The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-06

casters. The chairs for the jury are very
comfortable. The criminal department
occupies the whole of the north wing. the
courtroom being the largest in the build
ing, sixty-one feet eleven inches by thirty
nine feet two inches. Connected
with il is spacious jury room fifteen feet
eleven inches by nineteen feet three
inches, fully equipped and made COM
Portable with all modern conveniences.
Judge Humes will have the best judicial
facilities obtainable. Three rooms are con-
nected with the courtroom, near the
judges bench, one of which he will oc-
cupy as his private Office, and another IS a
court chamber. The other wing, the south
one, is divided between Judge Lichtenberg,
who attends to the equity and probate
business, and Judge Osborn, the civil
business. Judge Lichtenberg has the
western division of this wing, really the
southwest corner of the building, but
his courtroom is rather cramped,
being only 36x39 feet. Judge Os-
born's courtroom is not much larger,
being 80 feet inches by 80 feet. Opera
chairs have been arranged for spectators
in both court-rooms. The jury room OF
Judge Osborn's court is Is feet Ii inches
by 19 feet inches. Both Judges Lichten-
berg and Osborn are provided with spa
cious private offices and chambers, nicely
fitted up and furnished. In the center
wing to the rear-on the east side-is the
law library. a very commodious room, be-
ing 80 by 46lz feet, with plenty of light,
and furnished with long writing tables
and chairs. County Clerk Spencer's
offices extend across the front
side-on the west-between the
court-rooms. 1t takes UP the whole of the
front gable, and is "a by % feet inches in
dimensions, besides roomy private office.
1t is equipped with a long counter, which
will be provided with an ample number OF
cases and pigeon-holes for the court sta
tionery. This Office is provided with an
immense fi-eproof vault, ~ feet inches in
length by feet 10 inches in width, fitted
up with the latest Improvements in the
way of metallic file cases and furniture.
There are three vault doors. 1t might be
mentioned here that the judicial depart
ment is we'll looked after as regards the
water supply, water filters, embracing the
Georgia porous rock system of filtering,
having been set in each courtroom.
County Clerk Spencer contemplates still
another accommodation for the bar,
bulletin board in the corridor, announc-
ing, in proper and most satisfactory man
ner, the business of the several courts
daily.
So much for the judicial department.
An ascent may now be made of the dome
before going through the other offices. The
garnet, just above, is the first thing
observed, and does not exhibit much
attractiveness, neither does the interior of
tower. for that matter, for it is still left in
a very unfinished state. About eighty-ive
feet above the ground is the octagon
balcony with colonnade, its eight columns
about twenty feet high supporting the
dome overhead. Several flights of
rude stairs finally place one in
the clock tower about 125 above
the ground Here are four dials, each five
feet in diameter, to indicate the tine-keep-
ing of the clock to be set agoing in the
center. The dizzy cupola is finally reached,
and, leaning over the balcony railing,
where several trespassers have already cut
their peculiar nomenclature, one of them
proud Nebraskan, panoramic sweep of
the grand view is obtained. Thus the
dome reciprocates somewhat for the adj
miring chances which its simple Doric
curves generally attract from the humble
pedestrian spectator below.
Now for the first floor and basement.
The first office to the right of the entrance
is that of the treasurer; next the asses
sor's. These occupy the west half of the
south wing. Across the corridor are the
prosecuting attorneys and sheriff's offices.
A private stairway leads down from the
sheritf's Office to the Jail. The surveyors
off nd lti Y,o nd
room take up the whole of the center wing
to the rear. To the left of the main en-
trance are the offices of the uperinten-
dent of schools, county commissioners
and the county auditor, taking up the
whole of the north wing, that is, the audi
tors offices occupy the most of 1t. All
the offices are spacious and light. The
auditors apartments combine a main
room, a recording room, an abstracting
room and a private Office. The county
commissioners have both a public meet
ing chamber, and private chamber to
retire to when necessary. A fine map
rack is one of the equipments of the pub
lie room. The main office of the auditor is
45 feet s inches by IS feet inches. 1t has
an immense counter, which is in the form
of hollow square. The record vault is
% feet inches by Is feet inches, with
the best known vault fixtures such as
cases, files, and patent rollers and omni-
buses-all of steel. The door and the
windows are all fitted with safe doors and
locks. The other offices having vaults are
those of the treasurer, sheriff, surveyor
and assessor, and they are all strictly fire.
proof.
Down in the basement are the iails. To
the right of the entrance, and occupying
the west half of the south wing are the
minors. Jail, SO feet inches by Is feet
inches: the common female Jail, SO feet 4
inches by IL feet IL inches, and the female
strong Jail Is feet inches by IS feet inch
The common jail for males is situated in
the east half of this wing, and is IS feet 4
inches by So feet. A jailer's office and bed
alcoye separate it from the strong Jail,
which Is in the center wing to the
rear. The strong Jail, already occu-
pied with almost a full complement
of prisoners, is 81 feet by 46 feet
10 inches. A pantry and large kitchen ad-
join it on the north. The strong Jail is fitted
up with cage of twelve chilled steel cells,
tool proof, locked by combination locks,
the cells being arranged in two divisions
OF six each. and facing toward common
corridor and bathroom in the center. The
cells are SHx51 feet in size, each big
enough TO accommodate four prisoners.
They were put in by the Van Dorm Com
pany, and each is supplied with vents and
proper conveniences, hammocks being
used instead of cots, thus preventing the
accumulation of vermin. The common
lail for males contains an iron caya Of @ao