Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-08-01
TUE ASYLUM TRANSFERRED.
Or. Rowland Steps in as srperinten.
dent aud Dr. bane Steps Out.

The past week has been a busy
one aud full Of excitement at the
Oregon state asylum for the insane,
There has been sound Of hurrying
feet and the inmates were nearly
puzzled to death over the unusual
proceedings attendant upSn the
quadrennial cleanup Becessitated
by change of superiuteudency.
DIR. Rowland was OF hand bright
and early attended by his assistant, !,
DR.. Griffith. The nearly score of
inventory clerks were still busy in
putting the finishing touches OF
their work when the final moment
came.
THE TRANSFER
was made at O'Clock by DIR. Row
land presenting his certificate Of ap-
pOintmeut, and entering upon his
duties as superintendent. Tue in
ventory was completed Friday in
triplicate, a copy being delivered to
the new incumbent, one going to
the secretary of state and one re.
tanned by DR.. Lane. The inventory
lists contain each article of property,
clothing and uteusil on the premises
nll checked as to condition and
quality. DIR. Lane gave "a receipt
for all valuables comprising about
$34G3 y in money belonging TO
patients and other personal property.
The inventory had been all checked
over for the new adminisi ration by
City Attorney Richardson at an ex-
peuse of $40 day. For this prop
erty DE-. Rowland then receIl ted
DIR. Lane had ali his personal effects
l'acked in IA wagon at the back door,
ready to start for the mountains
where he will spend his vacation
fishing and hunting as is his custom
every summer. His family accom-
panies him this year, after which he
will go east.
LANES ADMINISTRATIONS.
Dr.. Harry Lane took charge July
l, 1897 At that time there were
31S male and 14s female patients, a
total of 466. On the evening of July
81, 1891, there were 47S male and 212
females, $50 in all In 1887 there
were 2S5 acres of land; today the
asylum farm Comprises l045 acres, the
late purchases being nearly all good
lands. Where there were 80 acres
tillable in 1887 there are now $50
acres under cultivation. In the way
of buildings boiler house, engineers
shop, addition to laundry aud two
wings have been added by the
board of trustees A system of hot
water heating, library and pumping
works of 3,0O0,OO0 a day capacity
have also been added. There has
been an increase in the cattle on she
place. III 1887 there were 26 head of
cattle, s horses and 81 swine There
are now 81 head of cattle, a dozen Of
them thoroughbreds, 2l horses and
mules, 147 head of swine.
THE COTTAGE PLAN,
to which DR.. Lane has given his
heart and soul, and which he hoped
to be able to complete, has been
carried out in Europe and adopted
by the most progressive American
institutions. All the best new insti-
tutions are constructed on the cot
tage plan. Another feature of pro-
gressive asylum management is CIV
ing the patients the largest possible
amount of outdoor farm work,
which alone enables them to sleep
at night and get physical strength
without the use of drugs. This APP
plies to women as well as to men.
They then require very little i'm
prIsonment, and by the separation
and abolishing of physical and men
tai restraint recoveries are more fire.
quent. By putting in an allaround
vegetable diet the death rate fell
from 10 per cent to 6, and no asylum
in America has bigger dietary of
vegetables and small fruits. and
smaller diet of drugs than the Ore
gon institution under DIR. Lane.
The asylum has required less drugs
in proportion as the patients got
more vegetables and fruit and out
door exercise, and DR.. Lane deserves
not little credit for this sort of
progress. Next year, he thinks the
farm can make all its butter and
cheese, supply its own milk and
have all this work done by the
patients. The farm is turned over
with big crops and immense supplies
of all descriptions for the coming
year, and there is no good reason
why subsistence charges shall not
become lower.
The editor of the JOURNAL has
gone over the asylum carefully and
does not hesitate to say that in his
opinion the asylum has had good |
management. Criticisms made two
years ago were published in the
JOURNAL, and the JOURNAL was
the only newspaper in this section
that took a hand in showing up
what it believed were abuses in the
asylum. II is convinced that those
abuses have been corrected and that
DIR. Lane would not knowingly have I
let any abuse go uncOrrected. In All