Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-07-27

| me whether you do the amount OF
work in five hours or in twenty-four.,
! The convicts understood and compre.
hendei the trap they had fallen into
. and since then have worked faithfully.
, Up to date they have not been re.
quired to work over time. This ruse
of the warden has proved of decided
benefit to the State, for instead OF
turning out from $500 to 1000 sacks
per day the mill averages daily ca
pacity of 5000 sacks.
There are seventy looms in the mill,
sixteen spinning frames of one hun
dred and thirty-two spindles each and
numerous other pieces OF machinery
OF great and small dimensions. The
Ledger correspondent was shown about
the mill and was impressed by the
first question asked by the labor over
seer who acted as guide in picking out
the way among the labyrinth OF hum.
ming machinery and revolving wheels.
The overseer asked:
Have you a gum"
| Receiving an answer in the negative,
the overseer, in response to an inquir-
ing look, explained that none of the
officers and guards, whose duty it is to
mingle with the convicts, are per.
mitted to carry weapons OF any kind
1t would be an easy matter for them
to gain possession of the weapon, and
this done they could fight the guards
in the watch towers with their own
weapons and effect escape.
The mill is an immense building
2SS by 100 feet with warehouse in
close proximity 22O by 40 feet, dye
house Is by 10 feet, a blacksmith shop
Is by % feet, coal house "a by GO
feet, and an engine room and boiler
house so by 100 feet. Many of the
most desperate OF the convicts are EN-.
ployed in the mill where escape is
next to impossible. Barney Martin, a
robber and would-be murderer, from
Seattle, doing thirty-four year term,
and his pal, Davis, is also at work
here, serving out a nineteen year sem
tence. Murphy, Seattle's ex Chief of
the Fire Department who killed Phil
Dave, doing twenty year sentence,
has developed into an excellent spin.
ner and is good prisoner. A good
many of the Tacoma colony of lesser
fame are also at work turning out
sacks.
In the brick yard sixty men are en-
ployed; none of them, however, are
generally known or will be remem-
bered. Notwithstanding the general
impression to the contrary ninety per
cent. of the convicts would prefer to
work in the brick yard. They seem
to think that the opportunities OF
escape are more here than elsewhere
about the mill. However true this is
only one man has succeeded in effect
ing his escape from the yard and that
happened two years ago at a time
when the place was conducted with
different system. The circumstance
of the escape may prove interesting,
as illustrating the cleverness displayed
by some of the crooks. and is here
given: A grand larceny thief WAS en-
ployed one day at unloading brick
from box-car standing on a siding
near where the jute mill now stands.
In the car he found coat, shirt and
pair OF trousers, evidently having been
left there by a tramp. The convict
slipped into the clothes and ten min
utes later was observed leaving the
prison yard complacently walking be.
hing a brick wagon. A new watch
was stationed in the watch tower at
the entrance and seeing the prisoner
he called out:
"Where did you come from?"
"Came in through the other gate,
of course" replied the thief coolly.
"I don't believe it," answered the
guard reaching for his rifle. The cum.
ming convict pretending to become
highly indignant, exclaimed with
string of oaths:
What's wrong with you'll you must
be crazy. Do you take me for con-
vict? Must be a new man amt you?
Amt on to your job. Why, you would
suspect you own fstherl The warden
ought to send you back To the farm"
The harrange allayed the con6ding
guards suspicious and the, convict
escaped never to be recaptured, but
the guard was promptly discharged.
1t is peculiar fact that no insur-
ance is carried ON the penitentiary
property. The matter has worried the
warden not little, for jute, when soft
ened and dampened with oil, as is ne.
cessary in the process OF manufacture,
becomes almost as explosive as cotton
gin and must be handled carefully.
The plant is at such elevation that
the water received from the Walla
Walla city mains do not give sufficient
pressure and would be of no use in
case of fire. To guard against con-
fiagration and the necessary great loss
OF life which would attend fire in the
mill the warden has just completed an
immense we'll twenty-five feet in d.
ameter by sixty feet deep which holds
twenty-five feet of water. The we'll is
fed by springs Of such magnitude that
pump capable OF throwing 26,56O
gallons OF water a minute and q pulse
ometer throwing $4,000 gallons can.
not drain it dry. Plug connection
will be made with the we'll to the
pumps and thence to points of advan-
tage. This done it will be almost i'm
possible for fire to gain much head
way, for the pumps would soon flood
the mill and surrounding buildings.
The prison is on q knoll about three
Il. L.