The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-12
THE SING SING PRISON.

| In the c0rrSe N TWO months, the ANIMAL Report
Of our State Prisoe inspectors will be published
1t is large octave concern of some $50 pages,
emznenty calculated 10 interest the staetcian and
bore the general public. With the view Of enligh.-
eniDg our ciizeno on the management of their con.
vict establishments saticipate the red-tapsts,
and present them with /, full description Of the
principal prison of she Stare those of Auburn ana
| Clinton being similsr to g, though on . smaller
| scale.
The name Sing Sing ia corrnpton OF the Indian
"Ossiusn,' sgnifying "a rocky place" VIXEN the
State bought the property 1t was called Mount
Pleasant but the char ged, doubtless, but
| the authorities should hs accused Of playing on
words The State draws considerable profit from
the quarries the estate Grace church is a speci
men of the geological prod,ce Of he vicinity, and
the prison itself is constructed from it.
The prison of Sing Sing ID composed of an irregu
lar of buildings, erected from time to time,
occasion required. visiters obtain the best view
of the establishment when descending the hills from
the village, or, the villagers are pleased to term
it, the town; said locality boastmg number Of
frame houses, ana four thousand inhabitants.
Strangers arrive at the Office of the prison before
being aware Of it; NO wall or ditch sur ,ouuds the
place. and nothing seems to cut off the establish
taken to prevent the escape of convicts armed men
posted about the rocks surrounding the prison.
and quite number of barrels can be brought to
bear on a fugitive from various points. Prisoners
aware of the arrangement, and there is necessa
riiy strong objection to run the gauntlet.
The Office is situated in a plain looking dwelling
house, the ground -four of which is given up to the
principal officers of the establishment there also
two three committee rooms for the use OF the
State Prison Inspectors. The Office proper consists
of two apartments in the outer one Of which two
three men and women may generally be seen wait
ing until permission is granted to see their prison
friends. The inner office is devoted mainly
to clerks and housekeeping and is the ordi
nary tocum hnens OF Mr.. Daniel Stewart, the very
complaisant principal keeper, who has the auto
cratiosl government Of the one thousand inmates OF
the prison.
The three Inspectors Messrs. N. Bowen, VII
liam A. Russell and Wesley Baily-came down
from Albany on Wednesday, and met together il
the evening: the only busess transacted was in
relation to additional inl.stands. Having unani-
mously concuned that the State OF New York could
supply them with two more of those articles il il
would, they finally determined that IL should aud
forthwith Adjourned one to his oun cum dignita,e
by the fire, and the two others to segais.
KEEPERS HALL.
On descending a staircase from the Office the
Keepers Hall If reached. This room is the head.
quarters Of the guards bulletin boald contains
the orders given from time TO time I, the keepers by
Mr. Stewart, and alongside il is an arrangement for
telling what GUARDS in the building at the time
being. There is also safe containing the twenty
keys. which lock up nightly the twenty c,rrdors in
which are situated the cells Of the convicts, key
locking fifty. AT night time there four keepers
duty; two in the keepers room--the others look.
ing after the prisoner, with whom they locked
Should thing occur during the night, such a.
prisoner being taken i'll or becoming uDruly tho
guaros communicate with their two mates by means
Of bole in the wall, and the key they require Ia
handed 10 them. IL the prisoners Of the corridor
IN question should revolt their cells being
opened. they are nevertheless unable To leave the
main building. ard are "a much prisoners as ever.
CELLS.
A short passage leads from the Keepers h,u to
the tdfce containing the cells This building Is the
feature Of Sing Sing, and IL constructed az to
render escape almost impossible. The walls are FIVE
hundred feet in length and four feet thick, OF solid
stone. Five hundred cells, arranged In five tiers,
fsce each wall, running the length of the building,
so that one keeper has perfect view before him of
what may occur requiring his attention. passage
way divides the centre OF the buildings thus The two
officers ON duty can communicate with each other
without quitting their reconnaissance Of the cells on
either side. Men have lately been engaged putting
in iron pipes for warming the edice with steam; the
building being entirely Of stone and ut present
ly watmed by few stoves, the cells not
Portable az they might he; but each convict has for
blankets TO make ancuds for the absence of caoric.
Mr. William Beardsley, the Agent and Warden, has
superntended the above arrangement and hoped tn
complete 1t the past week. The building Is well
lighted With gas outside the cells, that prisoners
read when they retire for the night; but the
light IN diminishs d about nine o'clock. leaving only
sufi :ient for the keepers 10 see what is going on.
"A former convict received his pardon for the in
vention OF a peculiar 10 X which closes fifty cells
at once. An immense iron bar 2i0 feet in length,
Is propelled by crank, which, when driven home Is
secured by lock and key. IL would be an utter i'm
possibility TO raise this bolt from the inside. The
cells just large enough for the purpose required,
and merely contain bed, which, during the day, Is
fastened up against the wall. and being let down ut
night, allows only sufficient room 70 pass. Two feet
wide Of sleeping arran gemont obviatcs the possi-
bihty Of much rolling. and must be poor accommo-
dation to those brcusht up IN luxury. The entire
edfce is whitewashed throughout two three
times weekly, by the convicts and in a respects is
well ventilated and healthy.
THE HOSPITAL.
An Iron tunnel leads from the cells to the hospital.
The devoted to the sick IL capacious and lofty
the roof IL arched and perforated. as to ensure
free currents OF air. small chamber Is we'll
well stocked with drugs and chemicals. and the
opposite side is the hospital kitchen The pharmacy
is tended by two convicts, one Of whom-s young
German surreon-was arrested the second week OF
his arrival IN New York, for having counterfeit
notes In conversation with one OF the State in
spectors, he stated he had been engaged In the
Prussisn and French naval services, and finally en-
gagged himself on board Liverpool enigrsnt ship,
bound 10 this port. lie accounted for the shin
plasters by stating that his landlord had given
them TO him, and that be was sentenced there
upon TO sing Sing. The other dispenser, a
well educated and apparently gentlemany
man, lately performed a surgical operation
on q convict, IN q very successful manner. The
prisoner in questioD had had his lett thumb dragged
of by machinery in OF the shops: the bone was
torn away from the second issnt laceatng the mus
cles and pulling out the tendons half way up TO the
elbow. The young convict drugg At amputsted tho
bone below the joint, took up the arteries, and
brought the muscles together, and the patient was
progressing very favorably when saw him. Full
sets ct instruments for performng every kind OF
surgical operation shown Us, aud everything in
admirable order.
The nniinaru aenartrnnnt Of the hnsnital Is ar