The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-09-01


| onrlty new cell buildings should 30 prt
! ylded, and hereafter the old 10 be conyefte
| Into workshops. In accordance with thi
| resolution, the penltentiary architect wa
! directed 10 prepare plans for n complete Gel
| building, ~ contain not less than 900 cells
said building TO be planned with two wing
or extensions so arranged that each winj
| or extension could be built and complete,
Independently, said building 10 DO plaiu
substantial, secure aud comfortable. Mr.
Lurmour, In due time, presented plan OF
main cell building, with wing at each end
with estimate of cost. The plan, as pro
posed, contained $50 cells, and the cost wa.
estimated at SAC, 900. The main building
consisting OF an administration building
and 3OS cells, was estimated to cost abou
b96 900. 1t was therefore determined tt
build the main building, leaving of tho
wings or extensions for the present. TIL,
lessees agreeing to do the work upon the
estimates furnished, contract was mad,
with them, and the building is now in pro
cess of construction. The cell building
built by Ward, Dewey d Co., never having
been finished, aud not being adapted fol
the purposes intended, has been converted
into workshops.
The duty devolved upon this board 10
TO the penitentiaries. After giving motto.
by publication, as required by law, for bids
.he board met on June |, 1881, to open the
bids and award the contract. Out Of tor
bids received that OF Messrs. Slaughter 4
Cadenhead, OF Marion county, was tn.
lowest and best, and the contract wa,
awarded to them at the amount of tkei,
bid, to-wit: $2i,50 per capita. The higher
bid was $34.75 per capita.
On the 9Th of October last, after the boars
was fully satisfied that railroad wouli'
be completed from Jacksonville to Rusk,
Superintendent Goree was directed by the
board to procure the services of some suita
bic and competent person to examine an ,
report in regard to the character, quslit,
and quantity of iron ore in the vicinity o.
the Rusk penitentiary, with the viev OF
blast iron furnace in connection with said
penitentiary. He secured the services OF
Colonel G. A. Kelly, of Kollyville, Marion
county, and they spent several days in
prospecting. Colonel Kelly made a report,
In which he says:
Iron ore offs excellent,Qualitya boundi
In the entire chain of hills surrounding
and in reasonable proximity to the penn
Tertiary. The ore is of the brown hemat-
tie class, very rich, and will yield, after be-
ing prepared for the furnace, from 60 to G.
per cent. of metallic iron, high average
yield for this class of ore in any part oil
the United States. From allindications the
ore outcrop is confined to the higher crest
of hills, and varies in thickness from six
inches to four feet. In many Places owing
to the wearing away of the earth, the ore
has broken off and tumbled down the hill
aides, until they are covered with iron ore
boulders, some of them that will weigh
from one to ten tons. This outcrop extends
with the meanderings Of the spurs and
gorges of the several chains of hills on
either side until it reaches many miles in
f11l .,.sA FL h
within five miles of the Rusk prison, ow-
ing to the zigzag formation Of the face OF, the
hills, there exists not less than twenty
miles of the aforedescribed outcrop, which
can be reasonably estimated at not less than
twenty tons to the running yard or IS, 200 to
the mile, summing up an aggregate OF
704 900 tons for the twenty miles, with a
fair probability of the yield being five times
this amount, as the strata evidently e1-
tends we'll INTO the hillsides, and in many
places, judging from appearances, running
entirely through. From my experience in
working Texas ores, feel justified in say.
ing that the ore will reduce readily, fiux
freely and yield product well adapted to
all ordinary purposes for which iron is
used."
After the above report was made, the
BOARD had a meeting, and the following res
buttons were adopted:
/. Resolved, That whereas 1t was the pol
icy of the state, in locating the penitsn-
tiary near Rusk to utilize the deposits OF
iron ore in the vicinity thereof, in tho man
ufacture of iron at said penitentiary; and
whereas, we are fully convinced, from the
report of Colonel g. A. Kelly, that the iron
ore in the vicinity of said penitentisry is
sufficient in quantity and quality; there
fore it is the duty Of the penitentiary board,
so far as is in its power, to carry out the
said policy.
2. RESOLVED, That the board proceed at
once to have a blast furnace, suitable for
the smelling of iron ore and converting Y
into pig iron, erected in conjunction with
the Rusk penitentiary, witha capacity ofat
least fifteen tons Of iron ore every twenty
four hours.
The secretary Of the board was directed
to procure the services of competent
architect to furnish plans and specifications
and estimates OF cost. He has engaged the
services of Mr.. 4. @. barley, Of st. Louiss,'
who has furnished the plans and estimates.
The cost is about $25, eco. A portion OF the
necessary machinery has been bargsined
for, but we are compelled to suspend oper
atoms for the present because Of the ruling
of Acting Comptroller Sneed that sush part
of the $685. 900 appropriation as had NOT
been expended or contracted to be expended
prior to February %, 1882, had elapsed and
could not be used.
The same ruling was made In regard to
the $500 appropriations for libraries at
and Rusk. If these rulings be
correct, we respectfully ask your h0sora-
BILE bodies to place these funds again at our
disposal.
Accompanying this is report from the
showing the present con-
1ition of the penitentiaries, their capacities
1t present and in prospective, and their
DEEDS, etc., which rs especially commended
n n
o. NJ. RoDERTs,
Governor.
y. r. LUBBOCK,
Treasurer.
THOMAS J. GoRKE
Superintendent of Penitentiaries
aRroRr OF TnB SUPERINTENDENT OF PEsE-
TENTIARIEs.
Texas State Penitenuariss, superintendent OF.
Gee. Huntsville, Texas, March ], lss2.-To
Govemoro; NJ Roberts, President Of Peniten'
s:R: The following brief report Of the
,enitentiaries, from November i. Isso. the
late OF nay lat biennial report, to this date,
5 respectfully submitted. '
PRIsoE POPULATION.
Attacned hsreto is a table mo. II. which |
~ snow IN scspdensed form the monthly |
. nsrse s ,h .ne prison population during the
,erlod embraced in this report:
ne t9tsl number OF oonvics on hand
Distributed a. follows viz:
n prison at Hunt.ville -. A.
'uilding new Railroad near Ru,k 81
IN railroad construction train. - a.,
% isrins' mostly on Drazos river. 10 |
-, '''...'"-'... .-................. 21A /
The largest number Of c.pvic,s I
yer ON hand was 900. jam.
~ 1, ISL. From that data thera
Fss gradual decrease until ortai,ss
i, 1881, since when the Increase b.s been
apid. a comparison Of the receipts Of the
asst iour months with corrtspor,dl,,o
months Of 1850 and 1851, shows an exoos. iS
1Nor o. tne last four months Of l5i Tbs
III La.l ,,, ~ increase during the nextstsn
500 cOnvicis.
The percentage Of e.cans, .,d Al. -.