The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-08-13
new LUNA9IC ASYLUM
Freeholders Inspect the Fin
ished Building and Test
the Apparatus.

A committee of the whole Board OF
F'reeholdefs inspected today the l"only
public building ever erected In Hudson
county without a word of scandal con-
nected with It," This is how Clerk Boyd
describes the new Lunatic Asylum at
Snake Hill. which cost $3.50. 900, and is
now ready for occupancy and merely
awaits the approval of the ~Freeholders.
For years the building now occupied
as a home for Hudson county's insane
has been practically a disgrace. Want
OF accommodation. bad sanitary ar
rangements and structural defects ad in
hnitum, all conspired to make the in
stitution as undesirable as possible. AS
the population of the county increased,
and the number of insane committed to
the Hill grew larger by year, the
disadvantages of the Insane Asylum as
a home for them became more pronounce
ed until the question of a new home
was forced on the Freeholders.
Prior to 1888 the Freeholders had talk,
ed of building one. but where was the
money to come from? What with the
cost OF the Boulevard, new bridges, re-
pairs here and there, and a thousand
and one hannels through which the pub
lie money ran, the board were afraid to
pass any resolution for a new Lunatic
Asylum. Finally the board, presided over
by Director A. M. Bruggeman, took up
the question and almost unanimously
passed the resolution ordering advertis-
ing for bids. These flowed in, and
Michael Kellaher was the lowest bid
der, n to him in 1898 the whole con-
tract was awarded.
A HANDSOME BUILDING,
Herman Kreitler's plan for the new
building showed a stone and brick build
ing $40 feet in length and OF a style
technically known under the f~uprehen-
sive term Of Renaissance" at is, If
one should take a church, u Jail, a
schoolhouse, a private dwelling and boil
them down by an artistic process, the
residuum would be the new Lunatic
Asylum.
Peculiar as the appearance of the in
stitution is or the north slope of the Hill,
it certainly Is attractive and is eminently
an ornament to the county, Its interior.
too, is worthy of praise. The fou stories
are laid out with the minutest attention
to the requirements of such an tnstitu-
tion. The rooms of the patients who's
reasons are dethroTed" are spacious n
comfortable, and all improvements neces-
say III q PS0Ae W ttLc Nthd t6Ct0t dlS
found there. The medical officers, nur-
ses and Wardens have cosy quarters. and
nothing is wanting to make them COM
Portable.
AS for the building in which are at
present located the insane, when. the
transfer Of patients to their new home
y effected, 1t will be used as a home Tor
structure at the foot of the Hsn called
the odd Mems PAVILION
TESTING STEAM APPARATUS.
After the Freeholders, guided by the
contractor and inspector, had examined
stairs and downstairs everything worth
looking at. they ordered the testing Of
CT doors and stll hotter In, they bravely
stood the test q the bsktng heat; saf srs
bubble good. Two hours spent in a care
ful inspscties eonyinee sow the f honor c,a ss
place and at the next meeting in Sep
TENDER a resolution accepting the Inst,
afterwards the patients will be removed
from their old home to the new