The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-12
THE MOUNTAIN
vosr REM4RKADLE or ALL
81" oyp PENAL INSTITUTIONS.

ss,.nrcts Seeded Reforms.
.o,, fbe mountains in the extreme
,..,,,,r corner - the State - New York |
,.o.,d clinton Prison, the smallest Of tho |
=. ,,,sI is.fuiious under Stitc control. |
-, .n.,fe RESPECTS much the most w eresting |
n.,f.rr,I n visitor. II - Nv no means easy |
go. tn u ,nucnara, the little town or hamlet
81, has Strung up around tbs prison gate.
N, ,,,et4 WIS # cars and boats. throulh many
a. a1.oyuuccs and vox uious. one gets To
r,usb,rt rlcncc one must drive sixteen
ID. 4, r,acn D0nncmara. This compare
,.s ,p eco. .,biity is the real reason whv CON
.,cts dread C'inton PRISON more than either Au-
-, sion, sing. They IKE tn see their friends
.owondtr.n: 10 feel That they are within easv
,ftr,,r f,rmcr homes. and not that they
,a,,,.,l, .liy cxilrd. Hence the constant ne
- team, or. soacr, here ~ the Inspcctors for
-, =, the other prisons. Bnt the disci-
-, h.r. i nor. us n has often been rcore-
,,,d hv surh rcttioncrs, more severe than
,.,,r. In 4lm, resp ct' IL ~ even more In
,,,eut u,.c.slr.N 80 from the character OF
an. ,pdus,iIcs Zoo " ich the men are employed,
.,d though t0cir work may he harder II u GER
,,ly better G lculatcd Or the DEVELOPMENT Of
~ha,.ver IN mood the mon may posse "a th IN
.,e as,h pctiy aNuc .uuns rs shoemaktnS anu
shrt irolint
Clinton Irl.onts situated upon the side Of a
mountain. Nrtotc 10 lies pretty little valley
shut IN on ever. side by mountains, the rugged
ou,l,ne. of VOch are at THIS season softened by
sen.e f,i ~ ~ varied hues. Bat In winter
,,ne mi. must be very bleak and chcc.less
vn.psct. Ten thousand acres Of Land In the
Lnmcdi it.vc.uity are the property ~ the state.
Tucnt-n,e acres are enclosed for prison pur-
nr.es b, a -t.c, de of heavy planks twenty
teet M laicrf. and upon ths wall. A. ten pnints,
80 n,.f,t hook out atoms. where ga rds 1T
iii d. iour with rep .ating Winchester rifles In
tneir nuds. rcNuvers In their belts, ana liadei
m skst. br tner sides. 10 irus rae any bnld
tnhcav.rs ~ escape. When the OH log stock 'le
- 81 udinr. uri-ou not irfrequ'n " m ~
A,,d 60 snn up 20 the top, ar over On VIC
euf,r side. and escape To- he Forest. lNli the
smooth N n,e are much more Il IN 'ult
20 clint. and few make t'e a temni'
U.sidrs. ca Z lIorwctth, serseaft ~ the "a ri,
has aw kei ed pirit OF cnllatior Ia marNs-
uanSrin anon us men, ana ire cNhNlctS
tur,ilv ar. shy ~ temptng toward them
selves the demonstration OF such skill ~ tue
fualds frequently display m their TARGET urac-
uce. Even hound = risoner re.ch the woods
lie NAV nave the luck TO fall IN WIKI some
Rfenrn & nYdi n woodchoopprs, or chuc nj
borne p. me-. riy all e wnom InstinctVely SYM
pathze win a criminal IN his ~ sl"ns OF pun
enmcnf, amt tueX IN v nillt INN out OF tue
NJ peg Of the forp-t by 'ihthlne paths known
sny ~ themselves. 80 th9t ne NAV tta'h tah.
al! or some route - The West. But should ne
Niss such fu molly aid, ne will b. IL o" tu
wander tbout m the dcuse forest until nfinrer
drives him hack ,tnc PRISON. until somebody
packs hitn up FOR the sake II the reward fur lis
Ic- pture. ur until sneer accident oungs him
bark to Ms point Of departure.
IL Il related that up ~ one occhsiou' SOME
nnnths ago, a coutl' - conVlct-. VINO or" 'V
themselves In the mig mime until ~ cr dark
NJ n eei TO ct over the wall aud struck ou|
into the forest. They tr yelled b ri al ngnt
thruugh close thickrts aud over rock ana II
therrly heht of morning found themselves Jus
b-ncatn the PRISON " ", h " NJ struggled ION.
those weary hours. In shcer disgust the
stumbled around to tue gate anu vol .nt~tll
gave themselves up.
PRISON MINING.
The distinctive peculiarl y aDout this prison
- that II II tue only one la this couniry-"r, IA
deed. with single exception, In tue world
wherein the mining and manuf cture Of iron !
carried on. WITHIN the PRISON walls are noN
two mines. one belonging u Messrs. atson
"a. ot PlattsJurs-to whom the state pays &
ROYALTY Ol one doll r per ton on all separated
ore ON 1.-THE other belonging To the ;. al
eIcius Veiy. The first Of these n been worked
win var,i " regularity for fifteen years past
In 1859 the owners wing de .nanden an in
crease ~ their royalty from seventy-hve cent
"a one dollar per ION, winch the prison autnoIi
ties refused TO pay, the NINE was permitted 4
II INTO d-iise ana I'LL up with water. 20 tina
vnen, IN 1871. under new regime, its reworkin
was detel mined uuon, three months stead
pImping were required to empty IL sufhcienti
u permit If the resumption OF mininl opera
tIons. 80 RAPID ana constant IA the inh,trltioi
Of water. up 20 the present uihe' IN an elgn1
horsr power steam engine Is kept at work. dl
AMI nilnt, running the pumps IN tnls ma 70
new mines, yet in one part vt the old mine IN
aood u six feet Ia depth, ana sometimes lI
greases To ten.
40 enter the old mine, one descenls by a rug
red an ire IcnerOus pain INTO "A pit some thlrt
feet N depth, aud not less than eigniy Feet 4
diameter at the top. In the rlue OF thlS vi
Tow Iri the mount In opens the mine. IL eem
an enormous cavern. Tue sides are hundred
feet np n. the roof thirty feet In height, an
the Length ( this great excavation somethl
more tuan fourteen hundred fert mug
columns OF ore and rock are left To seaport In
roof he dropping and plisnins OF water in "a,
machinery, the b lliOw echoes OF voices atar VI
He depths, oil have mourntul enrct. 10
gloon % the distance Is necked uy the little re-
hgrts Of the miners lamps, fitting TO and fr
not seemingly larger than giowwormsi ana q
unce tam in their Illumination. At certai
hUurs III sts are fired, and the echoes are M
rapidly reueat'd thunder, or the successive ui
shircrs Of number ot Ia ge cannon: me slI
sold ana damp, nut pure. having nothinS OF u
sio-enees pertaining To such mines a. are wor
ed by snafts, DRIFT. and gdlleries-a coal Or
silver mine Tor Instance.
ELEvATISG LABOR.
All the men working here convicts, b
one cannot but be Impressed, at slghs ol tue
ami of their fellows Ia the mills, with the IA
that such Dor as that IN when they are ne
employed has mad a subtle eject IN eeValll
then in the scale Of manhood. IL has hatdeh'
their muscles, imDued them with conscion
Hess OF IN soullnltV, taught them ny thelf co
hIct with the sullsn inertia OF nature resl-
ance to mans forts mucn more OF seli-fellan
and ei.ue-tuess OF honest, vigorous purpu
IN an ia, ir previous lives h known. As y
meet them, they look you sduareiy IN the eN
not fu iveiy gancing at YOU w,th ihe luIki.
Gnehking. evil look wnicn YOU Will encounter
every step in the Slng Sing launury and 10
the Idle villains q. Auburn. lntre can he
doubt that II improves mems M rails u oecot
strong by honest toll, even n That gam
Areugth ne UPON com ulsOn.
lhe new Uine enters the mountain at abo
the same depth Us the cid one, b L Il a.
amal In comnarisl N, only penetrating sol
hnety or hundred feet AltnOuRn the Two
FIae by side, the char. cter OF the IRON WIN
they Yield Is very different, and Jndlco
bending ~ tho two produces an ex 'e'le
quality Of metal Somewhat snort when nor
wnen cold exceedingly tough. cold Z
seVeu-cighths OF an lncn In diameter Was
presence al the writer, nent almost double "a
bent back in the reverse direction hlli doI
time without the slightest san OF lrhctu
llost u tue iron made here u mbnufdclul
Into nall, there being fur,Y two nail NAOMI
W one depnr, ment Of the works, bu- "a very CO
slider lie portion Of the twenty four tons
diem tul ned out Is also converted into sht
bar, and rod iron During the eighteen mon
last past-that IL, since the new niue mas III
opened the Qu NY Ot iron has been very M
better Lhan during the seven or eight years I
vious and II "A little more care he exerolset
freeing the blooms from Stag there can De
question tut tuat the iron from thhtun Pm
will be ranked amOnk the huest that our co
try anordi.
The Oie AS taken from the mines Ia first roS
cd In three huge kilns, thence ~ passed tnrOl
an eighteen stamp mil, separated by wa
from the rock, ana when dry j. melted m ct
90 | fu naces, h .mmered INTO blooms bene
q huge tTip-hammer, anu finally shaped "a
sired ~ the rolls. From sixty to eighty men
constantly employed in these mills ana red