The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-06-05

VI. d.. It. IS
ditable to him.
THE ALMsHoUsE.
We next proceeded to the Almshouse, and were
conducted through this department by Mr.. Fitch
the courteous and attentive warden Here there arc
over one thousand inmates. male and female The
general condition of the establishment manfess The
skill and care of its warden. The health of the in.
mates is unusually good and several improvement
are being made about the house. The principal one
Is the removal of the old wooden and decayed
piazzas, and the erection of iron ones instead The
former were not only useless but dangerous. Under
the supervision of Mr. Fitch the grounds have been
beautfed, a new barn, and a new cato house and
fences erected, (which add greatly to the appearance
OF the institution; but there are other improvements
which think the sagacity of this officer will be
directed to. We allude particularly to those I'M
slightly houses that oyerhang the river on tho
western side, and mar the beauty of the scene
they should be removed without delay, and sewers
could be built through which the water from the
river would lave, and better suit the purposes
for which those wooden perches arc now used
A wasbhouse is also badly wanted, as we perceive
the cook house for the female department is used as
a laundry, and the cooking for the males and fe-
males, who sometimes amount to 400, is obliged
to be done in one kitchen On entering the Sleep
ing apartments, the same undertaking neatness
which we noticed in the Penitentiary is here cb-
served. The bedsteads are all iron, and the beds
and clothing neat and comfortable. There are some
curious characters amongst the inmates, who labor
under different hallucinatons yet are perfectly
harmless in their manner. A Miss Hall, who has
been in the institution nearly sixteen years. is la
boring under the deluson that she is possessed Of
immense wealth, and thinks it very strange that
Mr.. Fitch will not let her 60 to the bank to draw
some money. She exhibited to us several checks
for 100000 each-drawn by the officers of the
Aims House for her amusement-and solicited our
interference with the warden to permit her to go to
Wall street, lest the bank should fail and she should
lose all her money. She preserves the checks with
the greatest care, and each. day she is promised
that she shall be let out the next, and then the
inventive imagination Of the humane warden con-
jures up some new excuse. There are twenty. four
female wards, and each is attended by nurse
The sewing room, of which Miss Brown is the super
intendent, is admirably conducted, and number of
females are here constantly employed. Last week,
one dozen shirts, three dozen bed spreads, four
dozen bed ticks, three dozen chemises, two dozen
pairs mems socks, and one and half dozen pairs of
demins shirts, were made in this department
Nearly four ffths of the inmates Of this establish
ment Germans and Irish. Amongst the males
is Ezekiel Fowler who quartermaster in the
American army, and pulled the aft oar Of the boat
that took Commodore Perry from the Lawrence to
the Niagara, on the lakes in the war of 1872. He
has pension of $50 year, and yet is inmate Of
the Aims House.
BY the last weeks report from the books which
skifully kept by Mr.. Ahearn, the Register Clerk
we find the following tabe:-