New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-12-21
Under THE GREAT BRIDGE.
THE sLuMS or THE fOURTh WARD
SCENES or sQUALoR AND FlLTH-TWo
TYPICAL TENEMENT-uOUSES.
ny CHARLES r. wINoATE.

can look down upon the whole Of tho Fourth Ward
which embraces only few acres Of land nnd YET F"
notable for Its historical associations ana o'her
points of interest. Here 10 the npr'h IN hose-s'''
between the towering edfce where The Seaside
Library is published and the Newshoys Lodging
House in Duane-st., stands the Old brewery whcfe
40 many prisoners persisted during the Revolution.
To the southwark lies the Swamp. the centre OF the
leather business, whose quiet streets and dngy
warehouses ATE rcdolcnt with the odors of hides Al
Chcrry.st and Franklin Square. almost opposite the
Harpcrs' building, William NJ. Tweed was born, and
lust across the way Is the. brush shop where he
worked young man, before politics and the fore
manship of Big Six " drew him to higher sphere.
Peck Slip and Market-st. on either side, with their
quaint low houses. recall old-time memories In
Pearls stood the first house lighted by gas in this
CITY, At Catharine aud Cherry sts. six negroes were
burned at the stake years ago on the charge OF
poisoning the wells during an epidemic. Directly
nnder the Bridge in Waterst stood the famous dive
of John Alien, the wickelest man i'll New-lork.'
and next to it is Jerry McAuey's mission. few of
the sailors dance houses which have entrapped
many an unwary seaman still remain.
Rut the glories of the Fourth Ward have departed
and the opening of New Chambcrs-st and New
Bowery and the clearing away of crowded sites to
make room for the foundations of the Bridge ap
proaches have effected wonderful transformation.
Yet as in other parts Of the city, centres OF crime
md disease have been left undisturbed on either
side of the lines of improvement aud still remain
menace to the public veal. Places may be found III
precisely the same condition as they were twenty
years ago and the descriptions OF them III carry
health reports and documents would serve equally
we'll today. The throngs of people hurrymg 20 the
Roosevelt or Catharine Street Ferry and the passen-
GERS on the elevated road as they whirl through
New Bowcry little suspect how near they are to
scenes Of snnalor and dirt which in the latter case
ore beneath their very eyes The rays from the
electric light on the Bridge penetrate into many
ainrv. noisomc yard aud alley but only to deepen
their gloom Here and there GASES of pnrity aud
health which only serve TO bring their backcr sur
fonniines into stronger relief.
Characteristics of rhr FOURTH WARD.
Thr Fourth Wari ia notable for the large number
n old private dwellings which have heen converted
nin tenen,p,s aud ast Ui the numerous alleys and
eey,,s which serfn ~ have besn cUried AFTER En-
yappan nehes These nattOW sts ~ eai,s eS'rnd
aeap into tbs centres ~ tlnrhs, especially ~
thprrt=st ani aFp surrounded Nv tall hut shallow
te,ses sap ~ FeWs eihp,s siahhiha alHhpl ahN ~
paebei with lew sIAip AZ tenants. the sNN iaiplt
eujegs ihpsn Wlnis, which avs etpi hNfipi W W.T.
iight gon,a aud ara pprpolaai lpYal npsls Mnsl Nf
the teuou,ents arc snail and Gantain loss than eshl
families. nouhle deckors are not humorous Ael
have found one which isa hundred feet d,rp' "o-
cupying the whole depth OF the lot, with a central
court to light the inside rooms. THIS house was
erammed with filthy Italians Another notable
building on the same block was originally factory
and in in the worst state of dllapidaion Inc small
epace at the rear s wholly taken up with thl out
houses aud the back wall Is braced by osts 10 pre-
vent il from tumbng down upon them. This place
is called the House OF Bazes anh nus MY named
The police have to visit ii constantly. and the
patrolman on the block sad hat the stenches from
the halls were often perceptlble N the street. Al
little distance two other huge hve-story houses eX-
tend from street to street with narrow yard be-
tween, which can barely contain tie numerous ont,
houses II is also packed from cellar to root ana
some of the rooms exceedingly dirty.
Yet even worse than such crowded habtations are
the congeres of small houses ranged about crahped
interior courts. as at No. 20 Chcrry-st where 1oHr
such dw ellings contained at time 192 inmates.
Typhus fever mas found many victims here whlle IN
Cured in n single year. One family occupy base
ment whose floor is four feet below the street level
ward con aims three beds, occupied by woman. a
Young grl and two or more dodgers.
Much of the area of the Fourth Ward Is made land
quently flooded by heavy storms, so that goods haye
10 he stored on shelves Yet many Easements whose
floors several feet below the ground are occupied
as dwellings The residents of the w ard are nara
tet. many of whom have enerated from the region
OF the Five Points. Lawlessne's and crime abound.
While passing through l'atayIa-st about . o'clock
one evening ! heard Il crash OF falling glass, ana
thinking some boy had flung a stone at the lamp
post | turned and saw woman lying motlonless ON
her paramOur with Kerosene lamp chimney, cut
ting his lact badly, and he had thereupon PROMPTLY
knocked her down. She lay thore for some mo-
m0nts without any ono interfering, ana tNtl Io,"
slowly aud painfully and staggered away. The sole
comment made among the cIow who collected was,
sSeryed her right Tor hlttlng INN nrst'
SUNLIGHT slui our.
tMullen's Alley, at No ~ Cherry-st, is narrow
slit of space hordered by row Of three double
houses, each three stories high and containing Ugh
teen sets ~ rooms with about ninety occupants
They face directly on the alley, which extends 30
fei, Al one end tho aley II slf feet wide and
tapers d. two feet ~ the fenf, lofty wall forms ia
north side, aud n whewaAhed for some distance
above the ground 10 reflect light into the windows,
Those on the ground lloOr ara on level with u
mans face and ~ necessity nro cnrialned 10 pee
vent observation, Not iay of direct annlpht can
possibly penetrate into M, OF tho lower toonn
Even the little light that IA available IN barred by
numerous iifr.cscnpcs. There ntc several foul out
houses In n contracted ynr NJ the end of this cul dc
ar. for the usc of the inmates. The living rooms
atc only twelve feet deep. Viewed from the roof
The building looks like n brick set on It's natfowcst
edge The incredible fact is that lcldnd those
honses n n large open area aud II would hc easy 10
cut windows on that side so as TO secure iul
southern exposure aud abundant light and air The
inmates all of the poorer class OF tcnants, paying
AZ To Sj for two rooms Most of them have large
families In one case six persons occupy Two 81
these dmly lighted rooms. IN The ioweraparimcnts
1gniS were hOlOllP w - otioth III lH' Hiirll'Oll'
This houyc has been standing for nearly twenty
years and has bad record both for health and
morals. .
IL n water 81 yard IL curious frame building
dating hark TO ancient tincs and with most dilapi
dated outside Asceii1ing Il crooked staircase,
whose wpdngy you'd puzzle tipsy man, found a
tespertablc ianiy occupying IN utpcf iloor The
father had hccn cpnurrtl stu the thratfe ant fot
M -ntr ot Wniiuth Ind lintd tie walls aut criliig
tlth toeiifs IN thc inast Brilliant hies gni
nnf,g Hatgng HE ipsiiit vas Il s'rit IN c1ots
Nhith Wbhih tatt astdnslth aii as,lttt.
eftti4fS it%fAt$i hBtst ~ tbt%kp8Nt-ei.
tsiih8it iHftAsf seHe,azaliBN Wi HtaeeNl vs.
larileuiars and b.itlk ugsgIlg AUIlalIQla itl-