"The limited water supply in many cities contributed to the spread of fires. Major fires occurred in almost every large American city during the Industrial Era. In addition to lacking water with which to combatblazes, most cities were packed with wooden dwellings, which were like kindlingwaiting to be ignited. The use of candles and kerosene heaters also posed a fire hazard." | arrow_right_alt | |
"As the urban population increased, working-class families in cities had two housing options. They could either buy a house on the outskirts of town, where they would face transportation problems, or rent cramped rooms in a boardinghouse in the central city. Boarding houses were poorly kept, and exteriors of the buildings were unsightly." | arrow_right_alt | |
"During this time, as the populations of cities increased, so did the homeless population, and pickpockets and thieves flourished. Although New York City organized the first full-time, salaried police force in 1844, it and most other city law enforcement units were too small to have much impact on crime." | arrow_right_alt | |
"As the cities grew, so did the challenge of keeping them clean. Horse manure piled up on the streets, sewage flowed through open gutters, and factories spewed foul smoke into the air." | arrow_right_alt | |
"After working-class families left the central city, immigrants often took over their old housing, sometimes with two or three families occupying a one-family residence. These multifamily urban dwellings, called tenements, were overcrowded and unsanitary." | arrow_right_alt | |
"Without dependable trash collection, people dumped their garbage on the streets. Since garbage was picked up infrequently, people sometimes dumped it into the air shafts, where it attracted vermin. To keep out the stench, residents nailed windows shut." | arrow_right_alt | |
