Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-05
SEE
HOMES IN ALLEYS
ON TOUR OF HOUSES
Motor Cycle Policemen Es-
cort Legislators on Visit
to SquaIid Quarters.
INSPECTION MADE TO GET
FIRST-HAND INFORMATION
Seventy Families Found Residing
in Single Village" Hidden
From Streets of City.

The extremely squalid living condi-
tons in some of Washington's alleys
were witnessed this morning by a party
OF Senators and Representatives who
went on an inspection tour of Ave
of these hidden communities.
The tour was arranged by The Star
as vivid Illustration of how several
thousands of the population of Wash.
ington live in crowded unsanitary
novels. 1t was an ideal day for suci
a demonstration with the blisterin1
June sun pouring its heat into thee
bleak, brick pockets of houses. unre
lieved by the slightest breeze or bit O
shade.
Members of Congress who went OF
the tour were Senators Capper of Kan
sas and Robson of Kentucky and Rep
resentatives Hall of Indiana, Norton OF
New Jersey, Palmer of Missouri, Hall of
Mississippi, Stalker of New York. Pat
man of Texas Palmisano of Maryland,
Bowman of West Virginia, Beers of
Pennsylvania, Lampert of Wisconsin and
Mcleod of Michigan.
Visit Largest Alley.
With an escort of motor cycle police
men, the party went first to Navy place
southeast, the largest alley still tnhab-
tied in Washington and typical of all
the rest, although living conditions are
somewhat better. Here 10 families i've
IN community of their own, almost en-
t1rely shut on and invisible to the rest
of the city.
There is only one narrow entrance
10 this little tangle CT narrow streets
lined with two-story dwellings and ga
RACES, where several hundred persons
spend their lives. The village even
has its own grocery store run by the
only white man in the population.
The alley folks we're all at home
women peering from second-story win
dowS, groups of men loafing in the
doorways and children playing in the
shadeless streets, their clothing wet
with sweat. The party was taken to
the rear of one row Of houses to see
the tiny. iunk-littered back yards, the
general dreariness of the Landscape and
the unsanitary conditions. John Ihlder,
housing expert and consultant of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, explained briefly the lays
out OF this large alley community which
has grown up in the interior of a block,
its very existence hardly suspected by
the rest of the city.
So much is Navy place a community
in itself that, it was explained by a
social worker who made a survey Of its
houses last Winter, it has its own ex-
elusive neighborhood and its own
"slum." The families who live close
to the entrance on Sixth street are the
e01f 81 49, 1t
them living in fairly neat houses which
they own. They have been there for
many years and are accorded social pre-
eminence over the folks who live in
the poorer houses in the back streets.
Has Water and Lights.
Then the party proceeded to a typi-
cal small alley in the southwest Sec
ton Clark Alley, between Four-and-a-
half, Sixth, M and N streets. Hers
are only five or six occupied houses
whose inhabitants scurried inside al
they saw the motor cycle policemen
turning in. The alley is open on boil,
ends and it has water and lights. But
as Mr. Ihlder pointed out to the mem.
bers Of Congress, 1t appears in diff
ferent light when 1t is considered that
children are being reared in this shade
less, dreary place.
The party then went across the city
to Grace alley at the foot of Wisconsin
avenue in Georgetown-one of the most
picturesque of Washington's hidden
communities. It is so completely
isolated that the automobiles were un-
able to get in, but were parked on
Grace street while the Congress men,
bers proceeded on foot into the
labyrinth of narrow streets, over
Swallowed by two and three story tene-
ment houses. Here the party went
through several of the houses.
1t was notable that Grace alley is
inhabited for the most part by families
UP appearances. There were few men
in evidence, presumably because they
we're at work. In nearly every house
the women were working over their
wash tubs or ironing boards.
The interiors were hot and barren,
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