The New York herald., 1875-12-26

who are NOT Iresbyterians 20 receIve = clergyman
named by the State Legislature the general govern
ment than by an irresponsible committee OF prison
directors IKE that which has named Mr.. Canneld 70
ONCE 70 the exclusion Of clergymen OF all other de-
nominations
Before leaving the chapel the writer's attention
called TO good looking lad Of fourteen years,
'sTHE YOUNGEST SING,
who was suffering long penalty for the crime Of grand
larceny. Near him was Professor -, former
well known musician or this city, who was expiang
the illegal offence Eliminating another mans signature
THE WORKSHOPS
Passing from the chapel, the next visit was 70 the
cabinet furniture mandatory. This is in the west
wing OF the building, which terminates the
II comprises three oors, in each Of which there Is
complete set OF tools proper for the work carried
there. The first floor contains the cutting department.
the second the assembling and the third the finish
ing rooms On the first floor were a saw mill planning
morticing, boring and mitreing machines, all worked
by thirty eight convicts under the lynx eve Of off
GER The work was cut out the FIRST floor and sent by
an elevator 70 be assembled on the second Here
all sorts Of bureaus beds SOFAS chairs, lounges ard
other numerous articles of household furniture might
be the rough state; the various operations Of
shaping, assembling joining, sand -paperng, &c.,
done by ory-sx prisoners, also under the super
vision OF an officer In this rough condition the pieces
OF furniture we're sent up by the elevator 10 the third
or finishing floor Here the officer in charge had TWEEN
ty-hve men under him. these busly occupied in
vanishing, polishing painting and otherwise finishing
the work which had passed through rough processes
below. The top noor is also used as packing room,
where the iurnture in sets separate pieces, is put
into conveniently shaped packages for transportation
TO New York and other markets
LAUNDRY
States-one Of the best indeed TO be found any where
is that Sing Sing Prison. II employs the separate
operations Of washing drying starchins and ironing
no less than 2l4 men, fortyhye horse power engine
the rst floor furnishes the power which moves the
machines for washing wringing and steam
the clothes Tho washer consists OF foot
drum wheel with four compartments having side open
ings into them These commitments are charged With
given number OF dozens OF pieces each and by the
circular motion OF the drum round its axis the pieces
are, il were churned clean The clothes passed
through steam wringer and 60 TO the third floor,
where they are placed in closed, steam heated com
partments, where they dried TO a crisp at tenn
perature which sometimes reaches l65 degrees of Fab
renheit From the drying room the ''starchng pecesn
60 down again TO the FIRST floor where they stached
by very ingenously contrived starching machine,
which gives more equal distribution Of the stGenng
matter than could be applied by hand The garments
sent TO the ironing tables OF which there are
dozens both the first and second floors The
furnaces erected in each room for heating the vans
are complete specimens OF Yankee inventiveness, and
the constantly dropping shower OF huds OF the iron
the ironing boards sounds ODDLY strange TO the
which hears 1t for the first time Each convict
from nine to twelve and sometimes sixteen dozen shirts
day. This mammoth laundry, which takes ia wash
ing' from New York and the neighboring towns about
Sing Sing turns out frequently 800 dozen OF pieces
single day
TEE RLAcKsnrH's SHOP
At the back OF the laundry In long building which
runs parallel to IL and to the cabinet factory Ia the
backsmith's shop Here there twenty-four forges
in full blast employing thirty men to attend them All
of iron work is done here and the potent blows
Of the steam hammer almost shake tho edidce TO its
foundation.
a
STEP and in the latter place may be all the mpe
ments accessories moulding frames furnaces, nc,
necessary to do every kind Of job in iron brass
founding.
THE s'BucKLE SHOP"
Is ad djoining the blacksmith Thirty engaged
IN the various details OF buckle making and the
structon OF all kinds Of harness irons Back from the
buckle factory is machine shop, fitted up with iron
planning, drilling, punching and cutting athes,
chimes and engines In this shop all the repairs 10
machinery belonging 10 the State done The ma
chinery s driven by steam power Thirty-two men
pnrlfy tha him ghnp aud fnt nina
in the bufnng Twenty-Five
engaged in the packing room of the buckle and
saddlery manufacturing departments Messrs Samay,
rhompkns Co. are contractors for the convict labor
necessary to run the backsmhs buckle machine and
manufacturing shops generally 1t Is claimed that they
have capital OF nearly $l00 600 embarked in the busi
ness. One OF the partners, Mr. Hydin, claims TO be
for than forty years engaged in the business OF
contracting for convict labor The present contract
cupes 16o all the departments OF their saddery
and hardware manufacturing business The convicts
work from six to seven hours daily, and the State
ceives remuneration for them at rates varying from
forty 10 fifty cents per Little is being done
in the shoe shop the contractor recently died and
new agreement has yet been entered into with any other
firm.
Besides the branches OF labor above mentioned
large number Of prisoners engaged in lime burning
and the manufacture OF marble dust used in the hard
finish plastering Of houses. new lime kiln has re-
Gently been erected which turns 500 barrels of lime
per day
In the library are some 900 volumes of misceane
ous books but the most OF them must have been out
among the conviets, as the writer long rows Of
empty shelves, with here and there
H STACK or KING JAMES BIBLES,
and few hymn books scattered along them. The
vcts not allowed 70 receive newspapers, although
II was significantly intimated that now and then the
men managed 10 get hold Of a copy Of the HERALD.
FEMALE PRISON.
This portion of the Penitentiary was visited and the
wretched inmates at the several branches of max
ing and mending variety Of clothes and household
linen This part of the prison is scrupulously
clean, every part of the place shines with
cheerful brightness-if tins could be said oil
prison-when compared with the mems department
The Womens coils wpr cd
and tasteully with pictures paper flowers and pieces
Of curiously contrived needework. The atmosphere
pure and the cells perfectly dry
Upon the whole the men confined at Sing Sing do
not possess that villanous, downcast, hang-dog look
that people apt to attribute 10 convics They
10 possess at least abundance of intelligence II not
honesty and contentment The women, the other
hand look TO belong to much lower class OF
than the men. In either the prison uniform, with
all its unganly coarseness detracts much from the
cheerful and comfortable appearance OF both and
women.
Stokes the slayer Of Colonel James Fisk Jr., is
ployed clerk in the office Of the hospital and Is
ported to be now IN comfortable condition both Of
body mind