The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-02-13
H nIF coUHTY BuIlD.
xew Ozlces and Jail Are Impera-
lively Needed.


THE incoming board OF county
commissioners viii undoubtedly PRO
vide for the construction of county
buildings. The old board would have
done 50 had it not been for the
Icramped condition OF the county iinan-
cialIy- Now that the county bonds
have been sold, and the debt provided
for in such a manner that it need
cause King county no worry for a
number OF years. the difficulties in
the way of suitable buildings are ali
removed.
fare these present Offices made
auate? p do you ask Why. the facili-
| ties OF the present auditors Office are
totally inadequate. and often wonder
how it is we keep up with the business
at all. This building was erected tenn
porarily in the place of the one de-
stroyed by FIRE, and it has been used
ever since. AT the time ii was built it
may have been large enough for the
business of the office: but since that
time the work OF the Office has increas
ed at an alarming rate. and the faelli-
ties have rot grown with it. Now, just
look at our quarters. The idea of
cramping the auditor down TO two lit
| tie roomsl Here in this largest room
we have TO do all the general business
of the office. 1t belongs to the public,
and during the busy hours OF the day
| it is crowded with those who have bus
mess with the Office. In this same
room three recorders are kept con-
stantly at work, the board of
county commissioners hold their
sessions, the readers compare
| the records, and, in short.
all of this business Is transacted in
this perfect Babel of voices incident
to the various proceedings, which Is
enough to distract those whose work
requires the closest attention. No
one can work satisfactorily under
such circumstances. In the other
room, which is only about IL feet
square, eight recorders are huddled
together. This is all the working
room We have, as the annex in front
of our Office is given over entirely TO
the abstractors of title.
Then our vault is altogether too
small to contain the records of the
office. 1t should be at least three
times as large as it now is. Every
night we fill it chock-a-block and have
to pile the records on the floor, as
there is no shelf room for them. The
indexes are not put in at all, simply
because there is no room for them.
Many of the records, some of which
are of incalcuiable value, would be de-
stroyed were the building burned at
night.
"When the new buildings are erect
ed, as / think they undoubtedly will
be before long, they should be sub
stantial and arranged with a view to
the convenience of all concerned. For
instance, the sheriff IS Office and Jail
should be together in separate build
ing from those containing the other
county officers The auditors office,
which is the part / can speak OF most
advisedly, should be commodious and
well arranged. 1t should have at least
four large rooms
"First-For a general business of
flee.
..Second-For recording room. 1t
should be light and airy.
"Third-For the board of county
commissioners. This room could
also be used for reading and compar-
ing the records.
aFourth-A private room for the
auditor where the miscellaneous BUSH
ness could be disposed of.
mot having given the matter any
great thought or attention l can't add
many suggestions as to the build
ings. There is one thing, however,
that should be insisted upon; the
buildings should be of brick and abso-
luteIy fire-proof. The records of the
county cannot be replaced after they
are once destroyed and every safe
guard should be thrown around them.
Although am going out of Office in a
very few days am deeply interested
in this matter and hope my success
sor will be given a better chance to
perform his duties than have had"
OPINION OF THE SHERIFF.
Sheriff Cochrane was also emphatic
in his views as to what should be done
by the county officials. He said:
1.-The need of new county buildings
is, IN my opinion, so urgent that the
incoming county commissioners ought
to meet and determine upon a plan of
action for the time when they go into
office. The county ought to buy the
remainder of the block in which tine
present county buildings are located
and devote the whole block between
Yesler avenue and Jefferson street,
Third and Fourth streets, to county
purposes. The alleyway through the
block, north and south, could easily
be declared vacated, and the whole
block filed in so az to be on level
with the grade.
I'VE should have two buildings,
one for the court house with county
offices, and the other for the county
Jail. Both might be located above the
present alleyway, and the site OF the
present buildings could be made a
handsome front yard. The walls of
the Jail should be built of solid stone,
and the cells should be made OF the
stontest boiler iron. The building
above the jail portion might be con-
structed of brick.
No one who has not been sheriff OF
King county can realize the expert
ence ! have undergone during the
past two years. | have lived in con
slant dread during all of these two
years that there would be an outbreak
of the prisoners confined in the iiimsy
structure called jail Why, only
l1St iiiSut bcCattt utltdSys ana got
up at 1880 o'clock and remained on
guard during the remainder of the
night. The old Jail affords no sutfi-
cient restraint for prisoners nor pro-
lection for officers. The prisoners are
so thiekly crowded in the old shell
that if they disobey the OIL
GERS. re can punish them in
no way. They are always on the look
out for a chance to escape, and the old
windows are SO hacked, and twisted,
and beaten that it is a wonder TO me,
every day, that there has not been an
| escape during the previous night. not
withdrawing our vigilance.
'All this means one thing: We
must have new jail | soon go out
of office, and | am not personally in
terested in the matter: but | do not
| want my successor 10 be
hampered, and troubled, and
| badgered on account az she
| Jail as have been. The new building
| should go mp regardless OF cost; but /
| do not think the expense of lots,
buildings and ali would amount to
over $50 600. and that is no consider
| alton whatever when compared with
the vital importance of the improve
| ment