Tenement Inspectors

I am in my apartment and I see inspectors knocking on my neighbor’s door and I follow them in.  I noticed the inspector being patient listening to my neighbor and respected her home and her.   The first question they ask is if you have a pile of rags on the ground.  She answers no so they checked  and she was right.I saw the inspector check the P for pass.  The second question they asked was that if her chamber pot that holds the pee and poo are full and she says yes because she has a baby and at night time she goes in it and in the morning she always throws it out.  Then why did you not throw it out today because I didn’t have time.  Another question they asked if they had old wall paper that had  animals living in there and she says no.  The final question that I heard because I had to go get groceries was that if you had windows in each room leading into the street.  She answers no.  Thank you for your time we will be back in a month.  To check it again to make sure changes were made to the areas that  did not pass.

 

letter back home

Dear George,                                               June 22, 1906

Thank you so much for writing back.  I’m glad to hear that things are better in Ireland like the potatoes got better and you can eat them since I left.  In America it is not so good let me tell you about it.  My living conditions are really bad.  For example we have now windows looking out into the street, the bathrooms are outside so if it is cold out you would still need to go outside.  We also have no running water in our house.  My street address is 154 Orchard street.  I live with my mom, dad and my sister.  My apartment is not a sweatshop.  A sweatshop is where you make things from home and sell it. For example you make garments and clothing.  The room is very small and it is cramp and it is stifling.  Even though my dad is a bucher and owns one we still have to take in boarders because my family is poor so we don’t have enough money to pay the rent.  Boarders are people that live with you but are not related to you.  When the tenement inspectors came to our home and looked for windows.  We passed the inspections so they said we’ll see you next time. Which will be in one month.  The tenements change because of the laws.  One law was that tenements had to have a window looking out at the street.  Another law  is that each floor had to have two bathrooms.  We are hoping that the laws will make our living easier.

 

Sincerely,

 

Patrick Hall

 

 

P.S. Hope you are well.  I miss you.  You are still my best friend by far.

 

P.P.S  I hate my teacher she is so mean.  For example she doesn’t let us have free time and if we mess up then we have to write words 100 times in your notebook.  I wish you could be here with me.  I miss you so much.