Year: 1877

The former of these districts contains q
dense population, gathered in some of the
most crowded tenement houses in the city.
1t has population Of 195,000 to the square
mile, or an area of O fraction less than six
teen square yards for each person. The
deaths from all causes for the second week
of July averaged one in 1850 of the inhab-
itants, and from diarrhGal causes one in
1,572. The latter of the two districts lies next
to the former and is subject to the same natu-
raj atmospheric conditions, but is not filled
with foul stenches and impure air by o
crowded tenement house population. There
are in the district SO, 900 inhabitants to the
square mile, or less than half the number of
the east side district, giving IN area of over
thirty three square yards to each person.
The deaths from all causes for the week al
ready named averaged l in 1850,
and from diarrheal causes / in 4,175.
These figures tell their own story.
Here are two districts in the same part Of
the city, one on the east side and the other
on the west side, and there is no reason,
based on natural causes, why the one should
not be as healthy as the other. But the area
of the one is twice as densely crowded with
population as the area Of the other, and the
death rate of the crowded district from
diarrh@al causes is nearly three times as
great as that Of its neighbor.


The remedy for the evil of crowded tene-
ment houses in the lower wards Of the city
is rapid transit Poor people live in those
wretched mockeries Of home, in danger,
filth and disease, not from choice, but from
necessity. They must live near their place
Of occupation, or near the locality where, by
hanging around, they may be able to pick
up work, because there is no steam railroad
to carry them swiftly and ut low rate of
fare from the upper part of the
island, where there is room for all, to
the business portion Of the city.
If they could travel from the Twenty
fourth ward to the Battery in half an hour
at five or six cents fare they would soon
find homes in the beautiful country above
Harlem Bridge at lower rents than are now
squeezed out of them by tenement house
landlords. In London mechanics and
laborers live in the suburbs, where they get
a comfortable cottage, containing from iour
to five rooms, for ten pounds or fifty
dollars q year, trife over four dol
lars month. A miserable garret
or cellar in a ruinous New York
tenement den could not be hired for so low
q rent as this. There is no reason why
similar dwellings for the poorer classes
should not be erected in the new wards Of
the city, and let at almost or quite rs cheap
rent, provided we had rapid transit to carry
the people there. But SO long as we have
no rapid transit the upper part Of the city
is practically closed to the workingman,
who must cross q ferry to find home or
risk the lives and morals of his children by
living in a crowded, unhealthy and demor-
alizing tenement house.


In all other aspects of the case, as well as
in this important one Of health and life, the
laboring classes are more deeply interested
than any others in the success Of rapid tran
sit. Steam communication between the
Battery and the upper boundary of the city
is the only thing that can give sudden and
powerful impetus to the building business
If the beautiful country between Woodlawn
and Harlem Bridge could be brought as
near to the City Hall in point of time us
Thirtieth street now is by horse car
travel enough buildings would soon be IN
the course OF erection to furnish employment
to many thousands of laborers who are now