St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-18
PARBOILED WITH STEAM.
A Pleasant Russian Custom Tor Uss
With Convic,s.
MEN AS Gagged ANIMALS
The Prisoners of a. Great Nation and
Their Journey to Seq
halien.

The Russian convict transport Nizh
ni-Novgorod sails hence this evening
with 400 criminal depOrteS for the island
of Seghalien, says all Odessa special to
the London Daily News. The NiZhni-
N0vgorod is an iron steamship of about
$500 tons burden, and is specially fitted
as convict transport. With full
complement of eOnVctS the vessel
carries 652. The officers and crew num-
Der eighty. exclusive of a marine con-
vey escort of siXty-two men, specially
chosen for this duty.
The iron-barred compartments or
cages in which the convicts are con-
fined run parallel, fore and aft. on either
side the upper and lower tween decks.
The iron bars, an inch thick, of these
cages and the woodwork i'll which they
are set, are heavily and solidly con
Structed,
The cages are of unequal capacity and
length, but have uniform height of
seven and half feet. The more des
perate characters are manacled and
chained to iron staples in their berthS,
from which they are released when nee
essary. The greater number, although
retaining the waist and ankle ShackleS,
of light construction, have the freedom
of trayeIsing the length Of the cOmpart
ment, which may vary from twenty-five
to forty feet.
Between the outer bars and the two
plank shelves or hunks running from
end to end of the compartments which
afford sleeping room for the occupants,
there is free space of about four and
half OF FIVE feet.
Except during the distribution of ra-
tons no culinary vessels are left with
the convicts. Even the drinking water
is obtained only through an India rub
Der mOuthpiece fixed in an incloSed
water tank and through which the
drinker sucks his draught.
Immediately outside the cage aud at
tached to the under part CT the deck
overhead is q steam pipe connected
with the ships boilers. Into these pipes
are fitted screw noZZles at intervals of
twelve feet. The object of the steam
pipe is to suppress any dangerous out
break among the inmates Of the cage.
By means of a short hose, specially
made to resist the steam heat. quickly
attached to one of the steam pipe
nozZles, the turbulent convicts are
readily quoted or parboiled. Strong
water Jets have been found next to use
less in allaying these occasional tu-
mults.
After the ship has passed the canal,
but not before. patches of con-
victs are in turn brought upon
deck for shower bath and
short exercise. A strongly-construct
iron railing, eight feet high, crosses the
vessel amidShips, in order that the con-
Wet, during his bath and while unman-
acled, cannot by any sudden rush evade
the guard and reach the quarter deck.
of bn rl1A 6pCnnY1tp
who stubbornly resist all disciplin-
airy control are confined to
the cages during the whole
voyage. Both the upper and lower
'tween-decks are open and airy. the sys-.
TEN of ventilation being excellent, and
the cages themselves are kept scrupu-
lousy clean. The cages are reprinted
every voyage.
Every convict, in addition to having
| his hair cropped short. has the left half
of the head from front to back closely
Shayen.
Among the AGO convictS carried by the
| acknowledgement about leo are murder
ers. One of these is a relative of the
shah of Persia-Prince khanalam-
Mira, son of Prince Betman Mira,
twenty-five years of age, and sentenced
to twenty years hard labor for the muir
| der of his brother IN Russia.
Upon the greater number OF these
murderers, in addition to their various
terms of hard labor in the mines and
quarries, will he inflicted on their ar
| rival a given number of blows from the
knout, varying from SO to i25, according
| to their crimes.
The scene on board these departing
convict ships is altogether saddening
| and depressing. perhaps the more so
that one does not hear a murmnr or
lament from the stolid-looking and
broken-spirited Wretches crowded be-
hind the bars Of these cages. which re-
mind the spectator only too forcibly of
| the wild beast dens we are accustomed
| to see in travelling menagerie. Female
| convicts of this class are transported in
| separate vessel.
Nothing New.
| Prof. W. K. Mulliken will continue to
| give direct personal attention to spe-
cial class in Penmanship every evening