The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1876-11-30
ON BLACKWELL'S ISLAND.

4 GLIMPSE OF NEW YORK S FAMOUS PENI-
TENTIARY-AMONG THE LUNATICS-
CHATS WITH THE QUEER CHARACERS-
STRANGE FANCIES OF THESE UNFOR-
TUNATE CREATURES-TuE "BABY" AND
THE 'MoTHER OF THE UNIVERSE
THE woRKHoUsE AND IT'S WORKERS.
WHAT AN INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
SAW.
From the Bucks County Inteligencer
To the casual traveller, as he hastens
up and down East river in the bustling,
snorting steamboats,, Blackell's Island pres
ents few points Of attraction. Long and
narrow, it lies in the water like a stranded
log, encompassed upon either side by a
swift-running stream. The rapid current
of the river strikes it at its head, where
the tall lighthouse stands, in long, secth-
ing line Of foam, and separating, eddies
and twists in turbid fury along the whole
length Of It's walled edges. In and out of
the creviccs between the stones the waters
rush in a hungry sort of way, licking out
here and there huge slices of the solid wall
aud when the tide is high the waves from
the steamcs' paddewheels throw their
white crests clear over the rocky barrier
on the sward beyond. 1t is quite a pic
turesque place, viewed from distance.
The gloomy looking buildings, with their
massive walls and barred windows, and the
carefully cultivated land about them, are
suggestive Of old fcudal castles, and the
ofu III holn h.,
moat. But to conceive this idea one must
shut out the working gangs of convicts in
striped suits who labor in the quarry and
along the waters edge in way suggestive
of force rather than inclination he must
forget the busy city that crashes and grinds
just beyond and he must not see the river
craft that swarm the bosom of the stream
Yet, picturesque as the island seems, when
one has been borne out on the broad river
beyond it he congratulates himself that he
has not yet taken up permanent residence
there
10 reach the island the visitor must
leave the wharf at the Bellevue Hospital
on boat that plies between that place and
the several public institutions up the river.
On a morning not long ago a small party
of US went up prepared and equipped for
the purpose. We were not sent up, as
were some who took passage on the same
boat, but went up of our own free will.
After the "Black Maria had emptied her
daily load Of wrong-doers into the hold of
the boat, and the various visitors accom-
modated with better quarters above, we
cast off and steamed up to the head of the
island-a pleasant ride of a couple of miles.
The island is divided into three sections
by two walls running across its whole width.
The upper section is the female lunatic
asylum the middle the penitentiary and
the lower the almshouse, hospital and other
charitable institutions. The male asylum,
controlled and directed in the same man
ner as the female, is located on Wards Is
land, some distance further up the river.
So there are none but female lunatics on
Blackwell's Island but there are certainly
enough Of these to compensate for the
absence Of the men, being over 1900 in
number This part of the island is most
interesting of all to visitors, and we went
directly to it. The buildings are quite
numerous, and are mostly very large, built
of the native stone quarried on the island.
The lunatics are confined in the various
buildings according to the violence of their
malady.
Proceeding at once to the Office in the
main structure, where we presented our
passes, we were turned over to the care Of
a courteous and talkative janitor, who
escorted US about. The first place he took
us was through the corridors of the build
ing we were then in This building was
long and wide, two stories hight, and con-
tanned a vast number of lunatics In the
centre of each floor was wide hall, with
the rooms opening into it from each side.
The rooms were occupied by two, and some
times three inmates, and were fitted up in
very comfortable style There was no
carpet on the hall or in the rooms, but the
floors are as white and clean as vigorous
scrubbing can make them The beds were
provided with sheets, pillow cases and
counterpanes. On the walls were pictures
and prints of various kinds, and there were
numerous canary birds hanging from the
ceiling In this building those lunatics
'loons" in the vocabulary of the Island
are confined who are not violently insane,
but cannot be entirely trusted alone. These
form the largest number Of all the patients
in the asylum, and the number in this
building ran well into the hundreds
The janitor took us into the first corridor,
and locked the door behind us. There
were visible perhaps two hundred lunatics !;
we were seven in party. The feeling at
first was not comfortable, but our appre-
hension soon wore away. Some of the
lunatics scorned to notice us others leered
at us with silly grimaces and others still
glared and scowled at us in very angry
manner. at is one of our principles, :"
said the janitor, "to keep the looms busy
all the time they are quieter and happier
while at work They take care of this
building themselves, under the direction of
the nurses, and seem glad to do it. They