New-York tribune., 1903-04-19
HUNTING FOR HOUSES.
Queer Scenes attending MoUing
Day IN PittSburg.


afternoon.
Bind hearted brokers carried her into the lobby,
snd presently she recovered enough to explain that
sbe was simply worn out hunting for house. She
vrss wiling and able to pay rent. She had not
. large family OF children. which sometimes
-s-sez trouble for house hunters in New-York-
Esr trouble due entirely 10 a shortage OF
Io-ses which has been q feature Of life in Pitts
h1-g this spring
I'VE had to move out on April l." said the
nan because We neglected TO renew our lease
The moving men took our goods out the back door
vs The stun OF the new householder came in the
front We had 10 place TO go. SO the goods went
- s-o-sFe and my family was distributed among
rrors fortunate friends. In the mean time have
been everywhere and would have been content
vrfrh most any sort OF a house that would have
furnished dry roof over our heads. but every
thing seems TO be rented"
The brokers declared that she should have
house y they hal TO build one for her, and she
vent back 10 the house OF her friend quite
happy
scores Of families, have been placed IN the
POSITION this year. and some OF them have not
yet found the way out. Most householders were
warned several months before April l. Pittsburgs
moving dzv. that there would be a general in
crease in rent Of from to 85 per cent They were
urged 70 take out new leases II they desired TO
continue living IN the houses Mary refused TO
nav the advance demanded. thinking that when
The tine came there would be plenty Of houses
They have been sadly disappointed
one result OF the shortage Of houses and con
seouent increase has been the purchase Of great
many homes by persons who had previously been
-zrters Il was cheaper. they figured to buy their
homes paying even high rate Of interest, than to
nay rent according TO the new scale So great has
been this tendency that the mortgage firms have
taken on all the residence loans they could handle,
and have been compelled send for outside money.
In Pittsburg most OF the people are housed in
separa3e dwellings. for the fat and apartment
house idea has been taken I'D only lately The
average rental IN the inside residence districts
~ %0- ~1Tv nm
ro,Ise and from $50 70 SIS for one Of rooms.
= was hard for many families TO meet this decided
increase. though they were able 10 find
house
I'VE sinpIy could not afford 70 pay $50 for
four -oo7u house" explained one housewife, and
we had a reighbor who similarly placed In
ny Tgander1ngs : across z six room house
which was offered for s45. I went 70 this other
woman. and proposed that We take the house to-
sesher We discussed IL from every point Of view
In favor Of the plan the reduced rent a saw
sns OF al least & 50 month which may not seem
much but with which one can do such lot OF
things
.<TTo-+nns+eIv We each had two children and
husbands earn about the same salary This bal
grce was favorable 10 the plan We finally settled
OF The downstairs part Of the house. kltcleh'
dining room and parloT, IS held in common upstairs
&c 1evs g bedroom apfece and the third as z
nursery One week do the cooking and she the
ro--sew-ork and the next she cooks. While sweep
g-s make beds. The living expenses are divided
.sv v-e-e soon over and left better friends than
ever an sure II Is going TO work out all right
7 IS SAID that fully two hundred families nave
eo1ved the problem BY doubling Up IN some such
var In some houses one family takes the upper
4oor The other the lower. a great many too. have
zone 10 boarding. storing their furniture and max
ing no pretence OF housekeeping.
Moving dav here was not without its amusing
SIDE This wear: il never is. There was for instance.
-s --o-+, husband who his wife do the house
hunting she finally found a place in Belieeld and
he morning Of moving found them ready Inc
husband took the day of and started of with the
first load.
N-ou- F2e7le6eId was a foreign country 10 him
almost for he had lived his days in Homewood-
He had noted down the address Of the new house
q his wife gave il him, and anticipated no olff-
--,I-v in finding it The heavily loaded van trunoed
-, a-5 down hiu through the mud but finally
reached ReIleheId. They found the street without
much difficulty but could not locate the number
--t- hloclz where the house should have been was
-s-f-rr-oved and there was no vacant house IN
e-r-- They wasted an hour hunting for one that
-rrosr5 answer the description The husband was
-e-rf~g frantic for the moving man charged .
- LJ,-- FFe vvas bout 10 break into the only va
-. a. etol,- when The second came
s---p The wife was perched on the seat by the
6rver holding glass vase in one arm ana q I'VE
taov in the other .-,,.
..,E-tera the dickens IS the house you rented!
so +-.7,s75 demanded with Sc p. the drayman's
o-e-re for tine wasted worth OF anger pent up
within him ,.,n cha
10 1-ou mean 20 say you DIDN'T hnd u sl7
cried in great surprise 7 gave you fuH olrec-
..7-5ev were full enough but they lead to an
empty lot" said the husband You SAID No 90
lot5inr Of the kind" cried the wife. 7 said
lincoln"
You didn't"
ct certainly DID,
They might have been At Il yet had not 1ne NOV
Ing nan warned them that every word was eoS,lll-
-te-, money and that they could fight it out after
ne had unloaded- ~.
The moving men had troubles Of their own Iney
,te-ga5 terrific rates for every one wanted 10
raoye =. once one crew worked ffty-seVen hours
- = erre+ob II IS said and might have been
e. II vet {" explained one Of the men II li4e U.s.
rasr-r taken fr too much stimulant ana gone 70
sleep IN the stable when we were ctl1hslis '00
A. engineer had 70 le called in 70 get piano out
~ 80 house L had been taken into a second
Fro-, roor7 through a window. Then a ne" ho4se
had por- m alongside and there was not room De
tween the walls 70 lower the piano out the way ~
came IN II was finally slid down speclaIIy Hn""e
CHUTE -o.
pa estate dealers explain the shortage Of houses
by showing that Pittsburg has grown III PopN''
much faster than the builders could put up ne"
homes The building rush continues and the deal
ers hone 10 catch u, by another moving day DIS
trcts which have been only sparsely settled Deo4e
Bre building I'D rapidly Oakland. the newest resi-
deree district is rapidly becoming closely bulit
as the rest of the city. Highland Park. Foih'
Breeze and Squirrel FIiI building up Win me
homes They range IN cost from the H''47S'
slgga home Of the careful man OF moderate saiafs
10 the $4,000 residence Of 7. T. F. Lovejoy-
More fats and apartment houses were built IN
the last year than all the time before In fact
going into the air viii be solution OF the resi-
ceace pEoblsm- Several large apartments NEss