Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-01-12
"THN NEGRO MIGRANT IN
PITTSBURGH"

DR.. Abraham Epstein's most inter-
esting dissertation upon conditions
in Pittsburgh will be read with in
torest. not only by those who re-
manned behind, but by those who are
on the scene and know personally Of
the conditions that he describes. He
says:
or tho men without families horc,
only twenty-five out Of moro than
three hundred had individual bed
rooms. Twenty-Five per cent lived
four in room, and twenty-five por
cont lived III rooms used by more
than four people. Again only thirty
seven per cent slept in separate beds,
fifty per cent slept two in bed, and
thirteen per cent sleep three or more
in bed.
The conditiOnns III these rooming
houses often beggar description.
Sleeping quarters are provided not
only In bed rooms, but also in attics,
Easements, dining rooms and kitchens.
In many instances, houses in which
these rooms are located are dilapi-
dated dwellings with the paper torn
OH. the plaster sagging from tho nak-
Cd lath, the windows broken, the cell
ing dow and damp, and the whole
room dark. stuffy and unsanitary. In
one or two instances, these rooms.
with moro than six people sleeping
III them at one time, have practically
no openings for either light or air.
In the more crowded sections, beds
are rented OH n double shift basis.
Men who work at night sleep during
the day in the beds vacated by day
workers. There Is no space In these
rooms. except for beds and as many
OF them are crowded in as can be
possibly accommodated
mere Is rarely place In these
rooms for even suitcascs or trunks.
under such circumstances the rooms
can DO kept clean with difficulty, and
there is apparently no disposition to
wrestle with the dirt and litter. Very
lew OF these sleeping rooms have
moro than two windows in each, and
many have only one window. Only
few are provided with bath rooms,
while great number have the water
and toilets in the yards or other
places outside the house. Many Of
these roomers complain that often
they are not given any soap, and are
never given moro than one towel a
week.
The rents paid by these roomers
varied from $1.50 to $500 Ter week,
and i'll few instances were as high
as $4.O0 per week. In number Of
cases, the men also board in the same
place in which they room. paying
from five to seven or eight dollars
per week for food and shelter.
This condition is akin to that OF a
railroad camp, being in tire matter of
occupancy much worse. He con-
tinues:
The situation in the camps Is not
better than that in rooming houses.
In one railroad camp visited the men
wore lodged in box cars, each Of
which was equipped with four or
eight beds, or they we're quartered in
row OF wooden houses two stories
high, each room Of which contained
from six to eight beds. II is true
that the rents charged in this camp
were only the nominal sum OF Ave
cents per night, or $3.50 per month,
but the men had to buy their food
from the camp comm :ssary, using
company checks. and also had to pre-
pare 1t themselves. Practically every
man interviewed complained OF the
h1gh prices charged, and that this
complaint was not altogether ground
less was evident from the scanty pur-
chases being made by these men ut
the tine OF the investigators visit.
In another railroad camp, located
near Pittsburgh. which was visited
in tho early spring about one hun
dred men were lodged in one big
"bunkhouse." cont aiming about fifty
donblc-t'er beds. Although there were
adequate toilet and shower bath facil-
tiles. the beds were unclean. This
company also boarded these men,
making a flat weekly charge.
He Is almost merciless in his de.
scription telling "the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the
truth He says:
The rooming houses with one OK.
ception are conducted by colored peo
ple, who act either as janitors or as
hosts. In only one case. as far as
our investigation extended. did we
find white woman running a room.