Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-08-10
NEED NEW CITY JAIL
Meeting Of The Grounds and Buildings
Committee In This Connection.
THE OLD rnIsOy IyADEaUATE.
seven Gases of Typhoid-Fcver In the
Past Few Wccks-The Counch
site 10 he Selected Later.

Richmond wants n new city jail
This fact was clearly established AZ a
speclal meeting Of the Council Commit
tee on Grounds and Buildings held III
City-sergeant Epps's Office, at the prison.
yesterday afternoon.
This body held an informal sesalo" u
a couple OF hours. and besides Mess' =
r,,ns chairman, snead. Gunst, Seay'
King. Grimes. and Mountcasue' o, III.
committee. there were present Oo'onV'
Cptshaw. the city Engineer captain
- tbe city Sergeant; Or. Gordon the
..,',..tota, IN the jail. and DR.. open
biroer. president Of the Board OF heaiuh'
TN. condition Of the old jail was pre-
.,,,o1 nv Dr. Gordon and Sergeant
Ems The former went on to say 'ha'
the rrison was entirely inadequate ana
hacking In modern conveniepces. lie SAID
a rule governing the construction OF
prisons allowed about 800 cubic feet OF
air for each prisoner. The largest Oh
The cells nj the city jail he continued
would only contain about that quantity
az air while the smaller apartments only
contained about $50 cubic feet As RUE
2 and PERSONS are put in these ce'is'
making the allowance Of air to each prs
ouer about 100 TO rs cubic feet
40 HOSPITAL FACILITIES.
DR. Gordon called the attention Of the
committee TO tho need OF hospital laclii-
ties al the fail. He said that recently
There had been much sickness IN the
prIson. and ne had had much diihcuity III
caring for his patients. IN the past
fe,v weeks ne had had seven cases OF
t,.uhoid- fever. and he regarded ii very
dangerous thing for an epidemic 20 hieah
ant i'm one of the jail corridors
where about one hundred prisoners
are located.
Re,ng questioned by Colonel Cutshaw
mon The uolnt. Dr. Gordon said that
,tere had been deaths i'm the jail because
nj the lack Of air. The Physician ala
NOT regard the site of the pres mt jail as
"A GOOD one. owing 10 the fact that the
sub-soH is very damp. and the DRAINAGE
facilities very poor. lie thought high'
dry place would De far more preterable
a. a low spot. like the one on which the
flu is now located. Arrangements for
tsa care Of lunatics were fully discussed
and many views as 20 the needs Of the
city i'm the way OF a prison were pre-
scented.
OLD JAIL OUT OF THE QUESTION.
colonel Cutshaw explained the great
amount Of patchwork which had been
done 10 the old Jail In the past sixteen
wears. and said II was now Impractical
10 attempt to build 90 IL. lie remarked
that those high side walls were thin
and weak. and would probably be blown
down IN some cyclone What the city
should do. I'm ais opinion. was TO build a
now and modern jail sufficient 10 meet
all present requirements. and 50 construct
al that II could be added TO in fn-
ture al a small expense. 1t would cost
at least $1,000 or $4,000, he said, 20 build
such an addition to the old prison as
would afford accommodations for all the
inmates OF the institution.
Mr.. Epps seemed 20 think new jan
woIld not cost over $4,000. and in this
Mr.. Gunst c0ncurred. Mr.. Gunst stated
for the information Of the committee that
nv ono OF his resolutions the Council
ba1 apuointeI special committee or
five 10 look into the matter OF erecting
"a iqU. the same TO be paid for out OF the
r.rocaeIs Of the sale of some city property,
and rot by appropriation OF FUNDS.
lie added that. owing 10 the fact that
none of this property had as yet been dis
posed Of, ne had not called a meeting
of the special committee. OF which ne
was chairman. lie would. however do
This at once n the Grounds and Build
ings Committee would act and have its
action referred 10 this special body
After a great deal OF argument as to
what should Doe done under the cir
curnetances. Mr.. Gunst offered reso-
luton providing that the city erect a
new ian. the site 70 be selected here
after. This was adopted, and viii so
TO the Council at its next meeting.