The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-10
KINGSDURY PICTURES
BLACKW WELLS MISERY
Charities Head Tells Of "Shamc.
full" Conditions Among
City's 5000 Poor.
REPORTS ON MAYORS VISIT
Recommends That WorkhOusc
and Penitcntiary Be Re-
moved From Island.

From each NJ tho unhc-alded nich,
visits which ! have paid to Blackwe,ls
Island In order to acquaint myself with
the conditions In my department before
undertaking to effect rcorga r 'zatior and
improvement have returned with the
feeling that 1T was place of misery
instead of "A comfortable refuge for the
dependents OF "A great city"
Commissioner of Public Charities John
A. kingsbury SO sums up conditions In
public hospitals and homes for the aged
and iniirm on Blackwoirs Island In n
report which pictures over 5000 OF the
city's sick and poor as living in buildings
unhealthy and greatly ovcrcrowded.
The Commissioners statement was
brought out by the public interest in the
midnight visit of Mayor Mitchell to the
island on Tuesday, on which he was ac-
companied b. Mr.. kngsbury and mem.
bcrs of the Board of Estimate. The Mayor
wished to see for himself just what the
conditions were. After telling OF that
visit Mr.. I<ingsbury says:
These inspections have convinced me
that conditions on Blackwelrs Island are
exceedingly bad. although they have i'm
proved slightly IN the last few months.
The hospitals for the poor are SO over
crowded AS to make 1t impossible to give
proper attention to the occupants. In
some instances the physical conditions are
such as to make people sick II they have
not been 30 when admitted. There is a
shortage of nurses and until the last few
days much was left TO be desired in re-
spect ~ food"
Many sleep on Floor.
In the Metropolitan, where 1000 pa.
uents are crowded into the wards, one
half Of them having tuberculosis. where
many sleep on beds on the floor and
often two or three sleep in "A room in
tended for one. Mr.. kingsbury described
the conditions as shameful" He could
hardly avoid stepping on some of the pa
tients In his night walks through the cor
rldors.
I'm the children's ward" he saws. ~
discovered that eight cribs. each intended
for one. contained two sick children In
suniciently covered and lying with Their
feet In each others face.
The state of the sixteen glass and
wood shacks designed expressly for the
fresh air treatment Of tuberculosis was
particularly to be condemned in that con-
ge9tion constituted no excuse IMAM
nounced and unexpected looked into each
Of these shacks in the middle Of the night
wnen no nurse was TO be seen. Doors and
windows and movable walls were closed
and the air in the badly crowded interior
was foul as though each were her.
metically sealed
Not only Is this class Of tho dependent
poor falling to receive the kind of care that
modern standards and public opinion de-
npard. but in some instances they could not |
be said TO receive human care.
Attendants Rarely Found.
"A striking feature was the rarencss
with which any attendant was encoun- |
tered. Ward after ward was entered by |,
me where there seemed 10 be no at
tcndant. One could only shudder at the |
frightful possibilities ~ night Are In |
one OF these congestod buildings. where |
several of the woIntn's wards were actu- |
ally found locked with the key IN the pos
session Of one Of the sleopers within"
Mr.. kingsbury winds up his report |
with some recommendations % what he |
would like to see done to relieve con-
ditions. He says
"What we want to do is to put the
aged and infrm into q real home main
tained by the city. What Is needed ls
effic ent administration and money. We
can save in many places. but we are called |
upon to spend more than We can save.
The tuberculosis hospital situation must
bo relieved and | have worked out plans |
70 that end. As far as the almshouses
70. although they are physically made
quate, improvements I'M them must be
largely matter of administration
He also recommends that the workhouse
and penitentary be removed from the
island, so that the 5000 or more charges
OF the city who are free from criminal or
vagrant tendencies may be cared for In "A
humane fashion and decent atmos-
phere."