“RECENT SANITARY PROGRESS.

The New York board of health has accomplished many improvements in tenements. Thousands of light shafts have been put in, transom windows cut, plumbing fixtures trapped and ventilated, while the old outdoor privy vaults have been replaced by indoor closets. The plans of all buildings must now be submitted for official approval and the work done under official inspection. As a result the plumbing in such buildings is better executed than the work formerly done in most private dwellings. A still more marked change has been brought about in relation to light and ventilation. The small light shafts which served no useful purpose have been abolished, and ample courts are now required which really light and ventilate the interior of such buildings.

These reforms and improvements have been brought about by agitation and by the creation of an enlightened public sentiment through the efforts of certain individuals and sanitary organizations, notably the late Mr. James Gallatin, of the Sanitary Reform Society; Prof. C. F. Chandler, formerly president of the board of health; Mr. Henry C. Meyer, editor of the Engineering Record; Mr. Jacob Riis, author of ” How the Other Half Lives”; Mr. Charles L. Brace, Mr. Alfred T. White, Prof. Pelix Adler, Mr. Bayard Cutting, Mr. R. Watson Gilder, Mr. D. Willis James and Miss Ellen Collins, not to mention others. Through the efforts of The Sanitary Engineer, prizes were offered for the best plan for a tenement-house on an ordinary city lot, and Mr. James E. Ware was the successful competitor. As a result, public interest was drawn to the need of regulating the construction of tenements.”

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