New-York tribune., 1902-07-24
THE DUMBBELL TENEMENT.
EDWARD r DEvINE DESCRIBES ITS EVILS
BEFORE PHILANTHROPY CLASS.

EDWARD r DEvINE DESCRIBES ITS EVILS
BEFORE PHILANTHROPY CLASS.
The great curse Of New-York has been the long
distances between the avenues in contrast to the
short distances between the streets. With the ISL
and running the way II does this would have been
better reversed. The result has been that the
transportation facilities north and south have been
overcrowded the inducement has been for people
to 1--we where their work is, and the sweatshop in
dustry has accentuated this. The shape OF the
New-York City lot-long and narrow. Is feet by 100
has given rise to the dumbbel' tenement. with
its bad airshaft, which is the characteristics evil
Of the present day in the fever nests OF
the Five Points district, which were the bane Of
the city a score and more years ago.
This was the conclusion of Edward T Devine.
secretary OF the New-York Charity Organization. in
his lecture before the summer school of philan-
thropy yesterday morning.
Emphasizing the meaning to the country at large
OF the establishment Of a municipal tenement
house department in New-York he pointed out
that the evils here have been so accentuated, the
massing of population great the price Of land
high. the temptation 20 build up in the air so
constant and transportation facilities so difficult.
that the housing problem has been intensified as
nowhere else. But II has been intensified along
lines which other cities likely to follow" said
Mr.. Devine. The tendency is that way In the
second class cities OF the State-Abany. Troy, Syra-
cuse and Rochester-dumb5elI tenements are being
New-York has had TO face for years IL is for
them TO profit by her experience
at Is the aIrshaft OF the dumbbell tenement at
which the present tenement house law strikes, and
the elimination Of which the new department
Will find its first great usefulness. 1t VIII mean
light and air for tenement dwellers; new houses
cannot be occupied without conforming TO the re-
quirements majority OF the old houses will have
10 be altered The demonstration IS now practically
complete that the law does not stop building:
Something like 10 houses have been passed
upon by the department, involving an investment
OF 100000, a fact which shows tnat the builders
do not anticipate any radical change in the law
An interesting report was read by Miss NJ. =.
Sayles. who has been carrying on an investigation
OF the tenements Of Jersey City under fellow
ship Of the College Settlement Association. Miss
Sayles is graduate OF the School in Philanthropic
Work. The investigation showed that Jersey City
has distinctly tenement house problem OF its own,
conditions in New York twenty five years ago. In
ingS wooden atTshafts seldom found, damp
cellars are present. and vaults by no means
properly cleansed drained. From % to p per
cent Of the houses overcroW ded.
This means" said Philip w. Ayres. director OF
the school. 'if we compare II with studies made in
English cities that one-fourth Of the population In
this district underbreathng. and that means
undervitaliza tion. underworld power. overdrink,"
paper read by Miss Adele MaCGil, OF
Louisville on the New-Y York State Board Of Char
tiles and by Mrs Giles Scott Rafter, of Washing
ton the organization of district charity work In
New-York and Brooklyn.