The Washington herald., 1907-05-06
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

feet Of space. any number Of children un-
der ten might occupy the same room with
out violating the ordinance.
Dark in the Daytime.
"A second ordinance provides that hall
ways of tenements shall be properly
lighted at night. but does not exact that
such Railways shall. whenever necessary,
be lighted during the day. / saw many
dark Railways which required light dur
ing the day quite as much as during the
night
An ordinance passed by the District
! Commissioners. which went into effect
! December /. 1896. marks progress In limit
ing the building space OF an interior lot
/ to - per cent OF its area, and of a corner
/ lot to 81 per cent. bat many other defects
indicate the need of thorough revision
OF the existing code.
Il found nearly all the alley wooden
shacks and small brick houses tflat I
visited. in "a wretched condition The
wooden shacks. as a Tul.i. might properly
be condemned on structural grounds.
Their yards were apparently storage
places for refuse and filth, their water
supply inadequate and badly placed.
Il had conversations with the dwellers
IN these inside shacks. and the comments
Of many may be fairly summarized IN
the pathetic remark of an old coIored
woman who exclaimed, with reference 70
I her neglected. filthy yard:
Why, nay old Marsa wouldn't ha' KEEP
his horses stabbed in such a place
Beds of Disease.
NO argument is needed TO show that
such iu-conditioned novels are culture
beds of disease, the germs of which may
/ be carried far and wide by the flies which
/ feed on the rotting garbage and excreta.
/ Their number should be promptly asCer-
tained and immediate steps taken FOR
their complete elimination. and buildings
constructed in their places should have
proper sanitary appurtenances, and
should open either upon a highway or
small street
In a few instances she dwellers in
I these shacks would probably merit tenn
porary help in securing better quarters
/ if the shacks were destroyed, but II the
abolition Of the shacks should result in
driving their tenants from the city. in
/ most Instances an undesirable element Of
I its population, which is at present an
/ expense TO the city through its police
courts and prisons. would be removed.
THE small brick houses inside the
/ squares are not usually in as unsaus-
/ factory condition as the wooden shacks,
but a large percentage of them are
without adequate water supply and proper
4 privies, and are often structurally de
[ fective.
a particularly undesirable and menac-
! ing feature of the poor quarters of Wash
I iDgton is the inside alleys. These alleys
are centers of disorder and crime, and
1 they make possible the continuance OF
small communities uncontrolled by ordi-
nary police inspection and unaffected by
public observation and criticism.
would Abolish Inside Alleys.
IN my opinion all inside alleys, with
the exception of service alleys. should be
abolished, and a definite scheme for the
accomplishment of this object should be
adopted While I musC record these con-
ditions as I witnessed them. ! am glad
TO bear testimony TO the work done since
the passage Of the act for the condemna-
ton OF insanitary buildings. The board
for the condemnation Of insanitaTy build
ings was formed under this act July J.
1906.
Since that date 81 houses in alleys
have been demolished and 73 houses on
streets. while have been repaired in
| alleys and Il on streets The condition
| of the alleys and the activity of the
health officers is indicated by the fact that
I from July /, 1905, 20 June 80, 1906. the
sanitary inspectors reported 342 alleys in
filthy condition.
a law passed by the Congress In 1885,
appropriated S50.000 for the expense OF
condemnation proceedings in the sub
stitution OF minor streets for alleys. but
a recent decision of the Supreme Court
| of the District of Columbia has interposed
fresh difficulties by declaring uncOnstitu-
tional the assumption OF the law that
the entire cost Of opening small streets
as substitutes for alleys should be as
4 sessed upon the adjacent property owners
am not prepared 10 make any specific
/ recommendation 10 meet this new diff
Guilty, but urge that it be not allowed tC
prevent the abolition Of inside alleys.
Need More Inspectors.
For the proper inspection of small
houses, shaeks. and alleys, large and
efficient force Of building and sanitary
inspectors is necessary. Two additional
+ inspectors viii be available July /, 1907
but these are not sufficient. The pressure
of regular work. the details of admins.
tration, and the amount of time required
each session IN preparing and presenting
information 20 Congress, make it extreme
" dff1cuit In my ouiulou. for the District