Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-04-26
LIFE IN THE ALLEYS.
A Morning Trip with a Sanitary In
sPeCtOr.

LIFE IN THE ALLEYS,
A Morning Trip with a Sanitary I'm.
speCtOr.
AN EXPEDITION THROUGH JACKSON AILEY-THE
YARDS OF SMITHS ROW AND THE NEIGHBoRING
HoUsEs-HOw THE PEOPLE LIvE-YELPNG
DOGS AND BELLIGERENT GEEsE-THE BUSINESS
HOUSES OF THE ALLEY, ETC.
"Board OF Health: VIII you please give attention
and Oblige, The WRITER"
This communication passed through the usual
official channels till it reached Sanitary Inspec-
tor Short. Inspector Short said that the examl-
nation of the yards of Smiths row and the
neighboring tenements in Jackson alley would
afford good sample Of the work of inspectors
in such localities, besides giving the reporter
view of the life and surroundings of the large
portion Of the population that dwell in the
alleys of the city. So about the hour when the
department clerk is limbering his pen for the
day work, and the man of leisure is slipping his
morning coffee Inspector Short and a STAR re-
porter set out on an expedition to Jackson alley.
jackson alley is the name given to the T shaped
thoroughfare that cuts up the square on which
the Government Printing Office is located.
From the upper windows of the printing Office
one gets view of the roofs of the low houses
that line the alley, with glimpses, here and
there, OF the cramped yards, with their rckety
fences, sheds and ash heaps. The inspector and
the reporter entered the alley from the G street
side, and presently stopped in front of Smiths
row. This is a row of dozen low. twO-stOry
flat-roofed brick houses. with narrow doors and
windows. All of the houses with one excep-
ton, are inhabited by colored people. 1t required
nearly an hour to inspect the yards and write
out the necessary notifications. The inspection
was then extended to the other houses Of the
alley. few OF these were more cOmmodious
than those in Smith row, but the majority were
tumbe-down boxes, containing three or four
rooms.
THE INTERIORS OF THE HOUSES.
There were two rooms on the first floor of
each house of Smiths row. The door opened
right into the front room. In some cases this
room was reserved as parlOr, but in most cases
1t was occupied also as bedroom. The back
room served as kitchen, dining-roOm and in
some instances also as bedroom. However
early the deniZens of Smiths row may have
risen, they had not yet fit to put their beds
In order. Ragged blankets, notwithstanding
sheets and lumpy mattresses lay in disoTdered
heaps on rickety and infirm bedsteads. Just as
| they had been tossed and kicked about in
the Nightmares of the late occupants. Many
| of the women living in the alley are engaged in
| laundry work, and that industry was in full
operation at the time Of the visit, with all the
Accomplishments of choking steam, small de-
luges OF suds, and narrow rooms overlooking
with damp linen The odors from the washtub,
mingled with the smells Of the kitchen, rendered
the atmosphere of the close, crowded and ill
ventilated rooms. such as that one escaped from
| 1t to the yards. Uttered with decaying garbage
with sense of relief. In some cases two or
three families occupied the house. The cook
stove was in the back room. and. as it was a
| cool morning, such members of the family as
were not engaged in the laundry industry were
hudded about the stove. Old women, with tur-
baned heads, sat on the floor with their hands
clasped about their knees. grooming and rocking
to and fro. Every house had its quota OF ragged
children, who watched the proceedings of the
inspector with wondering eyes. The back wards
were each about ten feet square, inclosed by
rickety board fences Every yard contained an
ash heap, at least one dog, and quantity Of
| miscellaneous rubbish.
THE DOGS AND GEESE.
Some Of the yards had four dogs In some
| instances the dogs were tied aud justified their
| owners In tieing them, by their efforts to lump
out Of their skins to get at the inspector and
the reporter. An ugly yelping dog, with five
feet of rope, and considerable neck, can describe
semi-circe in ten-fOOt yard of such dinner
sions as to make it delicate engineering prob
lem Tor an Inspector to traverse the whole
length OF the yard without Coming within the
limits of the semi-circle. The difficulties of the
| situation were often increased by the net works
| OF rope upon which were hung the products of
the wash tub. Inspector Short displayed much
| SIKH and nerve when such emergencies pre-
sented themselves. and guided the reporter
| safely through the crises On one occasion ONLY
was he at fault. and then an assault came sud
denly from an unexpected quarter. The dog in
| the yard had been passed without 1nishap
although the rope appeared frayed and stretched
to its utmost tension. A head was poked
gut OF little shed, 1t was the head of goose.
Alter considerable indignant quacking two I'M
chained geese waddled forth in battle array and
charged, at double quick. upon the intruders The
uncertainty OF the result of the conflict and the
loss ofdignty that would follow defeat when half
the eyes of Jackson alley were upon them, were
considerations which led the inspector and re-
porter. after hasty council of war; to with
draw, and the retreat was rapid but orderly. In
some OF the yards were goats and i'm many Of
them were chickens, which now and then made
excursions into the houses. though as rule
they preferred the fresher air of the yards.
THE INSPECTORS INTERVIEWS
were brief and pointed. When the door was
opened his brief greeting was "GmorninS. |
want to go to your back yard" Then he strobe
| through the rooms, lodging the tubs. clothes
lines and other obstacles and quickly despatched
his business.
You folks" he would say, ''are all in the
habit Of throwing your garbage on the ash heaps
That Is very wrong"
After conference with the inhabitants Of the
! house long enough to learn who was the person
responsible for the house, ne would null out his
book and pencil and write down his notice like
physician writing prescription. Sometimes
he gave three days, sometimes a week, for the
parties to have their yards cleaned. In some
cases. where the woman of the house pleaded
that she could not get the money to defray the
expense of cleaning he allowed further extern
sion oftime. All of the dates were duplicated
in the coupon left in his book after the notice
was detached.
GAUDY DECORATIONS.
noticeable feature Of nearly all the houses
and especially those in which the front room
was reserved as parlor, was the excessive dec
Grafton, in cheap way, Of the walls. Highly
colOred prints, the glazed pictures from raisin
boxes, and gay advertising cards, covered nearly
| all the available space. The mantel was gener-
ally set-of with mantel porte, made Of glarlng
red calico and the window was adorned with q
curtain of the same fabric. Pictures of q religi-
GUS character, but of abOmnable sameness in
respect Of the blues and bright reds of the gar
| ments in which the saints were robed, were
| abundant. Occasionally the mantelplece would
be adorned with plaster statue of little Samuel
or some other character, in an attitude Of
prayer.
Where do all these pictures come from?"
asked the STAR reporter after being threatened
| with color-blindness by gazing upon dozen or
! more Last Suppers," in which the apostles
! were represented In raiment that would rival
II