New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-31
WOES OF INSANE PAUPERS'
CROWDED TOGETHER LIKE CATTLE.


AND BLACKWELL'S ISLANDS.
Almost 900 insane paupers. hudded together
like sheep in buildings intended altogether for less
than 5000 buildings Of which ten are In a stare Vi
dllapdalOn which makes them unit ff d"clh"e'
places buildings which cannot be properly hea'ei' 20
that ice forms the floors and under the beds duhS
the night: that Is what the advisory committees
appointed by Mayor Grant discovered yesterday by
taking trip to Rlackwclls and Wards Islands Inc
commissioners started from Twenty sxth-St at hali-
past O'Clock in the morning. They were Elbndec l.
Gerry Edward p Barker, OF the Tax Department.
ex- Mayor Franklin Edison. william Lummis. the Scho'
commissioner and Oscar Straus eXMinster to lur-
key. With them went also Henry ILL., Porter Oh INC
Department of Charities and Correction. lie Is
NOT member Of the committee, but accompanied them
10 show them around and TO furnish statistics.
The first place visited was the large luha'ic
asvIum On Backwells Island. where the fcmIe
insane are confined. This, together with 'he rcuc"'
the ten pavilions and the madhonSe, narrowed a'o-
cether 82f unfortunatcs. The total capacity OF All
the institutions the Island for the care OF insane Is
only OIL The main pavilion, which was examined
first was intended for 40 patients instead OF when IL
/, made 10 hold 800. description OF the s'a'e Vi
this large building and Of the unfortunate c"hu''V'
Of its Inhabitants will do for all those on pom h'N
wells and Wards islands 1t Will not, "o"o'','
describe the dreadful state OF the ten FoNino''' ""
are disgrace TO humanity.
EVERYTHING apparently kept as pure, wholesome ana
clean as IL possibly can be kept. In the large bnd-
ings the rouble IS entirely due TO overcro"ui"s IN
the Favlions. while that IS the MAIN trouble "'c
plumbing and ventilation are bad, the heating ar
rangements are worthless, and the buildings are 30
rotten that Elbrdgc T. Gerry stopping down. caught
hold OF a plank with two fingers and broke II apart
like finder
The scenes which met the visitors were sad ana
touching In the extreme. There were In each paVihoh
such abjectly miserable ceatuies that even had lnc'r
condition as to lodgings been OF the best their sad state
would have touched anybody. As 1t was, huddlcd To-
cether on their long, wooden benches all 80 crowded
that there possibility OF room for aho'her one
their situation pleaded silently for itself.
Dr. H. Tyler. Of the resident physicians on
Rlackwelrs Island told The Tribune reporter that the
lack of room nterfered materially with the cure OF the
patients The exctable ones, By their noise ana
Shouting kept alarming the Others who might other
wise be cured. That they lacked room needed no ar
aumcnt. The wall each side of the pavilion was
taken I'D with beds Beds not arranged as IN a nos
ptal ward, with free spaces between them but DeoS
closely SIDE by side, that there was rot enough
room between them to insert the hand Even in day
time with some degree Of ventilation. poor a. IL was
the atmosphere in each patlon was fearfully tad
What IT must be in the night, with almost hundred
Door wrec,les crowded where there is room Tor Only
half as many, is beyond Imagination.
To opcn the windows in the pavlons to Sufficient
degrcc.to provide good ventilation Is not possible on
of the facilities 1oT ncdtlHS NV P''''
Instead Of steam. the pavons are heated by fodr
stoves each This not only vitiatcs the air, but II IN
trodnrcs an element of extreme danger, a. insane
people cannot Of course. be trusted TO tahe care
Of themselves. But fOu: stoves In cacn
pavilion as many can be put In onel are h"V
sufficient keep them warm. The doctors Sa'u 81,
often in cold weather it not advisable to scrub
the floors because the water frozc on the boards
The lunatic asylum proper the madhouse, ara TIC
amusement hail. ms it is called, seemed to lie III Eou
condition. except that they. in common with 'ie pa
v,ions suffered terribly from ovcrcrowdihg-" mum
which is more serious in insane asylums thah IL """I'
he in most other institutions III the madhouse there
are 300 patients and the kind Of patients they are i
something which cannot be fifty described b'd"m IL
Is indeed At the approach of the visitors the women
In the different wards, all OF them violently III
sane. rose and screamed. till paudemonium seemed
10 reign 1t is hackneyed phrase, but The ohy ono
fit to describe it. low the female nurses managed -
restrain the maniacs, many Of them fu1ouSY maI
was q question which puzzled the Commissioners. As
II WIS the visit had so aroused the 900 inmates ana
the excitement spread rapidly among Them that
for long time after the visitors emerged from the
bnjldng the shouts and screams sounded through the
island. .
The Commissioners agreed that reform was badly
needed, but the question 10 whether
the city or the State is 10 pay Tor the
necessary improvements, will be settled later. The
commission was formed to report as to the advis
ability Of turning the asylum over to the Su'c' IL
is at present under the city authorities.
IL il Is not considered best for New York CITY %
turn over its Insane asylums Bachwes and Wards
islands to the state. the question Will arse rs I"
whether the city should not be relieved Of it, present
burden OF paying almost half the cost OF Keeping the
insane paupers Of the rest OF the state one - tle
Commissioners sIid yesterday that the latter method
might result I'm the dumping Of stll moe ~ |
sane than at present from all quarter, pi lne |
state upDn the city. As 1t Is now. every DAY IN 81
tween midnight and mGInne, bS the puhcc' ma |
they are unoade1 New York from country d'irtt'
and Western cities IS morally certain. IHt III uns
absence Of proof the poor wIctrhce have to be cned
The commissioners visited Wards Island. where the
male insane are kept after they Lad finished lnNeNiira
tiOns Oh Blackwelfs Island, Ihcy i'uH alai' iiel" |
much the same a. on Bachwcils Island though thcic
were no srcG bad places rs the female IHvpi,. hV'
of the male insane are kept In TIE arGe, cNc,Hcm,5 |
hospital wards filled 10 ovef1io"ine tie wards ar
ovefcrOwdcd the bedrooms filed with four TIM, n
many beds they should have, ava even The ccrnGo
have been pressed INTO service a. bedrooms. me |
annnxos IN The main asylum have been rented from |
thn state They bcOr gcd 10 the state Board 81 Emi
grafton. They are not in god condition, and money
As far as the food. the treatment. and the care
which the insane, both male and female. re
ccyed concerned there seemed DO rearon
pleased with the kindly appearance OF the female
nurses particularly, and with the genll' though firm
manner with which they hahdeG nGr &
visit Hart's Island. where worse state Of 9inir'
exists than on either Blackwclps Or Wards Islands.
rhe fault there is said to be due not only T. over
rrowdDg which Is extreme, but also 20 ether abuses.
CHERRY DIAMONDS FEELING WELL