The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-19

OF money expended by them and the progress
made In the erection of the building
Section @. BE IL further enacted, That the laws
now In force In the state relative 10 the manage
ment and regulation OF insane asylums, be and are
hereby extended and made 20 apply TO the govern
ment and regulation OF the asylum In West Ten.
ncssec and the trustees now authorized by law 20
control and manage the insane asylum OF this
State shall he and they are hereby constituted the
trustees OF said asylum OF West Tennessee. Pro
Nidcd that the purchase Of the land aud the build
ing 10 be erected shall not exceed in cost S., OOl
and the plans of the architect shall be 81 made MS
TO come within the provisions OF this act, aud the
contract price for the land and the erection of the
building thereon shall not exceed that sum.
Section :. ne II enacted, That this act take effect
from and after Its passage, the public welfare re-
quirng It,
PASSED March q, 1885.
Approved April l, 1855.
WV. u. BATE, Governor.
By supplementary act passed at an
extra session Of the Legislature in June,
1885, the aforesaid commissioners were
empowered to fill vacancies and after To-
eating the site of said institution, to APP
point three suitable persons being in the
vicinity of the site so selected, to take full
charge of the work.
The act was again amended March 90
1887, and an additional appropriation of
$3.50, 600 made for the completion OF said
hospital structure, and placing it in readi-
ness and thorough equipment for the occu-
patton of patients.
The man who drew the first act was
clearly slave OF precedent; so much so
that he copied word for word and letter
for letter sections 2. 3, 4, 3 and Of the act
OF November %, 1881 providing for the
erection of an insane hospital in the
Eastern division Of Tennessee, at or near
Knoxville, This will probably account
for the singular circumstance that the re-
sponsible task OF experimenting the cree
ton Of the building is committed to "a
gentleman of thorough medical educa-.
ton, instead OF 20 an expert architect
and builder. II is reasonable TO infer that
il the act of November %, 1883, had pro-
vided that the supervision OF the con-
struction should be contided to black
smith or to an apothecary ,ora dressmaker,
that similar provision would have been
incorporated In the act of April |, 1885. X
II is understood that the plans ere
amined and approved by Drs. John II.
Calendar, w. i. Jones and DIR. Cheat
ham, all Of Nashville. They were select
cd, it seems, by Gov. Bate as experts, and
JUST THERE THE NUMBERING BEGAN.
II was obviously the intention of the
Legislature that the committee of experts
provided for in section OF the act should
ut least include somebody who understood
enough about architecture and the cost OF
building TO enable him TO say whether the
plans submitted for approval could be ex-
ccuted for the sum provided in the act,
for section 9 specifically provides that "the
plans OF the architect shall be 80 made as
TO come within the provisions Of this act,
and the contract price for the land and
the erection OF the building thereon shall
not exceed that sum-"
An expert, not an eminent physician
with costly, eNtrayagant and advanced
views about ventilation and foul air shafts
and all that sort of thing, would have said:
"llold on, gentlemen, these plans would
| be splendid il we had the United States
| treasury at our backs, but remember we
ave limited 20 SSj, 900 and these plans call
| for n building that will cost four times that
sum-" But there was no expert on the
committee and nothing was said, and the
result is that instead OF sSj, 600 the insane
hospital will cost about 500, 900. NowOn-
der that the Governor aud Comptroller
have got TO tramp through the State Of
| Tennessee
BEGGING THE BANKS FOR MONEY
| 10 pay interest on the State debt
The present commissioners and the
| commissioners who have been in charge
since the work OF construction was begun
are Col John X. Goodwin, OF Memphis;
| Mr. A. W. Brockway, OF Brownsville, and
Capt. Austin Miller Of Bolivar They
have labored earnestly and diligently 10
give West Tennessee an insane asylum
that will compare fayombly with similar
institutions In other states, and in the dis
charge Of their duties they soon discovered
that the original appropriation would be
inadequate for the purpose and they relied
upon the liberality Of the Legislature 10
back them up In exceeding the original
limits Of the appropriation. Col Goodwin
| informed an APPEAL reporter that the
commission had visited asyums for the
insane in this and other States with the
yiew.o bcnefiing by errors made there,
aud prohting by an examination Of the
latest improvements in heating, ycntila-
ton, etc; that they had examined the
asylum at Meridian Miss, constructed ut
a cost OF $4,000 and found 1t
cheap, ram-shacklc affair, disgrace
iul 10 the State which owned IL,
and that he was confident that sense OF
Justice would move members Of tho Legs
latufe from Middle and East Tennessee 10
appropriate q sufficient sum for the cree.
ton Of q hospital Tor the insane in West
Tennessee, approXimating In cost the sums
expended for similar purposes in East and
Middle Tennessee. Acting upon that
theory the commission accepted plans in
yolving the expenditure OF about 100000,
and after sending a committee 20 inycsti-
gate the plans and structure itself the Leg
STATURE as stated above, made the re-
quircl additional appropriation.
TnE BUILDING - 4 COLOSSAL AFFAIR,
situated about two and n half miles from
Bolivar, In llardeman county, upon an
elevated spot In hilly hoalthiul region
The total number Of acres purchased fol
the uses Of the hospital II 300, the inten
ton bcing 10 cultivate the tract with IN,
view Of saving the expense OF purchasing
such articles Of food as might b,
! raised on the spot The building
destined for occupation 10y the insane
/ IL $50 feet long from end 10 en-. II Is Ill
i yidc1 into five sections, the main building
/. Ia the center being ilanked by two wing
I on either side. The entire building Is 4
D be heated by steam, illuminated by GA
, and ventilated by the most approved ap
plianccs Each cell il provided with tw'
! air shafts, one for the introduction OF ircsl
air and the other for the rejection Of iou
!. air. On the upper floors will be an amusc
: ment hall fitted up with n stage for th
! entertainment Of the patients. A sepa
4 rate building, distant some hundred Zee
!, or 80 from the main structure, Is set apar
y for boilers, heaters and other necessar
y machinery and for kitchen purposes. A!
u things considered, Il IA doubtful " there
!, hotel in the universe 30 finely adapte