The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-08-02
Excellent Work of Justice
Davis in His New Charge
General Cleansing.
CELLS MADE BRIGHTER.
A Pestilential Sewer Opened
WhiteWash In and Out of
Doors-Witness
Room.

| oAASc u uSViCo OdNl6 udS D6eQ 1alIoF o.
this county he has wrought many excell-
ent changes in the jail and he is still en-
gagged in the work. When he took pos
session of the institution he found it to be
in most filthy condition. and unified
for the habitation of the worst crimi.
mails. The loathsome odor that
permeated the building and filed
every room in it was at times
sitting. Justice Davis Immediately be-
gan to remedy this great evil. He caused
the filth that had accumulated on the
walls, iron bars and floors In the ward
rooms to be scraped off and thoroughly
removed. This required several weeks
time, for the work was all
done by prisoners serving out sentences.
AS soon as the greasy and ill-smelling
stuff was removed, the walls of the ward
rooms were tho roughly whitewashed.
The iron work about the windows and
cells had been pain ted black to conceal
the filth allowed to accum mulate,
and the walls had black
border about five feet high for the same
reason. The black has been entirely
scrapsd off. A bright. light colored paint
has been put on the iron work and the
walls whitewashed to the ground. This
has rendered the prisoners cells much
more cheerful.
The same cleansing methods have been
employed in each ward room in the Jail,
and the noxious odor that formerly filled
the place has disappeared. When paint
has been used, two. and even.three coats
have been used. There are several apart
ments yet that have not been painted
and dozen men are now at work, scrap
ing, washing and painting. Particular
care has been taken to make the ward
rooms OF the female prisoners as habit
able as possible and decided improve
ment is readily discerned by visitors.
| The roof, too, has been put into fair
condition. 1t leaked in a dozen places
over the women's ward when the ex-
| to be caught in buckets as it ran through
the plaster of the ceiling. These leaks
have been stopped. and the discolored,
| yellow walls have been whitened.
Another much needed improvementb has
been made by Jailer Davis A thirty
inch sewer runs through the jail and
finds an outlet in the MAN sewer In New
ark avenue. In the jail yard
there are two manholes that
open into the Jail sewer. Mr..
Davis caused this sewer to be examined
and was astonished to find that with a
diamater of thirty inches the sewer only
had a passage way of three or four
inches to carry off the refuse. The
sewer was almost choked up
with filth that had accumulated
for years, probably. The jailer promptly
had this disease breeding pipe properly
cleaned and now the Jail has drainage
of the full size of the sewer. The horri-
BILE smell caused by it has disappeared
and the prisoners derive much comfort
thereby.
OUT DOOR IMPROVEMENTS
Continuing his Improvements, Jailer
| Davis cauSe0 riCkaGv old atabia for
years In disuse, to be torn down and
broken into firewood, which is piled up
| id the cellar of the Jail. The yard has
been cleaned up and several prisoners are
working daily relaying the pavement.
| Where sunken pavements formerly left
holes for rain water to fill and stand un-
til removed by evaporation the ground
has been raised and recovered by
the old tagging. The walls
about the grounds have been
| given several coats of whitewash,
and they now show great Improvement
on their former condition of dirty colored
brick and washed out cement. When the
work is finished in the jail yard the place
will be what it should be, q clean and
well kept ground.
laundry for the attendants will also be
thoroughly renovated within a few
weeks, and the dirt beGrimed walls will
be covered with clean white paint. A new
board flooring has been laid in the
cellar and in the kitchen which is
the care and watchfulness of Matron
Murray and it is Kept secured as
clean as pin. The apartments
used by Matron Murray and the
attendants are also being papered and
painted and the rooms where
the work is done will present a very pleas
ant appearance. A new and much need
ed carpet has been placed on the floor of
the dining room, and the disgusting old
and tattered rag that was in the Office and
prisoners sitting room has been replaced
by a bright oilcloth. The hall has oil
cloth on it also, and looks much better
| than bare boards painted a sombre color.
TRUE REFORM
The great improvement made by Jaifer
Davis, however. is the new room for wit
nesses who, from unfortunate oircum-
in jail. This This room contains @ Dnbs% bue
| one bed of full size, and it
is more than comfortably furnished with
| easy chairs, pictures, toilet stand, clock
and ornaments. This room, of course. is
not for the use of all persons detained in
jail as witnesses from some un-
| fortunate circumstance, but will
| be placed at the disposal of
| persons accustomed to a refined home,
| to whom the talk in the ordinary deten-
| tion rooms would be torture. The room
is in the portion of the building occupied
| by the attendants, and it is remote from
the cells. The only indication that it rs q
part. of the jail is the iron bars at the
| window.
Jailer Davis said today that when he
was through with his work OF placing
the jail in presentable condition Is would
be such that any county might be proud
OF it and not as. formerly. aipubhc shame.
Held for Four Dollars.
| John A. Guinan, of No. 17S Grand
street, was prisoner before Justice
| Weed this morning, accused of robbing