New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-25
DARKNESS AND STENCIL.


DARKNESS AND STENCIL.
The mothers away working ! suppose" said
she inspector. There's a dark room for you"
he went on. throwing his light into the corners
If the bedroom which, with the kitchen. made
N, The APARTMENT. The kitchen had two win
dovs looking out on q narrow shaft. The bed
room had 10 window al all. and the dank
wholesome smell Of il fairly rose up and struck
one In the face. All the department can do with
these dark inside rooms. Of which there are
thousands in the city. is 10 order window cut
through 10 the adjoining room.
How much do you pay here?" the inspector
asked the girl. She spread her hands out help
Iessly
no ka-peesh." she said, meaning, mo under
stand" But neighbor woman, who was look
ing II at the door. answered for her.
1T iss SO. ! also pay SO If abofe. II iss
great deal ven dere iss little work." she said
with strong Yiddish accent
Regular polyglot house, this" the inspector
remarked as the reporter followed him down.
stairs. II isn't often you find the nationalites
mixing. but in this house there are Italians.
Jews, Hungarians Greeks and Irish
On the way downstairs the reporter looked
out Of a window and took survey Of the fire
escapes. They were the only ones the building
had and they were IN the narrow. closed shaft
aforesaid Il occurred 10 the reporter that in
case Of FIRE tenants trying 10 escape that way
would find themselves penned in at the bottom
OF the shaft.
Just So the inspector agreed, when the re-
porter mentioned il The fire escapes in these
shafts are as bad as none at all"
Any more tenements like this one?" the re-
porter asked as they went down the rarnshackle
steps
Plenty worse ones" the inspector replied.
Later the inspector halted IN front Of two
tenements in Allen-st- One was OF the worst
type-plaster falling everywhere, stairs broken.
old style plumbing and only one sink 70 each
floor each sink shared in common by four faTni-
lies; one common closet for the building, with
al odor fairly shouting typhoid There was
bakery IN The cellar. the entrance TO which was
Uttered with dirt, and the roof so low that one
could not stand upright in II, and of such finsy
construction that the chance oyerturning of a
kettle OF boiling fat would have set the building
blazing Except for the entrance door there
was not an inch wide hole anywhere in the
walls 10 let IN light and air. e fact advertised
in the bleached faces OF the men who worked
there from twelve 10 sixteen hours day.
AN IMPROVEMENT.
Not long after this tour Of lower East Side
teneDents the reporter went into new
law" tenement in 1st-st. in quest Of q cup Of
tea with two girl cousins who live IN the top
fat These new law houses. constructed in
accordance with the requirements Of the bill
passed at Albany in 1901. are vastly different
from the old style ones. but they. TOO. have
their 1ailings. AS the reporter entered the lower
han OF the house IN 1st-st. he perceived one Of
the girl cousins IN excited conversation with
the Jauitress. The voice Of the Janitress rose
high
An faith It amt me that's 10 blame If tn
min don't come 20 fix III boiler as they prom
ised. It's no good TO kape a-kickin' about il at
al, 81 AL"
The girl cousin retired. defeated. from the
fray and followed the reporter upstairs.
The East Side Italians" she said bitterly,
call the Janitor the boss the agent the big a
boss and the owner OF the house the 'bg-a
bg-a boss I should reverse the order, and
cal the janitor the 'big-a, big-a boss Anyhow
would when the janitor is janitress. Not q
drop q bot water have had for week, and
when tinidly ask the 1snitress why she comes
down me like q sledgehammer. Why don't
20 70 the owner, you say? ] don't know where
ne Is ] rent from the agent. the husband Of
ths 5enitress. lie is mild man, but he goes
away before get up and never comes home
uu after I'm in bed. I at the mercy Of
the jsnitress"
The reporter. In attempt 10 Tighten the at
mosphere. tod the story OF Russian Jewess
ne had seen on the lower East Side. She had
an exaggerated notion Of the power OF the tene-
hent house inspector. and she requested him TO
suppress baby whose crying on the other side
OF the shaft annoyed her.
That Jewess" said the reporters girl cousin.
eDsenuy. was quite unconsciously logical. Il
maj crying baby were in an airy, comforta BILE
spartnenL or, better. II a roof garden or kin
cefSaEtea We're provided for IL. as IN a model
tenement house they would be, IL would be well
and happy, and IL wouldn't cry. Therefore the
present tenement house system is really re-
sp0nsible for that baby's crying"
Then the two girl cousins, who were both vol
unteer social workers and ardent reformers.
stier making the reporter comfortable with a
-aorT1s chair and C. cup OF tea, drifted into a
discussion OF the possibilities OF model tene-
slents as foreshadoWed by the plans for the
Fmpps houses, just being put under way.
The reporter stirred his tea and listened. grow
Hs rather drOwsy IN the heat OF the oil stove.
which supplemented the g1lded but inadequate
sssslo' radiator OF tho new law" tenement