The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-01-07
The County Jail Burned !

Last Saturday. about II, 80 a. m J. c. Nc
Manus. Janitor of the Court House. went to the
Jail and asked Sheriff Jones if he had any extra
| fire in the building that would cause any of the
rooms to be filed with smoke. The sheriff said
he did not know of any, and McManus then
yentured the opinion that the building was on
fire. The Sheriff had just got planted unco
right. fast by an ingle bleezing finely'' and he
reluctantly arose from his rocking chair in front
of the cheerful fire of the coal heaped CRATE.
Thinking that one of the rickety chimneys at
the rear of the ancient ediice had filed some of
the back rooms in the third story with smoke
| a thing of not infrequent occurrence. He there
fore leisurely ascended the stairs and commenc-
| ed cropping his way back toward the south end
of the building. The unusual quantity of smoke
caused him to think seriously about fire, and he
quickly opened door leading into long room
at the right. dense column of smoke poured
into his face and it was with the greatest diff
Guilty that he could resist the strang Cling effects
| and retreat safely from the deadly gases The
alarm was promptly sounded, and in few
minutes three streams of water were playing
upon the building, but it was impossible to
get at the fire, account of the peculiar con-
struction of the building. the iron grated win
dows prevented the ffremen breaking in. as
effectually as they have prevented prisoners
from breaking out, The fire being in the south
end, the only way to get at it was by climbing
the stairs at the north end and passing through
a hall, narrow as to scarcely permit ones
| turning around in it. This so-called hallway"
extended nearly the entire length of the build
ing, and was entered through very small aper-
! lures, which it were play upon words to call
doors. Trap doors would be more appI opriate.
10 the left of this narrow lane was long, un-
finished room of CO extensive length. and to
the right was a number of finished rooms and
to the right of these another unfinished room.
corresponding to the one to the left of the hall
way. 1t was in these unfinished rooms that the
fire was raging, and the smoke in the hallway
was so dense that no human being could live in
it minute. The fire was thus literally nom
get-at- able. and ragged within its prison walls
in defiance of the immense quantities of water
poured upon and into the building. Until an
opening was burned through the slate roof
nothing could be done except to flood the rooms
in the second story and keep the wall wet to
prevent their cracking. Thus the unequal con-
test went on until the roof fell. and even then
it was dark before the last spark of the stub
born element was extinguished. Court House
Park was flooded with the water which rushed
down the stairway and out the front doorway
like mill race, and had it been possible to
get at the fire in its incipiency, it would not be
necessary to write these lines. The Fire De-
partment did all that it was possible to do to
save the building, but the ruin is complete, for
what the fire did not accomplish the water did
There were three prisoners in the Jail when
the fire was discovered, viz: Wickwire, Hilder-
hoof and Day, who were given quarters in the
Court House until the afternoon train on the
P II W.. when theo were taken to Warren, in
charge of officer Mason,
All the household goods belonging to Sheriff
Jones were taken out. but they were injured by
water and breakage fully $2t0, which there
was no insurance.
The Jail was insured for So OC0 in the Phenix,
of Hartford.
Ifanyone visiting the ruin ever had the slight
est doubt about the horrible condition of
Portage County Jail. it was quickly annihilated
by one sniff of the indescribable, sinking.
rotten. nauseous odor which greeted his nostrils
on approaching the front portal. To ask an
official to move his family into such an abom-
Unable place is simply outrageous. while the
poor wretehes confined in the jail proper calls
for the Indignant protest of every humanitarian.
We were very sorry to see the old Jail burned.
but there is the consoling reflection that it will
cause this modern Dartmoor to be replaced by
a prison constructed with reference to the in
carceration of human beings. for, whether the
old walls are used again or torn down, if Portage
County has Jail it is now absolutely necessary
to build one. And right here word about the
cost of a new structure. Probably many of our
friends entertain honest fears that it would be
enormous and would be felt very keenly by in
dividual taxpayers. We simply cite them to
the cases of some of their brethren, who. three
years after the new Court House was paid for,
were worrying and borrowing trouble over the
prospective impoverishment of Portage County
taxpayers, on account of the great debt of $780,
600 for new Court House, and many of them
refused to believe that it was paid until shown
the indisputable proof of the records. Their
portion was so nall they did not know when
they.were paying for it, Portage County should
have jail commensurate with the requirements
of such an institution. among which healthful-
ness is among the chief, and without making it
a Luxurious home for criminals" we believe
| the people of the county will favor building
of handsome proportions, solii material and
architectural beauty.