The Detroit times., 1911-05-09
DETROIT ALLEYS
IN DIsGRACEFUL'
CONDITION
Tour BY Members Of Housing Com
mission Reveals Them Uttered
With Rubbish and Serious
(. Menace To Health.
Swell Residence Districts About As
Bad As Others-Blame Seems
To Lie With d. P. w.

To the world outside, Detroit Is
known as the city beautiful and one
OF the cleanest towns on this or any
other continent. That Is the impress
sion visitors get and carry away with
them after tour OF the parks and
bou1evards and run OUT Jefferson Jr
Woodward-aves. in a luxuriously-fur-
nished touring car, but II they could
see what the Detroit Housing COM
mission saw Monday afternoon, when
the members went on an alley inspec-
tion tour, they would probably be in
clined 10 qualify their compliments.
The members of the housing com
mission saw both sides, the good land
the bad, and the contrast was Dotn
striking and interesting. One fact
stood out ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS al
leys are unsightly and, in many In
stances filthy and dangerous TO health.
This condition is not confined TO
any particular section or sections. IL
Is general, the only difference being
in the degree OF filth and unsightli-
ness Not even Is the -ultra-fashion.
able Indian Village exempt from the
abomination. West of Seminole-ave.,
between Agnes-ave. and Champlain-
St, for instance, the commission found
an alley badly Uttered with unsighty
heaps OF ashes and dead brush. while
In front were well-kept lawns and sty-,
llsh-looking fronts.
Piloted by Luther Z. Lovejoy. gen
eral secretary OF the commission, the
party started out from the Board OF
nh ~
automobiles. II included Milton A.
McRae, president OF the Board OF
Commerce; j. l.. Hudson, Tracey Nc
Gregor, Rabbi Leo M. Franklin, OF
Temple Beth Ell, the newspaper men
and battery Of photographers.
Mayor Thompson had been invited TO
60 along, but other business detained
him.
The east side was covered first, and
the party had proceeded but Q snort
distance before striking some bad al
leys, not far from the heart OF the
downtown district. These were-6uck
of Congress, Larned and champlain-
sts., In the vicinity OF Beaubien and
st. Antoine-sts., and they were mostly
raved alleys at that, where there -
little excuse for lack of cleanliness.
II was up in the Ghetto that the
prize specimens" were round, now
ever. One OF the worst encountered
on the entire tour was that between
Napolean and Winder and st. Antoine
aud Hastings, while the section lying
Eetween Hastings and Riyard was
lust as bad The alley was so hlled
with ashes, decaying garbage and
rubbish OF all kinds as TO be almost
impossible to teams, while the aroma
was anything but pleasant. Here an
Interesting contrast was present. on
one side of Hastings the alley was
rayed. and on the other II was un
paved. and one would naturally ex-
meet TO find the paved alley fairly
tidy, but in this instance there was
no differences. One section was as
bad as the other.
This alley is in the neighborhood
of the Bishop school, the largest pub
lie school in Michigan, fact that ala
not escape the attention OF the hous-
ing commission.
Another prize exhibit was found on
Chene. between Warren and Hancock
avenues. Here were great piles OIL
ashes and rubbish reaching to the
tons of the fences and extending In
an almost unbroken line as Tar as
the eye could see. This was such an
interesting sight that the members OF
the commission got out for close
range view and the battery or cam
era men snapped them as they were
poking away with sticks In the heaps
OF rubbish.
The auesution arose here as TO
who was to blame for the condition.
(Continued ON page Sd