New-York tribune., 1885-01-04

These lsyt figures, however, are deceptive. ana
they should be divided as follows vi the totai
rum. or of dwellings, in New-fork. 1O.3l4 contain
one family or six persons including domcstcs'
1898 houses or flats contain one iamhy on "oo''
a, tventy-f persons while 1885 tenements
.ccomnod,ts fifty persons each on an average, or
almost a million persons This is unexampled
crowding III population.
N.,t IN the oyercrowding Of people in houses.
r.rhaps the worst feature of the tenement problem
ia the overcrowdlng OF buildings Large sections
of tho eity are covered with houses standing SO
close 70 each other hardly to permit air or hght
to gain access to the lower rooms There are no
las than g 500 rear te1emcnts separated Dv yarns
rarely moro than twelve or fifteen feet from the
Trout bouses. while in many cas.s the space is not
half that amount. A health inspector says: :" Rear
houses are so built that often there is not more
than twelve feet intervening between front and
rear Tn sncb cases the most unceasng vigilance
can accomplish bnt little good" Only radical
measures can remedy this evil. Eventually the
eitizens of New-YOrk must clear out the crowded
centres of the city blocks. and open areas witnih
them for the free admission of air and llght ms
can be ACCOMPLISHED either by tearing down exist
ing bujldings by cutting streets fliong tne centres
of blocks, by opening archways through sne outer
line of buildings OF by vigorously sics Y ana m
that there shall be ample room for SANITARY needs:
The present law requires, in new bnlid'ngs, M ilat
hnfI
hstween houses of any height, and where the latter
exceed two stories feet space should De
provided for each stTTy % ear 1S Seat Senet
The case of Mrs Carr to which have referred
In previous article was truly pIu and "a oers Of
Aid. for which wish to mako due acknow lcdginent
for her But in the rear mouse whicm tan,s: Mts
similarly situated, while ~ the 40 rear tchegn.s
in this city. which abnt directly upon each other;
there arc probably not less than twenty Thousand
persons, equally bcreft Of sunlight and air.
Shifting OF POPULATION.
Formerly the tenement population was concen-
trated IN tho lower part of the city while the better
class of residents were, as now, ON Murray Hlil
.na near Central Park There has been steady
movement uptown of both classes of population
and now the tenements are thickiy massed on either
aide and close to the fashionable region. 10 use
the apt comparison of writor in The London Iete-
vyaph. sNew.YorK 10 shaped like ship and the
.taer.ce messengers have left the forccaste and
steerage and are now crowd'ng into the oao'h ana
upon the poop deck" As John Randolph said:
. The Greeks are at our door," Dives cannot
sv,ore the sufferings of Lazarus and ask, Z" Am
INV brother's keeperf' Should cholera come,
Diyes's nearness to Lazarus may create an alarm
like that felt by Macbeth at the approach OF Birnan
Wood to Dunsnanc.
II ia we'll 10 remember that ut TOulon numerous
deaths occurred among people III the highest rank
NJ society From the old aud densely built portion
of the city the cholera spread to the handsome
rnodern Quarters and suburban villas. The same
thing may happen in New-for
Tho following table we'll illustrates the changes
In population:
Wards showing decrease No Of houses No. Of houses
se:smf"s pSp"s"'iGi" II 10 $3.50 s.loo
gsrds saIT'ns is 10 20 Il % % esoo I2,o5o
In the former case the reduction is about 40 per
eAnt I'm the latter case the increase - almost lou
cer cent This was the result OF only fourteen
Years growth ending 1879. During the period
lion have been chiefly III the upper aud middle sec
lions of the city, intending the wards showing the
hiahest inc, ease in this table. At the same Time;
with decline both In the number OF teneinents anu
In their occupants in certain wards there mas pceh
IN actual increase in the occupants PEI 70 ESe, .
The tenement population ~ the Sixtn " ara uS
6lDod from 4.4O0 in 1864 to 2,524Ein 1879 wbIle
the number Of tenemcnts diminished from w? 10
337; vet the overcrowdiug Is now, anytnlng
greater than it at the former date ana the poPu
lstion - more uncleaDly and debased. IN tne
Eighth Ward also the number OF tenements mas
diminished. aud yet tho population is actually
the Tenth Ward the tenenlents have doubled ~ num-
Bar, but the population In them has grown In lar
greater proportion.
sAxIrARY DEpEcrs--DAMPNEss
The sanitary defects Of tenement houses may be
tepnsrjssd aBass tour hsads' evsrerowdine. con-
AfxE -.Y