The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-01-24
The Legislators Inspection of the
Insane Asylum Yesterday.
The OyER-CRowDED CONDITION.
Urgent Necessity that More Room be at
Once Provided Royal Treatment
From Provo People.


reaching Provo at noon.
The party consisted of Governor Thomas |
the following members of the Legislature:
From the Council-Messrs. Hatch, Hall,
Olsen and Booth. Of the Rouse-Wood,
Sergeant, Bennion, Stewart, Reid, Lund,
Lowe, Ferrin, Johnson, Porter. Robinson,
Williams and Russell. Officers of the
Council-Barrel, Picket and Cazier Ofic-
ers of the House = Smoot, PAYNE
and Maughn; Judges Henderson, Black
burn, and ex-oudge Judd; Marshal Par
sons; w. II. Brown, John T. Game, Jr., of
the Agricultural college board and Prof
j. w. Sanborn, the president of the faculty
OF the college, and representatives of THE
HERALD, Tribune, and Ogden Commercial
The train consisted of two coaches and a
baggage car.
THE RUN DOWN
was uneventful, except thot Bishop Hatch
and Judge Judd entertained those in the
royal car, i. e. the one which the governor.
judges, bishops, THE HERALD man and
other ton occupied.
At Provo royal reception awaited the
visitors. The mayor of Provo, members
of the asylum board, the Opera House
band and leading citizens were at the
station with sleighs, cutters. buggies.
the party to their destination. The drive
to the asylum was pleasant and Jolly. Ar
rived at the institution Dr. Pike and as
sistants were there and the visitors were
ushered through the asylum entering the
basement, and from there being conducted
on through the several departments of the
building TO the garnet.
The building has been so frequently
described that we will not do more at this
time than give general outline descrip-
ton. The asylum is located one mile east
of the beautiful city of Provo right at the
foothills of Mount 10, one CT the romantic
and rugged peaks of the Wasatch
A broad, well graded avenue leads di-
rectly up from Proyo's business centre to
the asylum, so that from the latter direct
view can be had down the chief business
street of this city to the peaceful Utah
lake, three miles beyond. Indeed. the
whole lovely valley can be seen from the
asylum. The building is three stories HIGH.
the first being of solid stone and the other
two OF brick. The style, though altogether
economic, is very slightly.
ONLY THE SOUTH WING
of the building has yet been put up, and
when the centre and north wing are com
pleted, the whole will be an imposing and
commodious structure.
The present facilities were only intended
10 acconmoudue % paUlenUS, DuU at present
there are 129 patients besides about twenty
attendants, making $50 in all.
Every room and corner that can possibly
be utilized for such purpose is filed with
beds. The beds are necessarily single
The female ward contains sixty-nine beds.
twelve Of these occupy the room formerly
used for the medical superintendent
office; twelve others are located in the
cross corridor, six on the dormitory. six in
an unfinished lavatory; the balance are in
the eighteen small rooms intended only for
one bed each.
In the male ward seventy three persons
are accommodated during the day, but at
night twenty-four of these sleep up in
ward G.
The attendants are obliged to sleep in
the same room with these demented pa
tients, the separate rooms intended for
them all being given up to the use of the
patients This Is the case both among the
males and females.
THIS STATE OF THINGS
means risk that few of US would care to
take. AS DR.. Pike explains there is great
danger of some of the more violent patients
Selling the first weapon at hand and brain
ing all within their reach. One or two in
stances have already occurred where the
attendant and fellow patients have been at
tackled by the more violent inmates The
offices of the steward and matron are 10
Gated in the rock basement, as make
shift. The kitchen aud bakery are also on
this level. The plan contemplates that
this basement should not be oc-
cupied at all, but should be
free for the circulation of air which is con-
Quoted from here into the wards above.
The wash room is temporary lumber con-
cerd of small dimensions, but is conducted
in business style. Indeed this may be
said of the whole institution. Every
Granny was inspected by the visitors, and
everywhere, system, order, cleanliness
and humanity prevails. No tidy housewife
can excel this home for the insane in these
qualities. The white spreads and walls
are spotless, the floors are polished and
scrupulously clean, pictures are hung on
the walls tastifully, large and substantial
oaken chairs are fastened to the floor
around the rooms and halls, and the
patients are generally very well behaved.
1t was a remarkable circumstance
that not one patient out of the one hundred
and twenty-nne had to be or was locked
up during the visit yesterday All were
loose and could come and go as they
pleased. Two only had their hands tied
1t was pitiful to hear the insane murmur-
ings and see the
WILD AND AJMLEsS ACTIONS
of these poor del1ded beings, but they seem
perfectly harmless. This is the effect of
proper care and treatment.
During the winter the whistle blows at
O'Clock. when all are expected to arise
and preprre for breakfast which is served
in the respective wards an hour later. In
summer of course, this time is changed
to suit. During the day, in pleas
ant weather. the patients, all who
able, are taken out into the neighborlng
hills and fields for walk, but otherwise
are amused and entertained IN their
wards, the sexes being kept strictly sep
arata. except when public entertainments
are given. These entertainments which
are of a musical and literary character.
used to be given at stated intervals but
have been abandoned, owing to the cramped
condition of things.
This with the other unfavorable circum-
stances mentioned of course detract from
the percentage of cures effected. Still the
percentage is greater than one would sup
pose. DR.. Pike in his report to the board
saws: 1.-THE percentage of discharges as
against the number recovered during the
year was 335S per cent. This is not as large
a percentage of discharges as is credited to
to the asylums where every facility for
treatment is at the disposal of the manage
ment: but it must be deemed a very favor
able showing considering the disadyan
tages here labored under from lack of room
to properly classify the cases."
THE GREAT BLESSINGS
that flow from such an institution as this
are incalculable in dollars and cents. What
sum of money could counterbalance the
bringing of a human life back from the
chambers of death! No amount however
ponderoas. Is it not as great God-send,
that one whose reason is dethroned, who