Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-10-24
THE OLD JAIL.
PULL TEXT OF TIE REPORT OF ARCHITECT
B.W. WELLS,
Made to the Board Of Commissioners, at Yesterdays
Special Ssssion-At Least $4,000 Required
to Put the Building in Condition.

Board of County Commissioners, Arcoltect
Wells. who had been selected by the Com
mittee On Court House and Jail, in sccor-
dance with a resolution passed by the
Board at a previous session, to make
thorough examination and report upon the
condition Of the Jail, paying particular
attention 10 the feasibility of repairing the
old structure, made the following report
upon the matter =
II fad the building sitting down some
eight or ten feet below the street, the walls
constructed Of stone and brick. The
brick walls have been cemented and
mastered outside, which Shows eigns OF
decay and falling off in many places.
More of this should be removed and the
places patched out with cement of best
quality.
Tine boiler house, floors, roof and stack
are in a very dilspidated condition, and
with some repairs to the walls fthe same,
with new floors, roof and stack, would be
to practically make Few.
THE stone walls show signs in many
places of the stone disinteg sting, az
we'll as the mortar in the .ints decay
ine. AZ would be natural, considering the
age which the building has stood. However,
I would say these walls seem to be stand
ing we'll, with two or three exceptions,
the most of which is the west wall of the
cell building, which is badly cracked
and bulged out, and IN all
probability has been caused by the under
mining or cutting into the walls, putting
in sewerage, or the leaking Of the piping
in the building and tine water getting
under the foundation walls, causing set
Ting. To repair this wall would not be
practical, other than to point up the
break in the wall with cemeat.
''On entering the first story basement,
in the hallway or near the centre of the
building 1 found an opening into the
saver TO carry of waste water or anything
that might be put into it, This opens
right out into the building without any
possible means Of escape or ventilation
other than into the building.
81 had the iron barred door unlocked
that enters the hallway of what seemed TO
be old and vacant cells, and to all indica-
tions these parts are seldom visited by any
one. Hasty examinations were made with
a torch. In here l found 10 the brick
walls supporting the corridor and cell above
on the main floor of the main floor OF the
building. considerable disintegration OF
the soft bricks that had been used. The
small openings into these cells prevented "a
thorough examination OF these parts. How
ever. noticed particularly that one OF
these gave very offensive odOr. In an
other stood a pool of stagnant water.
ION the main floor l noticed in some OF
the rooms of the dwelling department a
musty smell, in my opinion caused by the
dampness from the immense sewerage
system in the building Here l found at
one end Of the corridor q window aoout
three by six feet, nearly ole-half Of which
was covered up by the boiler house roof
At the other END the iron-barred door
which l had entered, az the only possible
means of light aud ventilatiOu; while 1t
was yet day, the Gas was lighted. Ia this
part the height OF the corridor is nine feet
four inches, being very lOg. II was
close and oppressive. With lighted
torch | commenced the examination Of the
seven single cells. ard four double cells.
They were sll IN about the same cOndl-
tion, the floors very rough and out Of
level, making very hard matter TO scrub
and keep clean.
THE light and ventilation to these cells
is through a small opening in the outside
wall 5x30 inches, and covered on the out
side with boiler iron perforated with small
holes. thereby further destroying its little
use for either light or ventilation.
Now, as to the sewage system in these
cells, hoping l may be pardoned for the
expression, for it 10 nothing more or less
Than large pipes run horizontally along
the walls in the back part of the cells,
with scarcely enough fall in pipes for drain
age. On this pipe and in each cell is a
hopper closet without trap placed on the
pipes. The pipes are 20 large and with
loose caps and open hoppers, that 1t Is in
possible to flush them properly to KEEP
clean, consequently the collecting Of flth
on the inside Of the pipes, as in any ordi-
nary street sewer. Ga sanitary point
and to make more clear 10 every one, you,
who are not perfectly familiar with the
working of this system, 1t would be just as
consistent, to run Blk or eight inch pipes
connected with street sewer right mp and
open out into he various bed rooms Of
your dwellings l doD't think that any
language could use in the condemning
Of this system could be too strong, for It
has not a single merit OF the sanitary en-
gineeriug of the present day.
"On the upper floor l found the cells in
about the same condition az below, with
the exception Of better ventilation ny
reason of higher ceiling aud sky light
above The floor and c'osets are about
sim.lar as below. The other rooms, or
debtor's rooms rs they are callel, on this
upper dJor, seem 70 be in fairly good con-
dition.
1.-THE slate roof ia old, but appears TO be
fairly good, with repairs TO tin cutters and
spouts
"TO remedy the principal faults of the
building, and fulfill tie present require
ments at your hauds, would he principally
20 perfect the plumbing, light and veBtila-
ton. To do this properly would be to re-
move the cells, which are built and bonded
into the side walls of the building, and
would necessitate ticking ont the floors,
leaving nothing but the outeide walls,
which would be greatly shattered by the
tearing out Of the cells, and the intToduc-
ton Of barred windows for light and air,
and seems to be impossible to get the same
number of calls back into the building
properly constructed. At present they sre
entirely zoo compact to air and ventilate.
There must be considerable more room for
the corridors The cells could not
be well made much smaller. The floors
would all have 20 he rebuilt night say
all but the side walls OF the building, as 1t
would be useless to attempt TO improve
without removing the celia, which takes
the floors with them.
1.-THE roof that nov rests upon The cells
would also have to be reconstructed and
strengthened, which should be OF iron con-
struction.
The dwelling part or jailer's residence
l would recommend, TO get I'd Of the ac-
cumulated filth Of years, 10 remove the
floors, Gil plss;erire, doors and windows