New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-13
GROUND PLAN OF
SOME PLAGUE SPOTS IN NEW-YORK.
IN ONE BLOCK goo CASES OF TUBERCULOSIS WERE
REPORTED IN NINE YEARS.

That there are some horrible plague spots in
this city has been revealed in an investigation
recently carried on by Ernest Poole for the
committee the prevention Of tuberculosis Of
the Charity Organization Society, and reported
in pamphlet entitled The Lung Block" The
Lung block is close 20 the East River in the
Seventh Ward. one Of the most congested Of the
city. ward that is steadily. swiftly lacking
closer ItE boundaries are Cherry, Catharine,
Market and Hamilton SITS. Between 1890 and
1900" says Mr.. Poole referring to the Seventh
Ward. the density of its already crowded popu-
lstion increased no less shan GO per cent. Now
Il holds AIS humans to an acre. The Lung
Block alone holds nearly four thousand, not TO
mention dogs, cats parrots and one weakened
old monkey. OF the humans. some four hundred
are babies.
1T is a block packed close with huge grimy
tenements; these tenements are honeyoombed
with rooms; these rooms are homes for people.
To squeeze in more homes. light and air are
slowly SMUT out. Halls courts. airshafts, all
left cramped and deep and sunless.
1t is a block OF thousand homes Through
halls, in rooms stairways, in courts, in shafts
and out fire escapes are sprinkled the four
hundred babies. At the age Of two they
found alone in the street, already imbibing its
deep. muddy wisdom. So this muddy street
overfows into the home. II is hard for the home
to Keep wholesome and pure. Things and peo-
ple-gOod and bad-have only partitions between
theiTI.
In block so congested the plague spreads
swiftly. In the last nine years alone. this
block has reported 265 cases. From doctors.
druggists and all others who know I gathered
that this is but half the true number.
"Of the 265 cases reported on the block, 1O4
came from six old tenement houses alone.
There is one called The Ink Pot 1t has
front and rear tenements five floors high, with
a foul, narrow court between. Here live 40
people. Twenty-three are babies. Here found
one man sick with the plague in the front house,
two more In the rear-and one OF these had a
young wife and four children. Here the plague
lives in darkness and hlth-filth in halls, over
walls and floors. in sinks and closets. Here
i'm nine years alone tNventy-six cases have been
reported How many besides these were kept
secret? And behind these nine years-how
many cases more?
Rooms here have held death ready and waiting
for wears Up on the third floor, looking down
into the court Is room with two little closets
behind It. In one OF these blind Scotchman
silent and took the plague in 1894. His wife
and his fifteen year-old son both drank. and the
home grew squalid as the tenement itself He
died IN the hospital only q few months later
,be rlaRue fastened again. Slowly his little
daughter grew used 20 the fever, the coughing,
The long sleepless nights The foul court was
her only outlook. At last she, too, DIED Inc
mother and son then moved away But IN ms
noon, the germs lived on. They might all have
baen killed N a day by sunlight; they can i've
80, wears in darkness. Here in darkness they
liyad on griray walls. in dusty hooks. on dirty
soo-s Then one year later in october. Jew
,.,,.ea this same room. He was taken and oied
g., tbs summer The room was rented again IL
he autumn by German and his wife She
had ,he piague already. and died. Then an Irish
fs,,r, came IN. The father was hard. steady
v-orlxer. and loved his children. The home this
go Was winning the fight. But six months
,s,sr he took the plague He died IN Isol-
.-,, a. o-,, the record Of one room In seven
years. - ,
~, N. rear house is another plague room
IN ,h. ground floor 20 the right OF the iow' mar
- sptr,nce Here. IN 1895 lived an Old Irish
h.,,,.ksr with his wife. his small daughter
hts 80 son, He was housekeeper. he TOOK
she rlse7,e. worked a year or more there on ms
rats then died The cough came on ms VIE
soon after. She suffered long. weary months
o-,,, % ses a. the end her young daughter oegh
~. same suffering The mother died The nome
-. sbatterAd The girl was taken away by her
an, ana soon followed her mother The Two
80 .,aa q. the same disease. spreading IL out
,nto other tenenents SO by this room one
.zhe,s family 49, riottsa cut.