Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-06-17
oovER.s QUEER JAIL.


. Nav Hampshire Towns ImpreguRpi~
! Fortress for Criminals.
Dover ia1l, as this place OF coniine-
nant is termed, is situated on the sum-
NIT of q commanding hill about one and
A quarter miles from the depot. There
are practically two brick buildings con-
nected bv a meek" The front building
| il three stories in height, and Is used as
residence for the sheriff and his fam
| ilv. The rear building is two-and-a-
half stories in height, and contains the
rotating cells. while the meek between
comprises the guard-room on the first
floor and four cells for female prisoners
on the second. The rotating cells III
the rear building form the patented por-
ton of the jail. There are twenty OF
| them. and there is only one entrance or
| exit for the entire number. and that
| passage is separated from the guard
| room by four iron-barred gates and one
| solid iron door When an officer desires
to see prisoner he doesn't go to him.
| he simply turns crank and brings the
man in confinement around to the guard
| room.
The principle of the jail is simply
/
and to keep the prisoners away from the
entrance at all times, except when they
are wanted The interior of the rear
building or Jail proper resembles gl-
gantic cage. There is an immense cir
eular grating extending around the in
terror of the structure, and in this circle
revolye the two tiers 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 the top
of the 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 iailer wants man, an
astonishing prediction for slipping
away. The iron plating is also used to
hold up the ends of two hammocks,
which are used by the prisoners to sleep
in.
The ten cells on each tier are arranged
in circle, and it is obvious that the
outer end is quite wide, while the inner
is very narrow. They don't quite go
down to a point, however, for in the
center of this big squirrel cage" as
some of the prisoners delight to call it.
is big hollow pipe, which, besides be-
ing the pivot on which the cells turn
answers for a big ventilator, and also
contains the water pipes necessary to
supply the prisoners
The two circular floors of the Jail are
hung from the roof of the rear building
so that the Jail swings very easily in
side the circular grating Every thing
Ill 6eaf. II nj
and the tiers turn so easily that a
twelve-y ear-old boy can move the TWEEN
ty cells and their occupants without
much trouble. The interior of this
square brick building looks fautc like a
checsebox monitor turret than any thing
else, except that, instead of the whole
turret turning only the inside of 1.-THE
cells-moves around. When the jailer
desires to see man he first unlocks the
door of the compartment containing the
crank and gearing by which the cells
/ are moved This door is fastened by a
combination which is known only to the
sheriff himself. Then with key he
unbolts the iron door which separates
he passageway to the revolving tiers
from the guard room This done, he
unloclls paddock which holds the brake
Of the moving tiers in place, and then
rrinds away at the gearing which turns
the tiers. This is 50 perfectly adjusted
5 that it can be moved by the little fin
ger, and it can be turned when the pris
oners are asleep without waking one oil
) them. When the cell containing the
prisoner desired is opposite the passage
way, the jailer unlocks three more iron
barred gateways, each lock taking Z
. different key, and then has his man al
. hand.
p The same work is necessary up-stair:
10 get at prisoners in the upper cells
: the mechanism there being an exact
duplicate OF that below - Boston Her
aid.