The record-union., 1893-04-10
At FOLSOM PRISON.
Good Progress Being Made on the
Big Canal.
Electric Power Already In Use
Work on the New Cell Building
Well Kept Prison.

The Folsom Telegraph of Saturday con-
tains the following account of the pro-
gress being made on the Folsom motor
power canal and the new cell building:
Great progress is being made in the
excavation of the canal. when it is borne
in mind that the course of the waterway
partly lies through solid rock. This has
to be drilled and blasted out piece by
piece; then dumped over the side of the
embankment, which it thus widens and
strengthens. The drills are nearly
all worked by compressed air.
This air is generated in the power house,
and supplied through a pipe 1900 long
to various points along the course of
the canal Some OF these drills strike
blow of $50 pounds.
The section of canal now in progress is
about 800 feet long. When finished it
will be about forty feet wide at the top,
/ thirty feet wide at the bottom, or bed,
and nine and three-quarters feet deep.
When full the canal will carry water suf-
ticient TO turn nine wheels, though only
six will be used. Besides this the canal
will supply power for the electric light
dynamo and the huge water pumps.
At present the power provided operates
the pumps, the air compressors, eight
large derrcks on the canal, besides two
engines and one drill in the Quarries, a
large engine in the stone yard and one in
| the upper yard. Two new dynamos have
just been received, and are shortly to be
put in place at the prison. These ma
chimes will furnish twenty arc lamps for
the hills and outside points, and 800 in
candescent lights for the inside. Every
cell will have one such light. These will
burn until bedtime, when only those in
the corridors will remain alight. Outside
the arcs will turn night into artificial day
all over the grounds.
Work is being pushed on the new cell
building. The cells will be two stories
high and will be seventy in number, of
capacity of four prisoners in each cell.
| Its size is l29X37 Ieet. Its floor is conf
| posed or fifteen or sixteen feet of solid
stone, on top of which will be layer of
concrete and cement, which will make it
/ twenty feet in all. Wash-houSes, closets
and other necessary chambers have q
place in the plan.
| When this building is finished the end
of the old building, which joins this, Will
be cut out, and thus the two will be
thrown into one. The work is OF the
most permanent and solid kind possible,
the central wall, which runs the whole
length Of the now structure, being of
solid masonry three feet thick. Iron gal
leries Will run around these cells. We
passed through the power-house. Every
thing is running as smoothly as so much
I
We passed through the grounds, and
though the backwardness OF the season
prevented the appearance of the wealth
OF bloom which another month will de-
velop, the scrupulousiy kept air which
everything wore cONld not but pleas
antly strike the observing eye.
No one would expect 10 find Il State
Prlson-a criminal hOme-iu such an adj
mirable condition. 1t is simply a revela-
ton of what care, discipline and atten-
ton to details can effect. Everything
was spotlessly clean, and one might well
have fearless eaten Il meal OFT the corridor
floors, so clean We're they. The spotlessly
white walls the faint but healthfuI odor
OF lime and chlorine, the neatly arranged
cells; these made US draw ugly COMPARE
sons as against most (if not ALI of our
hospitals and other public institutions of
a charitable nature.
We passed into the prisoners dining
rooms. The dinner hour was at hand.
Our guide lifted white cloth, and discov-
cred some excellent white bread which
would put to shame much OF that which
serves the tables of the free men OF the
land. Presently the prisoners passed in.
a perfect obedience to discipline seemed
to reign.
Out OF the whole 700 and odd men who
passed out from dinner, we saw but two
sullen, scowling faces that turned and
glared at one OF the guards. \ cheerful
obedience was the almost universal rule.
The excellent results obtained by the
Warden and his officers have earned for
the Folsom Prison national reputation.