New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-11
NOT FIT FOR HABITATION.
WORK OF THE HEALTH BOARD IN
wrp1No OUT uNsANITARY TENE-
WAREHOUSES;.

hI$A> NV
WHAT HAS prrN ACCOMPLISHED UNDER THE
LAW OF ise5-NDARLY 100 HOUSES CON-
pEMNEp. AND ABOUT $500 PEOPLE
TURNED OUT OF THEM.
A mower OF the first Importance was bestowed
upon the New-York Board of Health by 'he ACT Vi
1895 which authorized IT, under certain ciioui"
stances 10 condemn and demosh tenement-houseS
found TO be unsantary and dangerous 10 he''"
This law was one Of the results of the WORK Vi
the Tenement house Committee, which, win f'ici-
ard Watson Glider as its chairman MADE an eN-
haustive investigation of the entire subject III ','
previous year. with the purpose OF sueses'"e ~,
lation that would improve the conditon u .'e
large number of people living IN cfo"uou "'''
of this description. A.. .or
According 10 one section OF the law. on the GER
tiecate of the Sanitary Superintendent that any
building in the city is infected win coh'"s'o w.
ease or by want of repair. has become u'''e
10 life or Is unfit for human habitation because -
defects in drainage. plumbing, veh'iiatio" " W
structon or because of the existence VI ~. 49,
,s likely 10 cause sickness among It's occupan''' VIZ.
Board Of Health is empowered 10 Ns an
recurring all persons to vacate the ouiiu'e.
The same section contains the further hhpoi '"
nrov,s,on that whenever. in the opinion Oh 'ne
1oard of Health "any building or part
e. c,,v ~ New-York an order to vacate "iiiO
hos haan made by the said Board, Is py 'easo Va
age defects in drainage, PLUMBING or VIZ =. ,ho
infection with contagious disease or because e,
existence Of a nuisance on the prei''se . ~
ute,v ~ cause sickness among its occupants y.
M ~. ooo,,ants of other property In the city OF
Nowyork or because II stops ventilation III III.
buildings or otherwise makes or cohouo. s ~ 80 49,
other buildings adjacent to the same ui',' ,,.h
man habitation dangerous or ihJuiio" " .,r
or because 1t prevents proper measures i,o'- e.,
Carried into effect for remedying any NUISANCE
sr,ous IN health or other sanitary evils IN respo
~ such other buildings, so unft lor hu'na" r,,
+ation that the evils in or caused u! s''N
cannot be remedied by repairs or In any o'nei ""s
.xcan, bv the destruction of said buildins OF
norton of the same said Board OF feai'n 10
ao,o, ,ba same and order 1t removed pro'iueu
The owner or owners of said building can oeii"".
survey Of said building In the manner p'o''U
IN the case of unsafe buildings. ana ma! 80
proceedings In the Supreme Court IN 'he oou',.
New-york for the condemnation OF said pu"uiis
REAR HOUSES THE MAIN CAUSE or i"00
BILE.
,-,r ,,,s ,aw the BOARD of Health began TO act
Toe, Nav and since then proceedings have been IN
.,i,u,ed for the vacation and condemnation Vi
nearly one hundred buildings. Nearly III Va '"
hay been rear tenement houses. and in every case
the cause officially assigned for the ac'ioh VI 'i'o
BOARD has been lack of ventilation ana existence
., q nuisance liable TO cause sickness me ihi'id-
tive has been taken IN each instance by the SANITARY
Superintendent. DR.. Charles F. Roberts VINO mas III
spected the houses personally before Hahlne a ~,
concentration Before coming TO decision II "a
been the custom Of the two appointed inei.Ue' u
the Board to look over the building themselves -
&C M, IN nroceed without full knowledge Inc rlsht
of the Board to destroy property has oeen ue''eu
IN the courts but according 10 PRESIDENT NiS0''
all the decisions thus far have been IN It's favor
Naturally the Commissioners do not resort 10 ex
treme measures except in extreme cases. IN near!
ell the houses condemned last year the death-rate
was exceptionally high. and in the case OF one
house No 10 West Seventeeth-st., In Whlch severn
teen people lived 1t was 1853 In the rear tenemeh,
at No 314 hottest the death-rate ran up 10 w. anu
IN q corresponding building et No. $50 IN the same
street It reached 91.55. OF the houses condemheo
twentv-one have been demolished or Will ne e, torn
down at and In seventeen cases me b safs
nav 80 The Health Department Most Of the re-
modelled houses are henceforth 10 De nsSu III dSes
not 10 allow them to be used as dwelling places IN
some cases however such EXTENSIVE t6a the
houses are again habitable .o. so,,,oa ~, tho
pdara On Nav 26 last year and like action was taken
a., resnecf 10 other houses on July u, July 20 anu
August % Those buildings already demolished door or
Eo 24s TO No "a No II Suliiyanost; Nos % a. a5S
Z 70 sp8 ri Nos IS and S
i and $50 q Eg3 es Tsrd NG H and No 2eS West
H5ustonst Thus far this year the Health bo4 fa
has Sny ES Nos S. @ % and @
Monroe-st., on March IL, and NO q NeS'r'-s''' u"
March q - 80. ,or.b ,yare attained from
PRESIDENT Wilson who will treat or TINS snDlect at
come length in the annual report OF the Depart
ment Speaking about the matter Few days ago.
he said 10 a representa- OF The 1TlDuhe'
PRESIDENT WILSON TALKS OF THE WORK
eyes. we have accomplished good deal under
The law OF 1895 and feel that our rights have been
nrettv well established by this time or course
,e have not been able 10 do this without opposition
but we have proceeded carefully and been sure OF
our ground before acting. l certain that one
would only have to look at the condition of the
houses which have been condemned 10 see thdt
,hev were utterly unfit for human habtation, ana
that thev could be made fit by ordinary repairs
In some cases. where extensive alterations ana
improvements have been made the Board mas con-
sented that people should be allowed to live in the
houses again Most Of those remodelled, however,
will not be used as dwelling houses In the future.
We have done little thus far this year. but the
citv's tenement-houses are being Inspected. ana
Tho BOARD will hesitate 10 act when II deems IL
The total number OF people occupying the tene-
rent-houses condemned by the Board OF Health
was about twenty-five hundred
interest attaches 10 tne recent con-
da,pnatior Of the Ship" II is universally known
On The lower East Side. This is one OF the Oldest
present generation knows its origin. Whiie II ap-
hears on the Health Department RECORDS as pear
ing numbers in Monroe-st., Its main 'front.' seems
70 he in Hamilton-st 1t consists or two buildings
foined together and the interior CONSTRUCTION 1usl-
hes the name so long applied 70 the old barracK
500 Recently it has been occupied mainly by
Italians The place that has known II Tor a CEN
fury or upward will soon know IT no more.