Autumn in New York may be inviting to most visitors to the city, but the approach of winter is ominous for the transients inhabiting a fourth-floor walk-up on the Bowery. In the heat of summer, a few at least are able to sleep on the fire escapes and the roof of the building--avoiding for a moment the circle of hell they have been assigned. The cramped and airless space within is subdivided into 32 cubicles doled out to at least 100 men. The stink of sweat, unwashed clothing, old shoes and garbage suffuses the narrow makeshift corridors. Cooking noises mingle with...
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