Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-23
The Strangely Healthy
Bowery
By Frederic J. Haskin

New York, Marcn 81 AiV "seohSh
ing statement is made by an inspector OF
the sanitary division OF the New York
Uealth Department that the Bowery,
with all its lack of purity and cleanliness,
is The healthiest spot IN America. During
the late influenza epidemic, the Bowery
WAS practically immune from the disease,
and the same holds true in regard TO all
nthor af1ictions affecting the rest of New
Vork he saws. People living along the
Rowerv never seem to get ill. Why2 No
ono anpears to know. 1t seems as if the
mysterious element which kept the Bowery
safe from plague in early days when the
nearby town was stricken with smallpox,
is operating stlil.
Is il possible that there is some health
producing quality, still undiscovered,
which haunts the Bowery-more powerful
than sanitation itself, or rather the lack
of il? This is the problem that New York
IS pondcring now, wishing that Sir Oliver
Lodge were still here to help it.
KING OF HoBoEs.
The Inspector who is responsible for
this new interest in the Bowery, and who is
now afraid that the street may be converted
into a national health resort, is known as
jeff Davis. king of the Hoboes." Those
acquainted with Mr.. Davis past have
been inclined to suspect him of undue
partiality toward street which must have
seen a good deal of his early youth, but
there are the health records to prove the
authenticity of his statements. lhey
show that the Bowery's health is ninety
eight per cent to the good.
While the Bowery has struck q slight
vein of prosperity recently. 1T stlil at
tracts the poorest classes oil the city. II 10
the one street within miles OF New ork
where YOU can find numerous lodging
houses advertising shelter at thirty cents
per night: where whole dinners may be
procured for twenty-five and thirty cents
and where clothing is peddled nc prices
ranging below fifty cents. Naturally, cloth
ing at this price is not famous for Its wear
or warmth, so that the citizens OF the
Bowerv are ill-clad and insufhclently so.
The men who patronize the lodgings wear
no gloves or overcoats, and their shoes
generally leak But they are healthy;
Cleanliness is also a possession which
Is held in no great respect by the citizens
of the Bowery So far rs they are concern
ed. they would just as soon 1t didn't
exist, and especially that 1t was not so
rigidly enforced by the Health depart
ment. Recently. MIR Davis had to send
fftv men to public baths, and one of them
caught a bad cold afterward. de was
extremely bitter in denouncing what nc
termed such crazy practices IN the dead
% winter"
"When it comes to buying soap, says
Inspector Davis. ''the citizens OF the
Bowerv much prefer eats-coffee and stew
or beans-so that sometimes soap side
tracked. Perhaps all their necks are not
clean" (but for that matter, whose Is IN
New York. and their faces not polIshed
UP, or their bodies scrubbed as thoroughly
as one might wish, still the dirtlest ones
] have come across are the healthlest
In spite of this discovery, the Health
Department refuses to argue, as might be
expected, that filthis conducive TO health
Instead il is putting forth laborlous et-
forts 10 make the Bowery clean up
INSPECTOR Davis, when not inspecting
lodging houses for signs of dirt, spends his
time addressing large audlen ces OF the
men who patronize them, explaining the
necessity Of sanitary precautions and
asking for their cooperation. The men are
usually willing enough to help, but
the clearinghouse keepers are not quite
20 gracious.
1T was q Chinese joint that gave the
first heed to our campaign .or sanitation,
saws Inspector Davis Gee, what a dump
il wasl But the proprietor took my advice,
and in 4 week 5 time all the old beds,
sheets and dirty blankets were thrown
out. and in their stead new bu9ks, new
bedding and clean everything put IN. The
floors that were dirty now look white, and
the spiderwebs tine Chinese proprietor
called them whiskers are gone.
CoRNERED INSECT MARKET.
at one lodging house the proprietor
anneare to have cornered the insect mar
ket. He has been piven orders 10 get rid
OF his surplus stock. Ills point was: III the
men don't kick. vi + should the Health
DeDartment?' But. says ], These men
70 to al parts of the city and we do not
want them TO take with them excess
baggage.
Not all of the citizens of the Bowery
are very poor, according TO Inspector
Davis Many OF them are employed IN
factories. warehouses, shipyards, and q
large number Of the younger men in offices,
where thev make fairly good salaries
They stick to the Bowery because hyIng
there Is cheap, and then, they say. they
are afraid to move to other parts OF the
city which seem so unhealthy" Inspec-
tor Davis knows Of hundreds of such men
who are making at least forty dollars a
week living on ten, and putting the
other thirty q week away In the bank.
But to the casual explorer, walking
down the Bowery in se arch Of its peculiar
healthful charm, there Is certainly little
to recommend It. At present, weeks after
the great blizzard of the winter, the street
under the arch OF the Third avenue elevat-
ed. is still covered with a thick, irregular
carpet of grimy ice, broken in places by
large ponds of black water. so that crossing
the Bowery on foot is almost as impossible
as crossing the Hudson or any othel
great river.
The numerous. small stores which
buddle against each other on each side o
the street, are all III need Of paint, to say
nothing of soap and water. Above then
are the dusty, silent windows Of the lodg
jngs OF the healthy, with fire-escapes a
frequent intervals, apparently not s.
much for use In case Of fire as for support
ing lines OF wildly Tapping, drying clothes
Much of the business on the Bowery !
transacted out OF doors, hardware, second
hand furniture, secondhand clothes
nondeseript wares and occasionally book
IL the last stages of dilapildatlon bein
exhibited on stalls outside the stores as
lure TO the constant stream OF poorl
clothed humanity siIrging past their doors
Most of tho xpCrnpn customers are be