New-York tribune., 1885-01-18
4 FILTHY ITALIAN COLONY.

WHAT A VISIT TO NIyErY-FIRsT-Sr. REVEALED
BRrrpISG-PLACE FOR CHOLERA.
Letters have been received 10y Tue tribune com
planning OF the sanitary. condition oi an ltallail
colony in Ninety-irst-st. between MADISON anu
Fifth ayes. a reporter went out TO investigate
recently From Madison-avc westward the street
WIS clean and on either side a row of handsome
residences Carriages with liverled drivers went by
o,d the trees and grassy banks of Central Park
clnsod the vista Fresh sweet winds blew down
the street laden with the scent Of autumn leaves
and filled with suggest ions of Happy autumn
fields" Surely there were no filth. poverty ana
wretchelness here. Whew. what was that nor
rible stencil The seventy stenches OF Cologne
The breezes of Hunters Point t-What was 1t
Yes there was the Italian colony Huts. novels
shanties and in their midst n few tall tenement
bonsos. all huddlei In depression between Ninety
first and Ninety Sec0nd-sts. The street In front OF
them was covered with tiIlck black mnck, com
posed of all sorts of dccayinI nastiness that
would have been tie fortune Of any farmer VINO had
carried it away and put II on his and-if it had
not been his death by giving him typhoid fever.
girl came out Of the nest nf shantes and turned
pslful of dirty water into the street. She had
evidently had many predecessors. for the soft,
lLack filthy mass comnosed ot all the refuse
that such a oaIpny could give forth. Among other
things pieces 81 rags here aud there. for soaie
of lie Italians hvug here are rag picker and throw
such portions of their daily iLid a thcy do not
want into the street. ,
aThe wav these people live is a caution" said tie
poloe,iau who accompanied the reporter. " Last
winter there was deal goat lying down tue
removed II lay there three days. TIE third day
along came two Italars pred II mp OUT ol me
ice that had collected around H. anu caitted IL
The co,npanions of the goat which the Ita.inns
ate were running about III large nniili,erH hunting
Tor the succulcnt hoop-s&Tt and the escuicnt
1--WE sometimes make. raid on the goats" said
fine noliccuau. Awhile ago we captured ninety
of them aIouf here How to get them all to the
ponpd we did not know. but finally we got clothes
iue tied them all together AND drove them before
us. Tho next morning every ono of the goats vas
liberated, the owners paying the fines and taking
them home"
The stencil that rose from the horrible mass Of
dccayng in tie street was bad enough, but
wieI the reporter and the Policeman descended
into the follow among the shantios aud ro1kcre".
st iastIi and discussing smells greeted IN,
uostrils Tie last light of the winter day yet
fingered out side. hut IN that dIcaiy place II was
mute dark Light slone in the WINDOWS of the
hnycls and in the obscugity were long rows Ol
vaults which cnited smells that were enough 20
aspbyXiate one. There were plenty oi tumble
down sheds about, too, and SUSPICIOUS gInnt
now and III N srcinea 10 indicate that somewhere
N thei. lark Icoesses pigs were cOuhned; but an
italian who appeared on III" scene swOTc by the
Ind of Docchns that only hens and ger.e were
there. Trealn,g this labyrinth OF miserable dwell
uos and nhaling these odorS, the reporter
thonrht of Dante " ben he trod the regions of
e.
his conductor as Virgil, old boy"
The two entered the narrow hallway OF one OF
the rockerieS that loomed M before them and
The blue-coated Virgil raped with his club. In
>tautly The door flew open and the place swarned
with people Swarhy dirty Italians were every
whr1e-.,ien women and children IN all stages of
du1ineSs They were filled with terror ut first,
,ut when aBeuIed that was TO be arrested
they laughed and joked and threw their rooms open
readily for inspection In all OF the rooms were
saual0r and fl beyond belief. No family
occupied more than one room. and IN most oil
them several families crowded. The furniture
consisted of boxes lpcssIbly broken char Or two
but not often, II coUye of radc beds, more OF less
dirty be!ding few cooking utensils and some
times, but not always a rusty cracked stove In
one room the family were at suppcr. smoky kcro-
spne lamp shed sickly light over the apartment
and lent its vapors 20 those which made tie air OF
The room sitting and noxious On soap box IN the
centre of the room was all eartien wash basin Glle
with green substance that lOokci like string
beans The head of the family. Il bearded and
swarthy Italian sat "A box at side OF the dish
Opposite TO HIM sat his wife on another box and
around them were numerous dirty. dusky children
All were dipping their unwashed hands into the
4 bowl and hauling out pieces OF the green stuff
which they ate with avdity
| There is no sewerage and no drainage for the
settles there and the nth which accumulates rs not
| carried of with the exception OF what is thrown
into the streets. II next spring when cholera ysiis
this city it does not make long stay in the Italian
colony in Ninety frstst. it will belle its reputation