The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-06-14
ooveR,s QUEER JAIL.
a New Hampshire Towns imprcEnah
St.i.

a New Hampshire Towns imprcgnnhic
Fortress for Criminals.
Dover jal, rs this place of coniino-
mcut is termed is situated on the SUM
NIT Of a commanding hill about one and
a quaIIer miles from the depot. There
are practically two brick buildings con
ncctcd by meek" Thefront building
is throo stories in height, and is used as
residence for tho sheriff and his fam
lily. Tho rear building is two-and-a-
half stories in height, and contains tho
rotating coils. while the 'ncck' between
comprises tho guard-room on the first
floor and four cells for female prisoners
on tho second. The rotating cells in
the rear building form the patented por.
tion of the jail. Thorc' arc twenty of
them, and there is only ono entrance or
cXit for tho entire numbur, and that
passage Is separated from the guard
room by four iron-barrcd gates and one
solid iron door When an officer desires
to 500 prisoner lac doesn't go TO him,
he simply turns q crank and brings tho
man in confinement around to the guard
room.
The principle OF tho Jail is simply
this: To have one entrance to the coils,
and to keep the prisoners away from the
entrance at all times. except when thoy
are wanted. The interior OF the rear
building, or Jail proper, resembles gil
gantic cagc. There is an immense cir
cular grating extending around tho in
terror of tho structure. and in this circle
rcvolve tho two tiors of cells, there be-
ing on each tier ten compartments. The
front of each cell is almost open, except
for an iron plate running from tho top
Of tho upper tier to the bottom of the
lower This offers little more solidity
to prisoners residence than would be
afforded by the grating simply, which
shows, when the iailcr wants man, an
astonishing prcdilcction for slipping
away. The iron plating is also used to
hold up the ends of two hammocks,
which arc used by the prisoners to sleep
in.
The ten coils on each tier are arranged
in circle, and it is obvious that the
outer end is quito wide. while the inner
is very narrow. They don't quito go
down to a point, however, for in the
center of this big squirrel cage" as
somc of tho prisoners delight to call it,
is u big hollow pipe, which, besides be-
ing the pivot on which the cells turn,
answers for big vontilator, and also
contains tho water pipes necessary to
supply the prisoners.
The two circular floors of tho Jail are
hung from tho roof Of the rear building
SO that the Jail swings very easily in
side the circular grating. Every thing |
is ball bearing except the crank gearing, |
and the tiers turn so easily that n |
twclve-ycar-old boy can move the twen-
ty coils and their occupants without
much trouble. The interior of this
square brick building looks more like q
chccBobox monitor turret than any thing
else, except that, instead of the whole
turret turning only the inside of 1.-THE
around. When tho jailer
desires TO sec man ho iirst unlocks the
door of the compartment containing the
crank and gearing by which the cells
are moved. This door is fastened by a
which is known only to the
sheriff himself. Then with key he
lnbolts the iron door which separates
tho passageway to the revolving tiers
rom tho gnard room. This done, he
lnlocls Il paddock which holds the brake
Of the moving tiers in place, and then
yrinds away at the gearing which turns
the tiers This is 50 perfectly adjusted
that it can be moved by tho little fin
ger, and it can be turned when tho pris-
oners are asleep without waking one of
hem. When tho cell containing tho
prisoner desired is opposite the passage
way, the jailer unlocks three moro IRON
barred gateways. each lock taking a
liffcrcnt key, and then has his man at
iand.
Tho same work is necessary upstairs
o get at prisoners in tho upper cells,
he mechanism there boing an exact
duplicate of that below.-Boston Her
Id.