Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-18

Conditions in Hay alley back of
the Verbeke street markethouse
are greatly improved as a result of
health department efforts and also
because one of the apartment
houses" of that district fell down
last winter and the tenants perforce
had to move out. The inspectors
found a force of workmen trying TO
put this old three-story structure
back into shape for habitation. How
it ever got past the building inspeci
tor nobody knows. The walls are
bulging and there is a great gap in
the wall on one side. The work
men pottered about timidly, fearing
the thing would collapse on them
while making repairs.
What do they intend to do with
that?" asked DR.. Raunick.
Make an apartment house out OF
it," said a nearby resident.
Looks pretty bad" said the Doc
tor.
YES" was the reply, but Great
Guns you ought to see the inside"
The inspectors declined to inves-
tigate further.
This structure bears a stone in the
front wall reading John Usau, M.
D., Built A. D., 1881"
Over Stables
Rapidly running through the bad
quarter along Capitol and Marion
streets north of Verbeke street the
worst conditions were found in the
rear of 1419 and 1921 Marion street,
where four apartments" renting at
81 a month each and each consist
ing of one room occupied by one
family, had been constructed over a
horse stable. These are approached
by an outside gallery rickety and
unsafe, to which shaky steps lead up.
They have little light but plenty of
air-both from the stable below and
through the numerous cracks. There
are no chimneys and one toilet. A
single outside hydrant supplies water
for these and nearby houses. The
apartments" are scarcely fit for
chicken coops and not much larger.
In case of fire the occupants would
be caught like rats in trap.
Another apartment house" at
1419 Capitol street is of much bet
/ ter variety and has electric light in
the halls. 1t is fairly clean but the
sewers are badly constructed and out
of order most of the winter, while a
barrel of oil stored in the vestibule
has soaked the floor and invites fire.
Rooms rent from 81 to SO a month,
without heat or light.
The old Seventh ward deserves a
whole chapter of its own. Here the
houses were for the most part
owned or rented by self-respecting,
prosperous people before the re-
moval of the old Eighth ward
shacks caused an influx of people
from that district. Quite a few very
good houses still exist and there are
many fine people scattered through
out this whole district who resent
the slum conditions being forced
into their neighborhoods. These
conditions are especially bad in the
lower part where property owners
have been compelled to sacrifice
| their homes and get out or put up
with a state of affairs that is well
nigh intolerable. 1t is pitiable to
see the effort many of those who
have remained try to make to have
their homes attractive while grasp
ing landlords on all sides huddle
many families into one house and
let the dwellings go to pot.
In Sayford street one property in
| the rear of a store room has been
reconstructed and enlarged by the
addition of flimsily constructed little
rooms made largely of material that
| looks as though it had been gath
cred from dumps and here whole
families are quartered at So to $40
month for two to three rooms. The
roofs leak so that tubs have to be
kept in constant readiness, the
plaster is dropping off and the walls
| lack paper. Children are sick con-
stantly here, and little wonder. I'm
ready to go elsewhere if 1 can find
a place l can Afford" said one OF
the men coming home for dinner.
Outside drainage conditions are ter
rible and the whole situation "
enough to turn even a good think :
; ing citizen into a criminal or an
anarchist.
These are l,ut samples. There
are scores and hundreds as bad and
! worse.