Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-11-28
MINNESOTA STATE PRISON
Extracts from the Biennial Report Of Il
inspectors aud Warden

Extracts from the Biennial Report of the
', inspectors and Warden
In June, 1883, the contract for new cell
building was awarded to the Northwestern Cal
company for -, 1885, The building is approach.
ing completion, and is a we'll built structure
containing 100 cells Of The S'ost approved kind
OF this contract s2s, 900 has been rsld: Ihe
main prison building has beeh rebuilt by thu
inspectors themselves 6. NJ Seymour acting
az superintendent of construction and conyicf
labor being employed at the contract price,
As cents per day. The building is a vast
Improvement on the old one having heavy
iron roof with iron rafters, and is almost
absolutely fre-proof. The inspectors
recommend that all permanent buildings OF
the state be SO constructed. The cost Of the
iron roof on the entire building, with the old
cell building, was $4,000 the steam heating
about S. 900 and the rebuilding $4,000, MAX
ing total cost of not over $45, 600. The engine
and boiler house has been reconstructed CON-
plete and fire-proof at a cost oi 81, 100 Tho
amount of insurance collected ON this was
$3.50. Since the fire, the Insurance. money
was used IN rebuilding and the earnings of the
conyicts have been allowed to stand as an. offset
to an equal amount each month against the bills
Of the contractors 1t is hoped that the legisla-
ture will approve this action The closest esti-
tnate that now can be made to complete the work
is az follows: That to- use all the earnings I'M
til Jan l, 1885, and all appropriations author
lied by law up to July 81 1885, there will still
fall short $4,000 This is far better than the
inspectors anticipated at the time of the fire.
The financial difficulties OF the car company
have not affected the contract. Either party
has rgh5 to terminate the contract on Sept l.
1887, by giving one years notice. The con.
tractors advise that the present contract be'
adhered to- The total earnings for the year
ending July 81, 1884, were &S}a, 1872 To this
skould be added the loss of II 49S days labor
ut As cents d day, caused by tbs fire, amount
ing to 1864, which would hare made tho
actual earnings at least $4O,0 OO
PARTIALLY SELF SUSTAINING.
The earnings of the next fiscal ,ssar will be ,
nearly, if not quite: $45, 900 Thus the prison
about two thirds sustains itself, including all
expenses The last years. record, rbot includ-
ing the loss by fro, shows the average earn
ings per capita, to be 3l23 40, and totsl expen-
ses per capita $4,000 From this expense de-
duct amount Of salaries per capita Of $73.47,
and it is shown that each prisoner earns for
the state 1922 40, and, it costs tho etate TO
feed, clothe, care for him in sick
ness, furnish him with medicine, to-
beoeo and nd frse DC suits WHEN IN dis lis
state of SIS IS per captia. Thus. aside from
salaries, the prison is sustaining. As the
state increases in population the prison will
become self-sustaining in the fullest sense
The combined pay of the'three inspectorsEfor
the last fiscal year WIS., about $500! They
recommend that the board be allowed to use
the earnings Of the prisoners until they can
pay the debts contracted in buildi,ng-probas-
bly, about July g. 1SS5-ora special appropri-
alton be made of ST., 900, to be paid not later
than Feb l. lsS In conclusion the }o board s(d
and counsel Warden j. A Reed, Deputy
Warden Abe Hall and subordinate officers
ere conplimented in the highest terms. A
copy of the contract with the car company is
appended The report of Warden Reed de-
tails infinitely the fires and attendant circum-
stances all Of which are familiar to the readers
of this journal. The complexion of the new
cell building is very requisite, as now $50 pris7
oners is crowded into 2.0 cells. The warden
estimates that an appropriation of STU, 900 for
1855 and s75,0O0 for 1886 Will be required
and that the earnings will be $4,000 for 1884
and $50, 600 for 1886 There were confined at
the time Of the last report, Nov. 30, 1882, ::11a
Now there are $50. The highest number
reached was 368 The increase OF IS during
the year is the largest in the prisons history