The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-03-01
SYNOPSIS

. fN'' W. -" '
President Tennessee State Commission
Centennial Exhibition of1876, on CO0k d
Hath's Prison Construction:
The following is a synopsis of the re-
port of Vice.P President Joseph Barbiere,
of the Tennessee Centennial Commission,
on the only invention a citizen of Mem
phis had at the Nations Centennial,
The report, while lengthy, is neverthe'
less n Just one, due to the pluck and &C.
MUS of tho enterprising gentlemen who
are introducing this valuable aid to the
economy of our prison system. Meesrs
Cook & Heath, in connection with the
great works Of Randle, Heath & Liver
more, are doing a grand work for Mem
phis, in manufacturing, thus furnishing
employment for our mechanic and Ia
boring classes. This IL the leading es
tablishment of the Southwest, and de
servedly 80, We are particularly PLEASED
to zee our friend L%ivermore, OF the rail
road past, take 80 naturally to the iror
manufacturing interests, thus adding {
complete force to what is known as one
of tho strongest teams in the iron econ
omy of the country:
"Among the exhibits in the Govern
ment Building was one which deserved
more interest than it would naturally
awaken in the average sight-seeinl
crowd. II was in the Patent Office De
partment; being a model, illustrating
improvements in the construction o
prisons and pe~nitentiaries, invented ant
patented by Messrs, Cook g. Heath, o
Memphis, They have developed a com
plete system OF prison construction, GOV
ering not one point alone, but all the
points in which the customary methods
have shown themselves incomplete anC
faulty. The chief point arrived at il
perfect security with economy, while a
the same time the system is designed tC
allow of the highest perfection in warm
ing, ventilation, and healthful arrange
ment, and also admit Of the finest archi
tectural design of exterior. The system
is remarkable in presenting 40 many i'm
provements which are quite original, and
reflects great credit upon the inventors
for their pains'taking thought and the
large amount of time and money which
must have been spent in developing it.
The first noticeable feature of the in.
v%ention il the predominating Use Of iron,
In their initial plan for prisons the cell
is made of plates of cast iron, 80 fastened
together that no rivets or bolts are OK.
posed to the operations Of the prisoners
from the inside. The floor of the cell il
made of plates of cast iron, two feet wide,
running across the cell, and each one sup
ported by a lip on the edge of the next
The sides are constructed in the same
manner, and in the partition walls one
edge OF each plate, which stands verti
cally, is let into a groove formed in the
edge of the next; 80 that the first steE
in the construction of a cell is to build
a cast-iron box, the top, sides and bot,
tom of which are fitted into and support
each other. Outside of this is built d
solid bulkhead of wood, and the exterior
of the building finished off in a very
desirable ann with brick, stone,
wood or iron outside of all, making, al.
together, a compartment from which
skilled mechanics, with the best tools
and appliances of their profession, can
cut their way out only with severe and
protracted labor, and the job becomes
quite an impossible one for prisoners I'M
der surveillance. Proper ventilation is
also attained without impairing the &C.
curity. Cast-iron windows and door
frames of ample size are built into the
walls in such a manner that they cannot
be removed without actually taking the
walls down. In the frames are inserted
cast-iron windows and doors, three inches
thick, perforated with holes large enough
to admit an abundance of light and air,
but still quite secure from any attempt
to break through. The ordinary glazed
window sash is placed inside of this cast
window, Here the advantage Of cast
iron owe the usual wrought bars is
strikingly apparent. The most effective
tool which the prisoner is usually able to
obtain is n saw, made from a case knife,
a corset stee! or watch spring, and with
this a wrought iron bar may be cut off
a few hours. Two bars cut off and
forced aside will generally make a hole
large enou III to pass a man; but more
than ten times that amount of iron must
be sawed through to make a hole large
enough in the cast window. Moreover,
the cast iron can be chilled 80 that the
best steel Jaw will not cut il.
But the most important and novel inn
.provement, and the one which promises
to be the browning point of success is the
hollow wall filled with dry sand or other
mobile material which will run rapidly
through even a small hole, and efectually
prevent any operation beyond the first
TO wall out a body of mobile ma
terial SO as to allow Of working beyond
the hollow space is an operation the Diff
of which can be appreciated only
1000