Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-01-30

NEW PENITENTIARy.
Mt. PLEAsAHT.l
Jan. rs, 1879
Eos. CouRrxR sin yonr issue Of the
goth, l saw q letter from the Hon.
John Morrison, OF Keokuk county,
formerly State Senator, who, as he
states RISES to captain the part he took
in making the report that caused bill
to be passed at tho last General As
sc'ably, appropriating sixty-fve thous-
and dollars Of the.tax-payers Of Iowa's
money, to start 3 new penitentiary,
that will cost not less, when completed
than three to five hundred thousand
dollars, which I claim, and am pre-.
pared to prove, 10 . useless cxpendi-
ture of tho peoples money at the pres
cnt time.
stated In my letter published In
the COURIER and other papers through
the State, that there was ample room
in the Old Penitentiary for all tho
prisoners that would bo brought to
the Penitentiary, and that the contract
ors wero anxious to employ oil that
came in the prison. The Honorable
gentleman, from Keokuk county, sage:
Il do not wish to use any harsh terms
in alluding to these statements, but
Col. Root has either allowed himself
to be greatly lnisled or Is publishing .
a known and malicious falsehoOd.
Again, he Root, says he can prove to
the Governor and Legislature, that the
building of Now Penitentiary, 10 q
useless expenditure of the peoples
money that the old one can be en-
larged at moderate expenditure, to
years." This the Honorable John de-
MES, aud quotes the language of the
report of the Visiting Committee, Of
which he, himself was chairman, and
approved. In concluding, the Honor
able John states that in regard to pur-
chasing the quarries at Anam0sa and
the expenditure there he knows moth.
ing and takes no responsibility, but If
there is no moro Truth in the charges OF
misappropriating there, than there is
in the other, then the whole story is q
malicious concoction for sinister pur-
poses.
Now, sire, lets see who has allowed
themselves to be misled, or is publish
ing a malicious falsehood, the Hon.
John Morrison or Col. Root. Wishing
to take up as little space as possible, In
your paper, to reply to the Honorable
gentlemen, I give below extracts from
statement made by DR. s. IL. Craig,
the Warden, to acommittce of citizens
of Lee county, consisting of the Hon.
John Vanvalkenburg, John C. Atlee
and Hon. james Pollard, who were
appointed at q mass meeting Of the cit
izens, held at TT. Madison, December
18th, 1872, only little ovcr month
ago. a
STATEMENT OF DIR. :. h. CRAIG.
! Gentlemen have the honor to ae
knowledge the receipt Of your letter
of December 14th, 1872, in which you,
| in discharge or your duty as q COM
mittce appointed by the citizens Of
this city, in mass convention assem-
bled, PROFOUND and solicit specific an
swcr to number Of interrogations.
In compliance with your requeft,
aud in order to give You full and COM
pletc information, I have made dill.
gent search among the books and
| records of this institution, but regret
that they are too incomplete and I'M
satisfactory, particularly in the finan.
cial department, to give positive
replies to several of your enquiries.
QUESTIONS by COMMITTEE What
has been the annual increase of prison.
ers since its establishment
ANS. The best information I am
able. to obtain, show that for the past
fifteen years, the annual increase has
averaged a fraction over fourteen (14),
but for the past two years there has
been considerable OF q decrease.
QuEs. What number Of convicts
can you now accommodate
ANS. There are 3l8 cells completed
and furnished with little trouble and
cost, 60 moro cells can be added in
part of the cell house already built,
which part is occupied by the Deputy
Warden the number OF convicts that
can there be accommodated ecith0ut en-
larging, is over four (4OW hundred.
QuEs.-What is the number of State
convicts now confined in the prison7
ANs.--Two hundred (244) forty.four.
QuEs.-How many tiers Of cells are
there now, and how inany cells in each
tier?
Ass.-There arc three 81 tiers Of
cells and one hundred and six in each
tier.
Qurs.- What addition ofroom would
be gained BY raising the cells to the
nsual highth? ~ ~
ANs.-This would make six hundred
and thirty $3.50 cells in all. consider,
however, that for the neat ten years or
lo,ager, the present accommodations,
with the addition of 60 cells spoken Of
in answer to interrogatory i've, will be
sufficient.
QuEs-What IL the capacity Of the
workshops within tho prison walls7
ANs.-Including the shops recently
built, there IL over 10000 square feet
of shop-room, and allowing ten feet
square to each man, would be sufficient
room for over 400 men.
add q detailed statement of the diff
ferent shops, their size, the number Of
men at present employed therein, and
their capacity. sa
No. What usedfor. SIZE. s MHmSn Capacity
!. Cooper shop l0!x40 20
2. Chair DO t04x40 - 20
g. Saw DO I00xA0 Ii AIS 4t 40 Z
8. Agr1ture shop lo9x40s Is 10
& Hammer do O0x40 % IS
O. Wood do 00x10 10 AS
7. blacksmith shop 60x40 IL $50 70
3. Polishing do 60x40' IS IS
9. Foundry ~ B0I40 3kf rs
10. Machine shop S8x40 is 90
IL Unoccupied ie0x22 IS
IL TAtlOyB, &c. R0x13 unOccup{ed IS