Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
The Incident That Counted

| A S the simple suggestion of the Prime Min
ister that cleanliness of the home and its
| surroundings was the best measure of proteC-
| ton against cholera, contained the germ of
| sanitary reform in England, an incident in
the writer's experience became the potential
| force that gave to New York most complete
| system of health laws and ordinances, and an
efficient administrative department OF health.
| In larger sense it may with justice be claimed
that this incident contained the germ of health
reform that has given to this entire country
| the most perfect system OF municipal, state,
| and national health administration IN the CIV
ilized world.
| The incident referred to occurred in the
early Dos. When | was physician to fever
| hospital in the Department of Charities it
| was discovered that large number of cases
came from the same tenement house. TO de-
termine the condition of this veritab BILE fever
| nest, l visited the house. and was not surprised
| at the large number IF cases of fever which it
| furnished our hospital. 1t IS difficult to de
| scribe the scene that the interior of the house
presented to the visitor. The building was III
| an extreme state of dilapidation generally, the
| doors and windows were broken, the cellar
was partly filled with filthy sewage, the floors
| were Uttered with decomposng straw which
| the occupants used for bedding every avail
| able place from cellar to garnet was crowded
| with immigrants, men, women, and children
The whole establishment was reekIng with
| filth, and the atmosphere was heavy with the
| sickening odor of the deadly typhus which
re1Sneu supreme IN every room.
Impressed with the necessity of Immediately
closing this house to further occupation by
| immigrants until it was thoroughly cleansed
and made decently bic, | made inquiries
| for the responsible owner. 1t was found that
the house was never visited by anyone who
claimed to be either agent or owner; but that
1t was the resort of Migrants, especially OF the
most recent and destitute immigrants; that
| they came and went without let hindrance,
generally remaining until attacked by the pre-
vailing epidemic of fever, when they were re-
| moved to the fever hospital.
The Unknown Owner
| A FTER considerable inquiry in the neigh
boThood a person was found who was the
| real agent of the landlord; but other in
| formation could be obtained than that the
owner took no interest in the property, and
| that the agent was under instructions not to
reveal his name. An appeal to this agent to
| have the house vacated and put in good condi-
| ton for tenants was refused with contemptu-
Gus remark as to the abSurd1ty of furnishing
such Migrants and immigrants better quarters
IN which to live.
AS there was no health department to which
an appeal could be made, the metropolitan
police department was visited and the matter
laid before its president, Mr.. Acton. He di-
rected the secretary, Mr.. Hawley, lawyer to
examine the health laws and ordinances to de-
ternine what measures were III the power OF
the police to enforce. A search made,
and the result was that there was neither law
nor ordinance under which the police could
take action. Mr.. Acton advised that the tax
lists be examined to find who paid taxes on the
property, and thus discover the responsible
party to its ownership, and then appeal directly
to him to make the necessary improvements.
An examin alton of the tax list revealed that
the owner was d wealthy living in
| aristocratic neighborhood, and a member of
one of the most popular churches of that
period.
The condition of his tenement house was
brought to his attention, and its menace to the
public health as a fruitful fever nest was ex-
planned. He very angry at what he de-
clared an interference with the manage
| ment of his property, and asserted in the most
emphatic manner that as the house yielded
him no rent he would not expend dollar for
| the benefit of the miserable creatures who had
SO wrecked the building.
With the failure of this appeal to the owner
| We had reached the last extremity, apparently,
of legal and moral means of abatIng a nuisance,
dangerous to life and detrimental to health
Fearful of Publicity
| EORTU NATELY, at this juncture the matter
came to the notice of William Cullen Bry-
ant, editor of The Evening Post" who was
at once interested in the question of the power
OF the city government to remedy such a
/ fragrant evil. In the absence of laws and
| ordinances, Mr.. Bryant proposed to make the
| case public in all of its details, and for that
Il