New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-12
~ Ita,v seens strangely harsh In their careless
diaiec:.
,,r, IN GOTHAM COURT

LIFE IN GOTHAM COURT
,rho s,do allows are narrower They are not more
than three or four feet wide the same SoeHeS are
repeated there a smaller scale. III o'u. - M
either of these alleys one has TO pass '"'o"s' an
iron arch The gate has been taken away Dat
ororoh ro-,oi,s 10 give unpleasant suggestions or
q neni,e,,iarv This idea Is not disspatea py the
anpearance OF the houses inside the a's!. Inc
small windows with tiny panes OF sdss' '''7 '"'
dark doors through which iron gratnss van '7
seen. and the, bare brick walls are IKE those oi
prison The people move about Freely as the
,or..a "a DURING "oyercse hour at the Tombs.
An ,bo doors are alike all the windows are alike,
and all are di.apidatel. forlorn and iorO'uuinS'
A. the end of the alley IA a snail open space
which Is called the forge piacks"'O" H"oP
stood there many years ago, when the c"e''s "ee'
grew on Cherry Hi. But the cherry trees anu 'i'e
blacksmith shop disappeared many years az ,.
are a few outhouses there now. but space "oo'.
twenty feet SQUARE is open, and there the WIND
gathers in force before it sweeps down the aiiey'
Most Of the l75 families which live in Gotham
Court are Italians. They are 'longshoremeh ara
laborers OF all kinds. 1t was not possiDie " ""u
out exactly how many were ont OF work. pil ''''e
appeared to be few who had steady employment
Tho,r to,eme,. APARTMENTS consist mostly OF two
rooms each Those on the ground floor which IS
on a level with the street. dark and damp ana
have usually one EACH Even these poor
people will not live in these a o%eS and do1% oo deady
Many of them are empty and some nave peeh usad
for sanitary purposes.
KEPT FROM A CHANCE TO WORK.
One of the families visited was American They
lived on the third floor about half way down the
middle alley The man intelligent. lie had
wife and three children, the youngest baDy IN
arms Family pictures and bright cards decorated
the walls which were covered with cheap but good
looking paper. Everything was clean ana well
kept but bare OF luxures The man tod his story:
81 am a moulder by trade" he said. but have
lately worked alongshore and at any work could
get TO do. have not had steady work FOR several
years past on account Of the opposition OF the
trades unions. When ! was learning my u"uc
there was "A strike in my shop. ihe man WIN
whom | worked did not 90 ont, ana, OF course /
STAYED with him. ] have been n marked man by
The labor unions ever since. Whenever | go to
union shop either | cannot get work or am iorced
out soon after begin to work. have tred TO
ioln the unions several times. l would have been
willing TO support them and comply with their ru!eS
but they always throw 1t in my face that worK'd
against them when was a mere boy and did not
know much about such things Ny name has been
nmonosni several times ana always blackbaied
'Thev have refused to allow me To earn Il HNlhI
for my family. Now / am bitter against them ana
they treat many men Ike me-
THE RENTS WHICH THE POOR PAY.
81 have worked mostly on the wharves this win
tor when l could find anything TO do. but nave
not been able to earn enough 10 support my fanny
How much do you pay for ren;?' was asked
Five dollars month"
Us that what all the families In Gotham court
pay?'
Most of them pay that. There are few tene-
r,onts Of three or four rooms which rent FOR $ or
$40 a month Tho single rooms on the frst moor
bring s. but not many Of them are occupied.
'Do the people here find much difficulty IN pay
Ing their rent
yes: but they quickly put out II 'hey DO
not Pay 1t used to be different. This place belongs
TO 4 church ID to "A year ago the church appointed
two women 10 collect the rents ana manage thc
property Then they let the sob out 70 man. VINO
has sublct It to an Italian. know that the Italian
has 10 pay 800 every two months 10 Inc man VINO
ho'ds tho lcss. OF the nine houses In the middle
alley The Italian makes great dchi Oh money
by it, but he IS hard on the people mere