining room on the same iioor an OBJ
seqnious woman sad that there was nouodI sIch
and Reluctantly opened the door. when several iowS
| were seen within. including handsome iupatcr,
which uttered tremendous crow at slsnt OF
strangers. Next door IN Il small room win no uIIi
| tnrc but n work bench and shabby cot b9d was
| solitary cobbler. lie was too deaf to Ghdefslahu
| questions, and seemed to be living apart from .nc
| busy workaday world around him. we t1ch
/ entered a ccanly but small and plainly FURNISHED
! room occupied by a respectable couple; VINO gave
much information about the rest OF inc tenants;
| They spoke in low tones AMI under nJuncilohs o.
secrecy, and sIld that the place was per!cct nru-
lam with rlotlng and drinking going on all niRhl, 50
that il wa impossible TO sleep The police were con-
slant visitors ana frequent arrests for drnnkehhcSs
| and drsordcrly conduct were ma !c Inc worst
room OF the fifty or more III the palidne was ,i'
on the rear Of the lower floor OF The back tchciehl
Ii was a square apartment so dark tat u WIS Haiu
! to distinguish its contents, excepting "A cook stove
| and a dresser whose shelves were lined with creek
! cry while huge mahogany burcau stood ny. me
sole light came from narrow conrt shnt ID py q
| lofty warehouse eight feet distant An oppressSNe
gloom hung like pail the room and IT'S solitary
! inmate q short stout. m!dd e-aged lrishWohilh.
lame III one foot and with the nsnal volnblity oi
| her race. While lifting heavy Kettle OF bolllng
water from the stove her foot broke through the
rotten floor and she so badly scalded as to neeI
| hospital treatmcn: for some months, She ma
| lived on her sclnt savings ana on 0iu JOBS; nnt
| was nov very poor. ado Won see the walls ana Inc
| cengr she said, pointing above. which the iahI,
oT5 pro% o yo to gp i nsh ' U IN the She
| replied indicating what seemed solid black wall
rather than ANY space for occupancy. STRIKING
match and Walking slowly in the direction referred
| to- gradually discovered bc'iStedd ana char or
| two but no window or outlook of any KIND eScert-
| ing into the other apartment. when was aiieany
This bniilng was erected many years ago. II is
shown on map of the district appended to report
| Of the Citizcps Association Of l36i and II thAt
| date had a high mortality Double stars showed
| that tvphns fever had prevailed dnrne ne year.
In the twenty years of lis existence has been oc-
| records 81 The board cT Health show an annual
mortality of live prtS0pa. ur 100 Tor the total nril.
II the rolips of All thG inmates whn hA'r ui.l II
| that rp,iUi were Piled N Il rohhint they Wonu
| tarh hiaher than The adjoining roadway oi the
| East River hilpe.
GutHAM CctRt TRANSFORMED
\ n4N hiarbs iuiihps eastward NNh ths fttnh-
| ht,-st house stands anaihef hnap teNeMpni which
Nas hfMerlv NNNNe 81 rs hint, ihs 70 chs iHieNs
| 80 H0thaU NpNli ~ Ans go aNd "a th.iii-si oh
| tho hineh adjoining ir,nSim hHnln. lh's NHihl-
U9, Nr sol al NWllngs, 70 sac harvest lnith al ~
the city, eIcepting tho big Fiat Ia Mott ST. and "a
| us pamy DAYS had the highest death reoold oi any
| known structure IL stands at al angle 10 lho
street facing upon two narrow courts OF alieyNaSs,
| 2ji feet deep and seven aud nine loo Wide mere
are live stories and 100 sets of rooms, which now
contain l23 families, including -Ol children. In
Ilr Dnlli
was occupied by 30 persons in II OF the 100 ses of
rooms which gave barely 275 cubic feet OF space to
each person. They comprised the most degraded
and y-stricken class At the time OF this visit
DR.. Pulling counted li6 eases OF sickness IN the
building including almost every form OF Injection,
disca5e-SmallpOX scarlet fever, measles ana ~
uhus. Two of these III rooms where
tailoring for the army carried Oh. The average
| time of occupancy for each tenant was two years
and eight months, and during that period there had
| been 9s deaths. OF l3s children born III the same
period only Y were then living. 81 having died,
most of them In their flrst year hese iEics are
almost unexamplel The criminal record of the
Court cqualcd its mortality record. The inmates
we're constntv drunken and disordcrly arrest were
OF daily occurrence, and saturday night was rcgu-
lar pandcmOnium. procession of criminals nave
marched from its doors and II has been training
school IN vice for the whole city.
For upward of twenty years Gotham Court con
tnucd in this WIctched state a constant menace TO
the health and safety Of the community, untll III
1850 the property was leased 10y some phllnihiolc
gentlemen, including -. Willis james, william l..
dodge and W. Bayard Cutting, who made extensive
improvements whIiewashcd The yards. repaired the
plasterng and woodwork, opened Venilaing win
dows and put the building III charge OF conn" cent
janiiOr The disOrdcry tenants were replaced by
decent people, and to-day every room i Occuultdi
the rents promptly pad tie investment has
prove financial success, aud the letlii nj the 0c-
oupants has benn extraordinary, In Tie hottest
period of the summer Oi 1871 when ChiIdnn were
dying like liirs ~ the Immediate YlrlnlA iLolt was
hardly CASE of dangerous sickness aud not death
occurred IN the building. The mortality has been
| lg 1pII
mrnt, 90.
:. The place had ~ run down that only fifty three
| tenants remained IN January, 1850, and 80 terrible
was its repnIo that many persons were alrah W
move into tAo Court, Much opposition also was
nude AT his g. the rules OF dereney hnl cleanliness
which had ia he enforced, but neVoll nlrss, WIN
eW exceptions the old tenants plnlnlInd % remain
Rents nov range from ~ 10 ~, ana the net irinin
or 1871 and ihH2 was 6'a per cent oh the invest
| mont,
A greater contrast could hcatcolY b" presented
than helwoon uothnm Court OF The pehl nnd Gotham
Cont oi to-day, That such u total reform Should
| he accomplished IN u most hopeful hipn and pihC.
tipnl proof VI the power oi nuunfy regulation, "
nlao demonstrates the advantage Of dealing WIN 80
| listing trurnirnlH rather than attempting 10 huNl
| model houses. wirl can only hr rtOilinbly erected
at distance from the localities whore the Ncfi pooi
must live In order 10 bo near then work The Biuc
| tnral dreultics 60 bo overcome ~ Gotham Court
were not 80 great ~ those 70 ho met ~ double
dcckets. ~ the rooms are not deep ANA IL possible
| 90 light the living rooms without Artificial means
The success Oi this experiment, Therefore, does not
ptovo that like results could be- obta ned In other
buildings of the decker class, but the results
| ale certainly very cheering.
| BRIGHT SIDE or tnr plc1rrE.
| Al Water and Roosevelt SITS. block distant from
| Gotham Court. Miss Ellen Collins benevolent
Quaker lady has six four-stofy teneinens. formerly
occupied in part for improper purposes and by a
little expenditure and the exercise oiigood Judgment
| has made them comfortably sanitary and profitable
TO the extent Of yielding m income Of per cent per
| antrim Paint kalsoniine gas, water and good
plumbing have trans formed wat wefe dismal dens Of
ticc iiiti silubfi0s hoiteB he old orthOuses ia
| tnIo ,I,thrFt out ta.i at,orn gn Al