The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-08-06


while reading them. Many of the books have been
greatly damaged by this practice. Be careful with
the books, for they the best friends you have
in prison. Remember that after you have read a
book your fellow prisoner will want to read it.
"A young man who was released last Saturday
after having served ten years sentence, went
swimming in White Bear Lake Sunday. and came
very near losing his life. He swan out SO far that
before he could get back to the shore he was
almost exhausted. He tainted soon as he
reached the beach.
Mr.. JAS W. Murphy. member of the Mime.
apolis post Office force guest of the prison
Friday. Mr.. Murphy introduced by letter
from ex Gov. McGill to Deputy Lemon who did
not fail to show the visitor all that to be seen
in and about the place.
While two of the inmates were coupling
steam pipe in the bathroom last Thursday,
rivet in the boiler head blew out. passing with the
velocity of rife ball in close proximity to their
heads. Fortunately neither of the we're in.
jured. but one of them showed evidences of his
fright for several hours afterwards.
Foreman Sutton will be looked after during
the next month by his brother aldermen. Mrs.
Sutton and the children start to-day for Pennsyl-
90 on to visit friends in New York. Mr.. Sutton is
very much broken up because he can't go too, but
the order for thirty new engines knocked out all
his calculations.
Guard Cayou was out to the farm of Joseph
Tarte last Sunday and saw remarkable freak Of
nature. This freak is calf or rather two calves.
It has two perfectly formed bodies from the
shoulders back. The shoulders are double and
have four legs making eight legs in all. The
head is perfect with the exception of the under
jaw which is double. If had lived it would have
proved great side show attraction.
The Thresher company has ordered its fore.
men to manufacture thirty new l4.horse power
engines. These in addition to the regular
seasons work just finished. 1t will be few days
before the boiler makers can begin raising thun-
der again, the quality and diminsions of the
boiler iron used by the company has to be made
to order. This order will call back to work
many of the men recently laid off. When the
farmer iourshes all branches of industry partici.
pate in his good fortune.
They have on exhibition in the Office of the
engine shop queer specimen of matter taken
out Of an old boiler that brought in for re.
pairs. The engine had been in use in N. Dakota,
posted in the boiler by the evaporation of the
alkali water of that state. The whole inside of
the boiler was lined to thickness Of about two
inches with this sediment which was baked until
nearly as hard iron. The matter is black and
lays in thin strata and closely resembles slate.
| The large smokestack over the old boiler
house north of the cell building was taken down
last Thursday. 1t was sixty feet high, and good
deal Of careful engineering was required to get it
down without accident. All the sailors in the
prison were drafted for the work. Guy ropes were
attached above the middle of the stack, the iron
guys we're detached, and then it was allowed to GO
down gradually until it rested on the wall. 1t was
found to be badly rusted. that it would un'
doubtedly have fallen of its own weight within
another year.
One of the inmates seating himself in the
BARRIERS chair last week preparatory to being
shaved, took from his pocket pill box and pro
ceeded to take pill This action excited the
curiosity Of the tonsoral artist, who has the char
acterstics of his loquacious brethren of the out
side world, and he inquired what ills of the fest
the pills we're int ended to cure. He was told thai
the pills we're opium, taken for the purpose of al
leviating the pain of the operation he was abou
to undergo. The operation of shaving per
formed in silence and with reckless haste tina
convinced the victim that it was not polite to at
| tempt witticisms with prison barber.
"A committee of the city council visited tn
prison Thursday to witness test of the watel
works. Aldermen Yates, Sutton and Eichter
were the committeeman. The hose was attached
| to the hydrant in front of the engine room. The
dollhouse tower, which is something over sixt,
feet high, was used as mark. The stream o.
water shot up at least fifteen feet above the top
the tower. The pressure was shown to be exactly
100 pounds The test was considered as very
satisfactory. There is no building in the prison
now the tops of which cannot be reached will
several good streams of water trial was made
with the engine house pump, and it forced the
water several feet higher than the the water
works did.
There is good joke on the foreman of the
Irvine factory. When they quit work Saturday
evening there were unfinished balls of Irvine or
the oalling machine. This was Irvine that was be
ing re.wound, and the ends of several balls of the
loose Irvine had been tied together. and then ont
end of each lot Of balls had been attached to the
spindles. Well. before the men reached the fac
tory Monday morning the machinery had beer
running some time. and the winding went merrily