Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-05-12
OAHU PRISON.

The internal management Of Oahu Prison is
OF sort to commend itself TO visitors. Scru-
pulous cleanliness, thorough ventilation, due
regard for other sanitary precautions, good
food and Just treatment are what appear TO the
casual rs we'll as to the special visitor who
goes there. Whether the outside work of pris-
oners is managed to the best advantage of the
public service they perform, has nothing to do
with the internal conduct of the prison-with
which this article is alone concerned.
The location Of Oahu Prison is well suited
to its requirements. Its position makes it COM
paratively isolated from the business and resi-
dence portions Of the city, while it is at the
same time SO near the heart of town that n
short walk or ten minutes drive connects it
with the government hall, while it is scarcely
more than dozen ordinary blocks from the
police station. Its site commands a superb
outlook. To the east is Nuuanu valley, its
narrowing walls coming to apparent CONVEX
gence a, the pail. To the west, the bay, broad.
ening into the breadth of well nigh boundless
ocean. II is so slightly residence spot that
Jail. Governor Buckle not unnaturally may be
envied by more than one of the wealthy resi-
dents of the vicinage. The writer, himself not
wealthy and yet not passing proud, would
rather be governor Of Oahu jail than editor OF
the Advertiser.
The building and grounds occupy less than
half an acre on what is familiarity known as
"the reef, pennsular north and west Of the
business part Of town. The buildings and
yards are surrounded by stone wall protected
from improper ingress OF egress by line of
broken glass embedded in the coping. There
is an iron entrance gate, guarded OF course by
inside sentries. The main building is three
stories built in the form Of an l.. The basement
contains number of sleeping cells, three pun
ishment cells and the food room. The front
door is reached by short fight OF steps. To
the right of the entrance hallway is the Office
to the left sewing room for females. The
other rooms in the second story are room fol
guards, store room, a lamp room and sleep
ing cells. There are in all the building eighty
eight sleeping cells, in each of which two pris'
oners may be Accommodated, sleeping in ham
mocks. These cells are whitewashed as occa
sion demands, and look and smell wholesome
and adequate to the uses planned for them
When seriously i'll patients are sent to hospi
tai in the rear Of the large interior yard. This
hospital has eight beds, and at pinch NIGH
hold two or three more. Conyalescent patients
may be remanded to their cells il room in thu
hospital is needed by new cases. As rul,
there is little sickness in the prison. Wher
the writer las, visited il, last Sunday, Their,
were one hundred and thirty eight prisoners
classified as follows; Hawaiian males seventy
eight, Hawaiian females, eleven; Chinese
twenty-five; Japanese, two other foreigner
twenty-five. or this large number only 81,
were on the sick list
The food furnished the prisoners is good anc
apparently plentiful. The portion cooked OF
the premises goes forth from a kitchen tina, /
80 clean piece OF bread and butter might fal
ON its floor without being soiled. The ioos
furnished all the prisoners is soft bread thre'
times week, fresh meat twice week, sal
beef OF salt salmon on the days when there /
no fresh meat, rice and beans alternately, ans
hard bread and tea twice day. The natives
OF others who desire il, have poi in addition /,
the food mentioned.
The third story is occupied by the goyemo
OF the prison and his family.
Taken all in all, the prison is APPARENT,
creditable to its management and to the nation
and il is no unfair compliment, to say that
compares favorably with the similar public in
stitulions Of Califomia-the only prisons will
which the writer is familiar.
Religious services are held on Sundays. Tn
Chinese pastor OF the Chinese church in III
place, assisted by Nh. Frank Damon, conduct
service among the Chinese prisoners; an,
a committee from the Y. NJ. {. A. holds on
among the English speaking prisoners.