The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1885-06-11
From the Times Union.l
Florida Insane Asylum.

the Times Union met General r. Brinckerhoff,
who has been for many years member of the
State Board of Charities and Correction Of Ohio.
He was sent as adelega,e to the National Com
mercial Convention at Atlanta, and when that
body adjourned made trip over into Alabama
and thence via Pensacola To jacksonville. Gen
eral Brnckerhoff has visited majority of the
insane asylums in the Northern States and in
Canada, and his keen interest in such institutions
induced him TO stop over at ChattahOochee for a
day, in order to inspect the State Asylum for the
Insane at that place.
Learning that fact during the conversation
the reporter suggested to General Brinckerhof
that statement OF the impressions he had formed
would prove interesting to the people of Florida
In compliance with this suggestion the General
said
The asylum is admirably located for health
and accessibility from all parts of the State. The
lands comprise about 900 acres, with seven
ty-hve acres under cultivation.
The buildings are well arranged for asylum
purposes, and with very moderate expenditure
OF money in Improvements would be creditable
to any State.
The buildings are arranged around a park of
about five acres and are connected by brick
wall eight or ten feet high. The officers quar-
tiers are on the west side. The buildings on the
east side are occupied by the white female pa
tents, and those on the north side by The colOred
females.
1t Is proposed to erect on the east side an addi-
tlOnal building three stories high, for white male
patients, and then appropriate the entire build
ing on the south side to colOred male patients.
The building on the south side is three stories
high and has forty large rooms for patients, and
with avery little additional expense can be made
to accommodate from eighty TO one hundred pa
tienis. AT present the only access 10 the upper
stories is by winding wooden stairway in the
tower. This ought 10 he changed Immediately
e al, l.
way of escape would be cut off. and the patients
would inevitably be burned up. This can easily
be remedied by putting up stairway in the CEN
trail hall At each end + tch story Of the tower
could be foored which would provide an ele-
CANT sitting room fifteen feet in diameter for each
story. The fourth story of the tower could then
be made a wafer tank, and kept full of water by
a windmill, from which, by proper pipe and
hose connections, the entire institution could be
protected from fire.
The whole number of patients yesterday was
1875, divided as follows: White males As white
females ii, colored males 81, colored females 81
The State is also supporting in families outside
about eighty patients. at cost from s to $12 so
per month
Captain A Moseey and DR.. w. B. Foreman
have charge of the institution, and they i'm
pressed me as humane, intelligent and progress
sve men, and, if properly sustained by the
authorities at Tallahassee, have no doubt they
will make the hospital an honor to the State and
a credit 10 the whole country
t.. H. 80 gid hot me-
chanical restraints are almost entirely abolished
l found only two patients in mufs, and only two
in secluslon. | saw some covered beds or cribs
as they are usually called but Captain Moseey
informed me that they had not been used during
his administration, all of which is an excellent
showing
DIR. Foreman informed me that the general
health of the institution was good. The health
of the location would seem to be guaranteed by
the fact that DR.. Foreman is the only physician
there. This however ought to be remedied by
giving an assistant physician. DR.. Foreman can
never go away for rest, or information and in
case Of his illness the institution would be in a
bad fix.
The most advanced methods for the cure or
care of insane rely mainly upon kindness, recre-
alton and industrial occupation. In the use of
these appliances the Alabama asylum for the
insane, which visited last Saturday, is a model
for the Nation, and in the industrial employment
Of women it is in advance of all others.
In the Alabama asylum, with its seven hun
dred patients, did not find one single one in
any form of mechanical restraint. Cribs are
banished as relics of barbarsm, and muffs,
sleeves, straps, siraight-jackets and all other
forms OF mechanical restraint are unknown, and
the attendants would not know how to use
them if they had them, and happier set OF
patients | have never seen.
In these methods the Florida Asylum is on
plane with the ordinary asylums of the country
but found Capt. Moseley alive to the subject,
and if the authorities will give him fair chance
l have no doubt he will bring il up TO the Ala
bama standard.
l noticed yesterday that there was lack of
reading matter for the use of the patients. and l
wish you would invite the good people FLORIDA
10 remember the Florida Asylum for the Insane,
and send to Capt Moseley, at Chattahoochee
postOtce. such monthly or weekly periodicals
rs they have finished reading and suitable for
the patients, and he will see that they are pro-
perly distributed. He and the doctor pay for
quite number of papers themselves, but Of
course cannot afford TO supply the whole lnslilu-
ton.
The cession by the General Government OF
the arsenal property was noble gift to the State,
and should be preserved entire for Stale insitu-
tions. When the lease system of employing
convicts is supplanied by the more advanced
classified or congregaie systems, there is an ad
mirable site east OF the asylum grounds where
it could be connected with the railroad and then
the ammunition buildings could be utilized
There is also ample room for II re 'OrmatOry
for boys and a workhouse for minor offenders
Being DESTROYS to- see as much of Florida MS
possible the General will go up the St Johns
river to-day, and will visit St. Augustine on his
return. His stay in the State will be abbrcvia-
ted by the fact that he is obliged to be in Wash
ingion by June 4lh in order to attend The
Twelfth National Conference of Charities and
Correction, which meets there on that day. The
session OF this important body will be opened
by President Cleveland, and will continue one
week.