Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-21
CITY PLAGUE SPOTS.
Rank Growths of Humanity Await
ing Deaths Garnering Sickle.
HEALTH OFFICIALS PUWERLESs.
Places Reported Where 80 and 40 Persons
Sleep in One Room.
BOARDERS ARE NEVER TURNED AWAY

|
Superintendent Thomas W. Baker, of the
Bureau of Health, yesterday received q
report from the Pesthouse to the effect that
Antonio Laurino, the italian taken there
Thursday, had pronounced case of small
pox. He is now thickly covered with pus-
tules, but the disease is progressing favora-
bly,. Mr.. Baker said everything possible
had been done to prevent the spread o! the
disease. The occupants of both houses In
which Laurino had lodged during his short
residence here. had been vaccinated and the
buildings thoroughly fumigated, and he
thought there would be no more cases.
Mr.. Baker said there was considerable
trouble with some classes of foreigners in
the case OF infectious disease. There was a
case Of smallpox last year in Armstrong; Is
row, Liberty street, and all the friends of
the patient insisted upon visiting him. The
Bureau of Health was forced to station an
officer at the door of the house, night and
day, to prevent people going in and out.
PowERLEss TO ACT.
The superintendent's attention was called
to the manner in which Italians and Hun
garians live in this city, hundreds some
times sleeping in one house, and he was
asked if such places would not be hotbeds
| of disease, in case of an epidemic. Mr..
Baker replied:
"There is no doubt but that those places
are bad for the health of the city, and some
action should be taken to prevent over
crowding, but / do not see how it can be
done. unless b. the police authorities.
have been looking up the matter, but can
| find no law EN- lowering us to move. OF
course, in the event of an epidemic, our
power is almost unlimited; but there is no
epidemic now, and hope there will not be"
Police Superintendent O'Msra and In
spector McAleese were asked if they could
take any action in cleaning out these possi-
BILE plague-spots.
Superintendent O'Mara said: "It is the
duty of the Health Bureau to look after
these places. They surely have some law
under which they can proceed. think
they might proceed against them as
nuisances which threaten the public health.
Ii the health officials take any action they
will receive the hearty support of the po-
lice.''
SLEEPING IN A STABLE.
Inspector McAleese said he knew Of a
number of places in the city that should be
weeded out "There are courts and alleys
in this city," he said, 'where the fetid odor
of packed and dirty humanity would over
come any citizen of ordinary cleanliness.
These people. that is, Italians and Hungar-
ians especially, save every cent they can to
return home with, and live here in squalor
and filth. When .he Junction road was
being built 40 Italians slept in one small
stable, paying 81 apiece a month rent. In
the heart of the city there are dozens of
places Just as badly crowded, and if disease
ever breaks out in one of them the mortality
will be fearful, and the worst of it is, many
people who are scrupulously clean will suf-
fer and die also"
The police officials gave few of these
spots, as follows:
PACKED LIKE SARDINEs.
The Battery, on Webster avenue, sup
posed to contain 400 to 500 residents
Three ALLEYS off High street, and two off
Tunnel street These are literally packed
as many as 30 or 40 persons sleeping in one
room.
An alley on Grant street. near Second
avenue. On Sunday, when the 6enizens of
this place are awake and on their feet, there
is actually not enough room for them in the
court and they overflow on to Grant street
like yeast escaping from jug. 1t keeps an
officer busy ali day cleaning the sidewalk.
Splane's Court, off Fifth avenue, affords
shelter to a countless multitude.
Several houses on Spring alley could fur
nish instruction to an expert packer of sar-
dimes.
The Musgrove Building, on Liberty
street, is said by the police to be hive of
human beings.
The Eagles Nest, on Twentieth street, is
inhabited by persons of every nationality
and color, crowded in thickly and pro-
miscuously
Seven hundred Hungarians sleep and eat
in a row of three small houses near Fifty
second street. These men work in mill.
ON THE soUTHsIDE.
The way that the Poles are crowded in
some houses on the Southside has long been
talked of among police officials and citizens
who have had occasion to visit the habita-
tions OF this class of citizens. The Hunga-
rians, Slavs and Poles are all the same in
regard to crowding, with the exception that
the Hungarians more often bring their wives
with them, while the Poles all bunk to-
gether.
Some time ago Captain Stewart and De-
tective Williams had occasion to make an
arrest of Slav on the Welsh road. The
house only had two small rooms. In the
upper room II men slept. and in the lower
room %. On entering, the stencil that arose
was suffocating.
The men were sleeping on a bed of straw
covered with old coffee sacks, and most of
their clothes on. Their shoes were all piled
in the middle OF the room, and it is
mystery to know how each distinguished
his own in the morning.
THIRTY IN ROOM.
In Polishtown, at the head of Twenty
sixth street, as high as 80 have been known
to live in one small house. The Poles are
now collecting around the new Polish |
church on Fifteenth street, for several
squares, and in nearly every case a family |
having small house has from eight to ten |
boarders.
Another Polish stronghold is in Chambers |
court, of OF Eighth street. A glance into |
one Of the sub-cellar ways is enough to
sicken a sensitive man. In some cases the |
occupants of the house cook, eat and sleep |
in the same room, and the cooking utensils |
and provisions are stored on chairs, the floor |
or any other convenient place.
ALLEGHENY IN GOOD SHAPE.