The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-08-07

Manhattan Ut the foot Of Sixty hrst street s island
long known and admired BY tho Oldest inhabitants Of
this city for is beautiful and charming location This
Island occupies about the centre Of the river extend
ing UP the river two miles and In width say the
widest part four hundred yards. The soil on ths
islands avery sandy and poor quality large
quantity Of manure to produce anything like cultivs
ton The principal part Of the island Is rock, or In
fact We may cay that is nothing but bed of rock
ned up and covered with sand by the washing of the
iast few centuries Of the ocean around Long Island
and Manhattan, which Is the great city Of New
York.
This island formerly owned by q Mr. Blackwell
who for \ number OF years. resided thereon, and thus
the origin Of the name Blackwels Island On the
demise Of Mr. Blackwell, the corporation purchased
the property In 1928 for the of ss2 $780, from the
widow, for the purpose Of establishing a military
thereon. quarry was opened and tho centre OF
the Island prison erected principally by the labor
OF convicts and every Iyear since, improvements
have been added IL aims three splendid uld
ingsths Penitentiary, tho Lunatie Asylum, and tho
Poor House another will also, be added to the
number, that is, a magnificent Hospital, built Of tho
stone quarried on the island il IL now nearly
story above ground AID Is to be finished next summer
The internal arrangements and management OF the
renientiay for the last few year. have however been
much neglected. but late visit perceived at
nagement of the convictS the cleanliness OF the pr
This has been effected by udcious selection by
the Ten Governors Of a suitable man, a, Warden or
head keeper, to fill this responsible situation.
MIR Joseph Keen is the man til us appointed; he was
keeper Of the Island In 1887 and is therefore
hand ut the business Since the LIST Of June, Mr. Keen
has been engaged with large number OF conviots,
cleaning the prison csrting off load after load OF lime
wash and dirt The stones in the cells aud along the
outside OF the cells covered several inches thick
with lime and dirt. Many other improvements, OF
huA
LIST of June which have greatly added to the health OF
the copvcts
The north wing Of the prison contains $50 cells ap-
propriatsd for male convcs and tho south wing 2to
cells for the female convicts The centre OF this build
Ing the residence Of the Warden, or head keeper and
his deputies, with the exception Of the upper room,
which is now occupied as hospital and will be- pos
sby until the hospital under process, Of building,
IL finished In the female portion Of the prison We saw,
in large hundred women vt work. max
ing shirts and petticoats for the Of the establish
mext all locking very tidy and clean An incident
took place here that created quite merrmens among
all present. As entered the room short,
aeshy, little woman, by the nome Of Kate Bracket,
up to where We we're standing and With tears in
her and caspcd hands impored our interpositon
with the magistrates. or Recorder ramadgs for her
discharge from the Island she said she surely would
die II she remained there any longer having been
there months and IL she there any longer she
whep she went TO bed she expected to be be-
fore morning. Quite q laugh created by the
mind u the keeper that she would certainly die IL she
was not liberated from prison. From the female
department. We visited the hospital, situated In
the upper ROOM the centre main building.
In this room possibly one hundred men ly-
ing iron bedsteads; some In the last stages Of dis
Among this number we observed Edward Green
wood under sentence OF three years from the United
States Court convicted Of killing the mate Of the
schooner Col Taylor. This lying In bed,
scarcely able to lit his head pale and emacsed, sp
pareny In the last stage OF consumption from mental
agony ON the other side of the room were two cases
Of cholera in the last stage Of colapse the other
under immediate treatment. This room presented
awful picture Of the follies and vices Of human
ht.h II 10
cholera hospital located long frame shanty the
wet ride Of the Island. Here picture, indeed.
entered long room. The windows and doors all
thrown open, TO allow free passage Of air. In this
some thirty forty, In each Of which was female,
laboriDg under the prevailing cholera epidemic. Some
recovering and others in the last stage OF
collapse On the first glance into tbs room, we were
struck with the novel appearance Of the fans used by
the patients to keep of the flies and mosquitoes Each
supplied with green bush, which they kept waving
backward and forward aud others who feeble,
famed by other prisoners, deputed as nurses
This singular appearance together with the nournful
ing under cramps told the observer at snee the
frailty OF poor human nature In many OF these un-
fortunate females traces Of former personal beauty
could be We visited long shanty, occupied
by large number Of females who were engaged in
use which ar. made much stronger and better
than those that are purchased. Among these pri-
soners several old women possibly near seventy
years Of age. One called Granny Waterford,
aud the other Granny Benson. These poor old crea-
lures have the Island. having been
sent by the magistrates asyagrants originally for six
months, but still remain the Island they have
home. means Of obtaining living, If they
discharged from the Island Such at subjects
for the Poor House, and ought, should suppose be
transferred to that department Tho veneresl Hos
ptal IL the largest at present the Island containing
average between $50 and 200 female patients all
the time. The Small Pox Hospital Is u long frame
shanty situated on the east side Of the Island con-
tanning some 80 patients two three in addi-
tIon to that maady were attacked with cholera All
these patients are under the immediate care OF DIR.
I.lIx he nh VIII trqaf imam ma
management In the relief Of these unfortunate
| lures. does him infinite credit
The water the Island IL not to OF the best qua
lily but the Doctor, partic ular occasions has
culisr way Of preparing It, which makes 1t equal not
supersr, t. the pure Croton The Doctor informed
that niue cases out OF ten, where thschsera proved
fatal those whose constitutions had been broken
by disspated habits and likewise, the great antipahy
exhibited by the prisoners being placed in the hos
pta was sucb that instead Of making known the hrst
symptoms Of tho disease In order that the remedy
might te eGectusy applied they will go several days,
until they completely prostrated and then the dis
has lar taken possession Of the system that all
the remedies ars Of no avail.
Dr. KrLlr appears to have every part OF the hospi-
tails in the most perfect order with the aid OF Mr.
tally the Island would be much greater We passed
from the ply sicsns Office TO the stone quarry, where
.ey.ra gang Of employed daily In hesing
ces Of granite, very handsome stone aud fetches at
the dock readily 81 so per ton, for building purposes
Just A. we arrived at the quarry blast had exploded
throwing on At least so tons Pieces split ssunder
apparently a. large asa two story house. IL was as
From this quarry Nlr Keen has laid railroad the
dock for the cay transportation Of the stone Pre-
viously, however, to MIR Keen's sppoistment, this
process done by yoke Of oxen-a very slow and
tedious procest-but nov double the quantity be
conveyed In less than half the time, aud at half the
expense. Accidents sometimes in the blasting
VI the rock premature blast took place few weeks
since. which struck Mr. Geo. & Harsin Of the de-
putty keepers blowing the gunporder into his face and
bands In tenibe manner. Luckily. however, IL did
not destroy his eyeight Although seriously wounded
he is now out 81 danger and will
On looking into the carpenters shop. noticed
large number Of convicts employed In making pine
cofbs In this work the demand Is much larger than
they supply. Many u these convicts have been
taken with the epidemic, and buried in their
nufsctur,d coffin
The agriculture 81 tho Island IL very poor and has
been for years past The soil Is sandy aud poor,
requiring large quantity % manure. Then, again,
the rats numerous that corn and grain is de-
youred by them either while under ground, or just
u makes its appearance ON the surface.
One Of the principal objects which takes the ere
lsncirr the issnd near the Office, IL splendid
esgle which IL OF the largest Kind and appears
he yer init Astonishing witness with