The Detroit times., 1911-04-29
|GbOWD[D HOUSES
breeding GROUND
FOR DISEASE
rip Through the Roumanian Settle
ment On wight-St-, Reveals APP
paIling Conditions-is Sleep
In One Little Cottage.
filth Abounds and No Attention Il
Paid to Sanitation Housing Com
mission Has Big Problem.

When Rabbi Franklin. Of Temple
Beth III. told of the awful conditions
be had found In Detroit's tenement
districts before the Builders and
Traders' exchange, Tuesday. he die
not overstate thefacts. a. an In
vsstigation made by The Times 10
reals.
A Times reporter accompanied Sec
Rotary Lovejoy, Of the Detroit Hous-
ing commission. on tour OF one OF
The Roumanian settlements, Thurs
day, visiting several homes on
Wightst, near McDougallave. The
conditions found there. while not as
bad as In some OF the foreign cor
onies, fully substantiated Dr. Frank.
Iin's assertions as to overcrowding.
In one six-room cottage ct No. LOB
Wightst, within q ston's throw OF
the fashionable homes fronting on
Jeffsrson-aye., were crowded nine dou-
he beds and one child's bed, and
hare dwell q man, his wife and two
chiIdron. and IL male roomers, to-
al Of -. II n . foul and forbidding
DlAoe, with nSver q thought given to
nanitation.
The cottage nsxt door, at No. 167
wight, has seven rooms and 10 double
beds. The house In In bad repair,
Ind tho 1oor Of the dining room seem
ID almost ready to fall In. The floor
&of the summer kitchen Il lower than
HE yard outside, and water was
found standing under t.
The house at No. 1853 Wight. a
/story-and-a-hah structure, has eight
rooms and accommodations for no
less than 80 people, though the board
ing boss, who speaks English well
md apparently was next" to the OBJ
6ect OF the visit, insisted that he has
only ave boarders at this time. One
woman In the neighborhood declared.
however, that this house has at least
BE occupants. Many Of the beds are
|of single width. but each il equipped
with two pillows. In addition to the
Nc beds, there was an extra mattress
/Dn the floor of one small. dark
room. The rent Of this place has re-
GENTLY been boosted from $40 to SIS
y month.
The double house at Nos. 187-1ss
Wight has six rooms on each side.
land there are accommodations for
about 80 men In the two places.
At No. ITS. which is q seven-room
|cottage, the beds are 10 close togeth-
~ that there II just about room
|onough to pass between them. There
are beds. beds everywhere. The only
room not used for sleeping purposes
b the dining room. There Is filthy
hummer kitchen In the rear and in
u stuffy little room on this kitchen.
where there 10 scarcely room TO turn
around, there il a-other bed. The
front door 10 never used, for the rear
ron that the dark litt4e hall into
which II opens has been converted
Into q sleeping chamber. In this mar
row space there In q double bed and
- single bed, and there IL no. vent-
'lafion whatever, except through the
|adjoining room.
All Of these places lack proper san
'1tary facilities, and AFFORD great op-
|portunity Tor the spread Of typhoid
and other diseases.
IN searching for evidences or fmt
proper housing Il In not necessary to
E0uuuo ouo WHITE W euO AohcAbA
[oolonies. You viii encounter UNI
Ihealthfui tenements In the most un-
|oxpected places.
Secretary LovcJoy led the way 10
= large brick house on Congress-st,
|oast, near St Antoine, which had
once been q very fashionable home.
The front presents n rather imposing
appearance. but In q dark corner OF
Tho basement was found q small,
damp. pooriy-lighted room, with low
'cef1ings. where, until recently. mar
|risd couple and three children made
their home.
The landlord evidently though he
1ad put one over on the housing
1commission by ordering the family
<out Of his own accord. and was In
|c1fned TO sloat over the fact-