The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-12
For the Palladium,



City Prison.
There, Uncle Ben, you have list
gone and "sot" your foot right slap
in that little contemplate Jail for
City Prison. Publico most likely
knew when he wrote that article on
City Prison in the Independent, a few
days ago, that somebody would take
hold Of the bait and it might as
we'll be the editor of the "old Pal. as
anybody else, 50 far as the objects and
aims of Publico are concerned.
In an editorial in the Palladium of
last week, on City Prison, it is sug-
gested that the City Council negoti-
ate with the County Commissioners
for the purchase of the building on
the Court House Square, now used for
the county JAIL for City Prison.
This is no doubt the point which
Publico had in mind when he wrote
the article for the Independent. The
question now comes up. will the build
ing used now for county Jail, answer
for a City Prison, or can it be re-
nodded at small expense SO as to an
swer for one? The answer, when the
subject is carefully studied, will be
emphatically No! Let us look at
some of the statistical and sanitary
points connected with the require
ments for City Prison. In the first
place, the prison should have capac
ity to hold, at least, forty to sixty
prisoners. In the second place, it
ought to have more thorough system
Of ventilation than even a county Jail
or State prison, as persons who occu-
py it, are less clearly than those who
are confined in jails and penitentiaries.
The greatest number of persons ar
rested by the police force in the city
OF Richmond III one year was from
May LIST, 1871 to May LIST, 1872, Ed
ward Salter being Chief of Police.
Since then, the arrests have been on
an average nearly one hundred less
The number arrested that year amount
ed to 691, or more than ten times as
many as were committed to the county
Jail. The highest number of prisoners
confined in the City Prison at any
time was 81. Often 20, and very often
Is are confined in the calaboose at the
same time. A City Prison should
contain at least 1900 cubic feet for
each prisoner. Then a prison which
would hold 30 prisoners, should con-
tain at least At, 600 cubic feet which
would require a room 9Ox50 feet
square, and q ten feet story. Now,
for the city to purchase such thing
as that county Jail, to make a City
Prison out Of, would only be want Of
a knowledge of what was required.
There is really nothing in the Jail that
could be used for City Prison but
the brick. The cells are no account
for calaboosc, as there is no system
of ventilation to them; nor are they
the kind Of cells which are required
for City Prison.
The county Jail, which is now being
finished, is only calculated to hold
20 prisoners. The building is 36x45
feet square and 16 feet story, and al
lows l 200 cubic feet for each prisoner,
the smallest amount allowed by any
sanitary regulation upon such build
ings. When the city puts up a prison,
it should be one that will give charac-
ter to the place, and be of that dimen-
sion or size which will last for at least
fifty or one hundred years. There is
no use of putting up a building that
will have to be torn down or re-
nodded in five or ten years.
MORE ANON.
Our friend More Anon" pitches
into our article on the City Prison, in
which we suggested the purchase of
the little Jail on Court House Square,
out of the SAVINGS from other sources
therein suggested, as though the whole
matter had been settled. When pen
ming that article, We thought our COM
missioners would permit the Jail to
stand where it now is and be used by
the city. On making inquiry regard
ing it, we learn that the Commission
ers intend advertising and selling both
the present Sheriff's house and the
little Jail, to the highest bidder-the
purchaser obligating himself to move
TIE same; so that that suggestion
amounts to mix, and it would moi
relieve our people, even if they pur-
chased the materials at trifling cost
from being subjected to additional
debt by the erection of City Prison
elsewhere, using the material thus
purchased in its erection. Still, with
an eye single to this much needed i'm.
provement, we would urge the City
Council to curtail our citys expenses
in the way we suggested as we'll as il
every other way possible.
The dimensions of building hinted
at by our correspondent above, We
opine, would cost the city not less thar
from twenty to thirty thousand dol
lars; and we much fear if our city au
thorities accede to either our curtail
ing suggestions or wait until Publ
co.'s" out of-dcbt millinum dawns
that the fusty, fulsome, frouzy, foggy
foul, filthy calaboose, under the War
ner building, will have to be used fo1
some twenty years yet!
Looking at it through this procras
tinating telescope, and taking the i'm
portance Of City Prison into consid
Grafton, it is not too early to com
mence agitating the subject; hence
We give place to the sanitarial sug
gestings of our correspondent.
For the Palladium.