Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-05
In CROWDED TENEMENTS.
MORE THAN A MILLION PEOPLE LIVE
IN THEM IN NEW YORK.
The Difference Between Apartment Flats
and Tenement II Houses-Some of the Lat
ter That Swarm with Occupants Facts
Known Only to he Initiated.

| and Tenement Houses-Some of the Lat
ter That Swarm with Occupants-Facts
Known Only to he Initiated.
How does a tenement house differ from
the tat or apartn ent housel IL does not
differ at all, except that the buildings digni-
iied by the name of flats and "apartmentsn
are a better class of buildings and are occu-
pied 10y better { ass of people Strictly
speaking, tenement house is one that Is
occupied by more than one family, so that
all the handsome Hat buildings may be
rlassed under this one term with all the ten
einent houses IN the city.
This is speaking legally; but, of course
| every one knows that as to details there is a
wide difference between the ordinary tene-
ment house and first class fiat house In
the latter every attention is paid to insure to
| each tenant privacv, comfort and elegance
while In the former but little attention is
paid TO these things, comparatively speaking;
and for obvious reasons Luxury cannot be
had Tor the rent that is paid bv the occu-
pants OF these tenement houses, and they are
II class who neither know of nor want the
,legancies of life.
sTARTLI1G FIGURES
A census was taken by the police of New
houses; that is, in wi at are generally called
tenement houses, and not the flats occupied
by the better class of people In these tene-
ment houses, then, Of which there are 81. 800,
the population is over 900, 600, comprising
st4,S'2 families. Many of these houses are
what are called double deckers," which have
hall In the center and four flats on each
hoor, and are from four to six stories in
height
The Hats average about four rooms each
and the rents are from Sl2 to $50 a month
In these houses the plumbing is excellent
owing To the inspection by the health officers
and in many instances it is said to be- better
than the plumbing in a large number of pri-
vate houses that do not come within the
jurisdiction of the hesllth beard And il is
said that the death rate is higher in private
houses than in the tenement houses, in spite
Of the overcrowdlng
But these are not the worst kind of tene-
ment houses; they art the best The build
ings not originally intended for tenements,
but altered over for the habitation of fami-
lies, are apt to be dark 4, unhealthy and un-
comfortable. The most densey populated
tenement district is sol til of Tompkins square
and east of Second avenue, and down in Hes
ter, Ludlow, Bayard and Essex streets and in
the neighborhood of Baxter street. But none
OF these tenement hous,s are SO large as some
OF the big apartment houses uptown The
biggest tenement, known as 1.-THE big fiat
and running from Elizabeth to Mott street
was probably the largest tenement house in
the city.
In II were gathered PEOPLE of all nationali-
ties and religions, and Of no religion aud no
morals But this build NJ was taken down
and now big manufacturing establishment
fills its place. Often under one number are
included four or five houses, in an aIleyway.
Of four or five stories, eIch story containing
loo flats, and into one of these small flats.
besides the family, will be crowded several
boarders, whose small sum for board or lodg-
ing, or both, helps defrsy the expenses of the
rent