Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-01-04
CHAINED LIKE ANIMALS.

The Craft That Transports Russian Criminals.
The Russian convi1t trausport, N zhni-
Novgorod, sailed hence recently, with
400 criminal depOrtes for the island of
Seghslien. The NiZAai- NovSoro6 is an
iron steamship OF about 500 tons bur
d and IL especially fitted As a convict
transport. With tutl com pieinent of
convIcts the vessel carries 652. The Off
GERS and crew number so. exclusive Of
marine convey escort Of 81 men, special
ly chosen for this duty.
The iron bsrred compartments. or
cages in which the convicts are confined
run parallel, tcre and aft, on either side
the upper and lower tween decks. The
il on bars, an inch thick. of these cages
and tbs woodwork in whieh they are ser,
are heavily and solldly constructed. The
cages are of unequal capacity and length,
but have uniform height OF seven aud q
half feet. The more des perate characters
are mslacleG and chained to iron staples
in their berths, from which they a-e re-
leased ~hen necessary. The greater mum
Der, although reJaiujpE the waist and an
kle shackies, of light construction, have
the freedom of traversjnS the lenght ot
the compartmen-, which may vary from
% to 40 feet. Between thu outer bars
and the two plain plank shelves or
bunks running from end ~ end of the
COM apartments which affords sleeping
room for the OCcU pants, there is H
free space OF about four and half or
five feet.
Except during the distribution of ra-
tioEs no culinary vessels are left with the
cOuvicts. Even the drinking water is 90
tanned only through an india rubber
mouth piece fixed in an enclosed tank
ana through which the drlaker sucks his
draught. immediately oussl6s She cages,
and attached 10 the under side of tie
de OK overhead is Il steam-pipe cOnnected
with the ships boilers. Into these pipes
are fitted screw poZzles, az Intervals of
twelve feet. The object of the seam
pipe is to suppress auy dangerous out
break among the inmates of the cage.
By means of a short hose, specially made
10 resist the steam heat, quickly attached
TO one OF the steam. nozzles, the turbulent
oonvicts are Quickly Quoted or parSoiled
Ssroug water jets have been found next
10 useless in allayiug these occasional
tumu!ts.
After the ship has passed the canal,
but not before, catches of couvicts are in
turn taken out and brou9 1t
npon the deck for shower bath and
short exercise. A strongly constructed
ron railing, eight feet high, crosses the
Veos g! amidshlps, in order shat convict,
during his bath while unmanacled, can
| not by rush evade the guard and reach
the quarter deck. Soma of the more
desperate cOnvjcts, who stubbOruly re
siss all disciplinary control. are confined
TO the cages d1ring the entire voyage.
Both the upper and lower tween decks
are open and airy, the system of ventlla
tion being excellent and the cages them
selves are Kept scrupulously clean. The
| cages are repaTnred every voyage.
| Every cOOvic5 III addition to having his
hajr cropped close, has the left half of
his head shaved from front to back
smoothly.
| Among the couvicts carried by the
| Nazhul-Novgor ID about 100 are murder
! err. Oue of these is q relative of the sha
| of Persia-Prince Khanaiam Mira, son of
! Prince Batman Mira, twenty five years
| of age, and sentenced 10 twenty years
| hHrd labor for the murder of his brother
! in Russia. Upon the greater number OF
! these murderers, in addition to their vari
! GUS terms of hard labor in the mines and
! quarries. will be inflicted on their ar
| rival q given number of blows from the
knout, varying from 30 to 1875, according
! to their crimes.
The scene on board these departing
convict ships is altogether saddening and
| depressing, "erhaps the more so that one
| does not hear murmur or lament from
tne stolidlooking and broken spirited
wretches crowded behind the bars of
| these cages, which remind the spectator
only too forcibily of the wild beast dens
we are accustomed to see III a travelling
managerie Female convcts of this
class are transported III separate ves-
| sci.