The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1890-07-23
HOUSING THE HOMELESS,
HOW NEW YoRKs CHEAP LODGING
HOUSES ARE RUN.
who the Patrons of the Houses Are
Prices and Accommodations
The Regulations.

! In the great population Oh the metTo-
polls there is an army of homeless men.
| They are brought to extremes by bad
fortune, disaster, drink, crime and some
| times by age, but nearly all of them are
able to get from day to day little money
| it may be by honest work, or by thiev-
ing OF beggary--and for such men there
are some 800 lodging houses in the city.
They arc really hotels of the pleinest and
poorest type, and furnish little more than
bare shelter to transient guests, though
many of the 'transients' are regular Gus
toners, and even hire their rooms by the
week. These houses have a capacity of
from fifty to 500 guests, and when full,
as they often are in the winter, probably
accommodate 25, 600 persons.
A rough estimate-probablya a fairly
accurate one-has been made that one
third of these persons are criminals and
beggars. One-eighth or more are con-
slant drunkards. Probably one-quarter,
equally divided, are men who are out of
work and honestly in search of it, and
those who have work, but earn only
starvation wages. There is proportion
of small peddlers, of tramps, of hopeless
ly broken-down men, and there are few
who live in these houses on account of
parsimony. There are very few, for one
who can afford better will seldom endure
the life of a lodger for any time.
In the winter, for obvious reasons,
trade is at its best in the lodging houses.
1t is not seldom difficult to get shelter in
one of them; but in summer the profess
sioual tramp goes to the country, and the
drunkard or the poverty-stricken man
sleeps out of-doors-it may be ont bench
in the park, or it may be in an areaway.
The patrons of the houses have learned
how to support life on the minimum.
They can get shelter for five cents a night,
and enough to eat-barely enough, that
i is-for seven or eight cents day. With
less than this one must go hungry or
shclterless. Not all the lodging houses,
however, are so cheap as this. Prices
vary from five cents to thirty cents
night, according to the accommodations.
The cheapest consist of large rooms-al-
most halls-flled with cots or "shake-
downs" these latter being thin mattresses
thrown ON the bare floors. The better
class, where twenty or thirty cents is the
! price, offers to each customer a separate
room. This is a mere subdivision of a
large room, and is made by board par
titions about seven feet high. The
"roomsn are about ten feet long by five
in width, and each contains cot, a
chair, and half dozen hooks on which
clothing may be hung. There is also,
in case of. greatest excellence, a little
closet, perhaps one foot by two in di-
mensions, in which the lodger may lock
up his clothing for extra safety. In such
a case he will probably put the key into
his stocking, and keep his stocking on
when he goes to sleep.
The bedding in these rooms is of the
cheapest, consisting of mattress and
pillow stuffed with "excelsior," two
sheets, and cotton coverlid, cheaper
and cleaner than blanket. There is no
covering to the bare floor; but this is far
from being drawback, as it greatly facil-
itates the cleanliness which is insisted on
by the proprietors of the place no less
strenuously than by the Board of Health.
The most relentless warfare is waged
against the dirt, vermin, and disease
germs that naturally accumulate in such
places, and soap, water, and powerful
dislnfectants are used prodigally. Walli
and floors are flooded by the use of hose
bed linen is washed twice or thrice a weei
at the least, oftener daily, and in many
of the rooms the crystals of disinfectant'
that have dried on the walls sparkle, like
the side Of a shaft in a salt-mine.
Few of the lodging houses have bath
rooms, but each has lavatory, in which
are from two to a dozen wash hand
basins, where the dodgers may perform
their toilets. Strong laundry soap and
rough roller towels are provided and the
customer is easily able, if he so desires, tC
maintain at least the appearance of clean
illness. In one of these cheap lodging
houses, which is maintained by chari
table society, the price of a nights
lodging includes the privilege of a batl
at night, and coffee and a roll in thu
morning. 1t may be remarked that thi
is not popular house.
The regulations are few and simple
Guests are usually admitted at any hour
but the lights in the halls and dormitorie'
(none is allowed in the individual rooms,
are lowered or extinguished at 8 P. NJ.
and at 10 p. NJ, in most cases, the read
ing-room, which is a feature of tn
better houses, is darkened. At fixeC
hour in the morning, varying, according
to the season and the house, from 6 t
10 A. NJ. the guests are aroused. If the.
do not arise at the summons, they are
in the poorer houses, either rolled out o
bed on to the floor, or a stream of waite
from the hose is directed at them. Ii
some places a guest is allowed to remail
in bed as long as he chooses, but if h
,, so remain after the rising hour, he i
charged for another nights lodging
Exceptions are made in favor of print
ers and other night worllmen, who com
in at or 5 A. NJ, and are allowed t
sleep till 5 P. NJ.
: The business of keeping these houses
! small as the prices are, is a lucrative one
One man, a pioneer in the business,
said to have accumulated half a millio
dollars in it. The proprietors al
usually responsible men of fair character
from police standpoint at least, an
$ though they are watched by the police
S generally keep on good terms with tn
: Captain of the precinct. They new