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CAUTION TO BOARDING HOUSE KEEPERS – A tall, red faced Mason, who works on the building in the Bowery, nearly opposite Spring street and boards in Grand street, named Gustav Johnson, left my house with his board unpaid.  He is a Virginian but says his is from Baltimore.                                                 J. A. JONES, 196 Bowery.  J24 – 3t*
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$5  REWARD – LOST – Near Washington Market, a Wallet containing between thirty
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and forty dollars on different banks.  One ten and a five on the Catskill bank – one five on the Girard Bank of Philadelphia, and fifteen or twenty dollars on broken banks, and papers of no value except to the owner.  The above reward will be given to any person that will return said Wallet to the Clerk of Washington market.                         J23 – 2t*
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Our fathers find their graves in our short memories, and sadly tell us how we may be buried in our survivors.  Oblivion is not to be hired.  The greater part must be content to be as though they had not been – to be found in the register of God, not in the record of man.     [Sir Thomas Browne.
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MERCHANTS, MECHANICS, LANDHOLDERS, and all others, are hereby duly authorized to call and see my Stave Machine, “gratis;” and a greater curiosity is seldom seen.  It takes in any kind of timber, and shelfs out first rate staves, suitable for any kind of casks so perfectly, that the hogshead, barrel, or keg made from them not only looks better than any others, but in fact is so in every way.  I can manufacture in the most perfect style, from any kind of timber, from 200 to 400 staves per hour.  It does seem to me (as well as many of our first businessmen, if I may judge from the manner in which they have patronized me) that a small capital cannot be laid out to better advantage.  I have it in operation for half an hour every day at the Machine shop of  Robert Hoe & Co. No. 31 Gold street, a little north of Maiden lane, commencing precisely at 12 o’clock.                                                                                      JAMES LUCKEY. A6-tf
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From the New York Tribune, November 1, 1849.
The Cholera in New York in 1849.
We have finally the Report of the Sanatory Committee of the Board of Health in relation to the Cholera as it prevailed in this City during the past Summer.
The Committee in opening their Report, observe that its issue has been considered essential not only as a record for future reference, but as Justification of some of the measures which they have felt themselves obliged to take in opposition to the
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remonstrances of many of their most respected valued fellow-citizens.
The Sanatory Committee were appointed by the Board of Health on the 16th of May last, and invested with the full powers of the Board.  Their first business was to associate with them sundry Medical Counsel.  The first case of Cholera was announced on the 14th of May, at the “Five Points” where several succeeding cased occurred.  The condition of that den of filth and iniquity at this time was quite sufficient to breed any epidemic of the most virulent character – much more to imbibe the seeds of infection when once prevalent in the atmosphere.  To separate the sick from this lazar-house (sic) was then of course the primary concern.  For this purpose, accordingly, a small two-story building at 127 Anthony st. was occupied as a temporary Hospital, and Dr. W. P. Buel appointed the Attending Physician.  To this place seven patients were conveyed – and the question of Hospital accommodations generally immediately came up.
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The Committee having arrived at their conclusions, the large three-story building known as “Monroe Hall” at the corner of Pearl and Centre sts was obtained and occupied on the 18th of May.  This building was in the neighborhood of the Five Points, but contained the advantages of air and elevation.  The two upper stories consisting of large halls were well calculated for the wards of the Hospital.  The building has since been known as the “Centre st Hospital.”  Here, all patients were immediately transferred from the temporary house in Anthony st. and the whole placed under the care of Dr. Buel.
On the 21st of May, the Sanatory Committee, in company with the Mayor and others, made a personal visit to the Five Points, and made no concealment of the truth.  Hence their report of it was bad enough.  The place itself is incapable of proper purification, and will continue to remain so until it is razed to the ground, filled up and suitably rebuilt.
General measures were now at once acted upon to meet the impending danger.  And in doing this, the Committee found several important facts which appeared to be well established, and which served as guides in their future course.  These were:
1st.  That the general cause of the disease appears to exist in the atmosphere.
2nd.  That in attacking individuals the disease generally gives notice of its approach by some preliminary symptoms.
3d.   That these symptoms are ordinarily under the control of medicine, and, being arrested, the further development of the disease is checked.
4th.   That the agency of various existing causes is generally necessary to develop the malady.  Among those, the principal are the existence of filth and imperfect ventilation, irregularities and imprudences in the mode of living, and mental disturbance.
With these facts and the purposes in view which were thence suggested, the Committee commenced  and continued their labors throughout the whole course of the Cholera.  They established Hospitals in such succession and in such parts of the City as the spread of the disease required, until the whole number amounted to FIVE.
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From the New York Tribune, June 5, 1850.
We now come to the Sixth Ward – the “Five Points” – the St. Giles, the Cite, of New York – the scene of more monstrous stories (at a distance) than any other spot in America and yet is not such an awful place, after all, except in great number of its low houses of ill-fame; there is a far dirtier ward up town, and as for its inequities, it has some fast growing competitors.  The Sixth Ward return shows 285 basements, 498 rooms, and 4,156 occupants – or less than 2 ½ in a room population, 19,343 – residents in cellars being 1 in 17.  At 8 Mulberry st. are 10 in 1 room; (this place, 9 and 10 Mulberry, two large five story houses, contains sixty-nine  families and three-hundred and fifty-seven persons;) 163 Anthony, rear, 9 in a room; 56 Centre, 20 in 5 rooms; a few instances of 5 in a room – but very rare, as may be seen by the aggregate.  The dirtiest part of the Sixth may be found in Elm from Pearl to Anthony, Centre from Pearl to Franklin, Cross from Centre to Mulberry, pearl from Cross to City Hall-place, Anthony from Broadway Theater to Orange, Leonard from Elm to Orange, from Chatham to Walker, and Bayard from Orange to Mulberry.   Of all the Wards which may be characterized as dirty, the Sixth is the least crowded with cellar population.  The population is probably two-thirds of foreign birth or children of foreigners, with a full sprinkling of blacks.
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©2003 The Composing Stack Inc. ©2003 Gregory J. Christiano