St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-08
SHoHEi AIRY HART WOULD HAVE 1T
AT THE FOOT OF CEDAR
STREET,
RISING NEAR THE BLUFF.
AT ONCE A CHEAP, SECLUDED AND
EASILY FORTIFIED LOCA-
TION.
1T WOULD BE A UNIQUE DESIGN.
But the Secretary Thinks 1t Would
Not Only Be Practicable, but
Speedily Initiated.

The quarterly bulletin of the state board of
corrections and charities was issued yester-
DAY. 1t contains the quarterly statement of
the state institutions, as follows:
The population of the state institutions
passed the 5000 mark in December ISe5 and
is now now Feb 20, 1896 513O. -
ne e current expense appropriation amoiInt-
25O; of this amount SAP 500 was sfill P-UU, W1-
uraWn JAM 81, 1896. The institution treasur-
ers had on hand $47,S6O, and the superintend-
ents held in trust SAL 1868 belonging to in
mates. The current expense surDIus which
amounted to $55,772 at the beginning of the
year, mas decreased to $4,000. Five institu-
lions LIONS showed deficiency at the end of Jan
uary, indicating the closeness of the appro-
prlations for the year.
Ihe average number of inmates main
talned IN the state institutions for the year
three years. 001' -
The average expense per capita for the
year ending Jan. 81, 1896, was S1S6: the low
est since 1888, ranging from S1s5 at the state
training school to $2S9 at the state reform
atory; The cost of food for each person fed
was WAS do'o cents per day, the lowest ever re-
PuDnc school at 14.9 at the soldiers home
-FOUR institutions show a food per diem of
and employees.
The prices of staple articles of food continue
very W low. The price of flour ranged from
S:sS cS per barrel at Fergus Falls to So IS at
f heo wing, averaging $2.94. Butter ranged
from 1873 cents at Saltwater to 1877 at the
scnool 1or the blind, averaging 161 Eggs
ranged from 1873 cents at Owatonna to 165
Cents at the school for the blind averaging
d53 cents. Meats ranged from 6 cents at
81 Cloud to 7.6 cents at the soldiers home
averaging 50. Coffee ranged from 17.S cents
ho,,,o hc oeliwater TO 10 cents at the soldiers
nome, averaging N.S. Sugar ranged from
40 cents at Rochester and Owatonna to <
cents @ at Fergus Falls, etc., averaging 40
ten1s. t a lea ranged from Is cents at Saltwater
10 "a cents at ST. Cloud, averaging II. 3 cents
Inc statement is also made that Thomas
Miller OF Mobiles county, has withdrawn the
charges preferred by him against the man
agement of the st. Peter insanae hospital.
On local subject Secretary Hart writes:
Inc time must soon come when Ramsey
county snall build suitable jail The pres
ent Jail has long been discreditable to the
county, and only the efficient administration
mas mas prevented 1t from becoming an intolerable
badly arranged and badly ventilated II is
very difficult to keep it free from vermin,
ana 1t is impossible to keep it free from
There has been considerable discussion at
diHerent times with reference to the location
Oh Oh a. new jail; Some have proposed building
6noa 6n ene present site; but that is Objectionable
because the site will be needed for court
mousse purposes. Some have proposed building
Ir In an auJacent corner; but the property would
Dc expensive and the location too public.
nave long believed that the proper site
1or the county Jail and the city prison as
Wen IS on the face of the bluff at the end
OF Cedar street. The jail should be in the
form form OF tower, starting say twenty or thirty
feet from the bottom of the bluff It shouId
be steel building with brick walls and
shoulo % be separated from the bluff by suit
building should be forty-four feet in width
by about eighty feet in depth It shouid he
9lvldea eaVi into ten distinct stories, each eight
OF sawed KaSOta limestone. the floor of 90 81
story to form the ceiling of the next story
peioW; an elevator should be placed in the
I,aI Du1u!ng' SO arranged as to give the elevator
man an oversight of each floor. There should
a De sixteen cells on each floor Each cell
should be 612xS feet, designed for a single
prls0ner. pr Dn Inc cells should be built of iron
oi bessemer steel, and so constructed as to
give separate ventilation for each cell to tha
top of the building " 'H
:, The building should have frontage on
Second street, opposite Cedar, of two stories
rms front could be made ornate at a very
small expense; but the walls, except on Sec.
Sita ona street street would be of plain brick. The
site would need frontage of 125 feet on
Second street, giving forty feet of air snaca
each side of the building. This would give
sulllclent separation from neighboring build
of light and fresh air at ali times. S1Ich .
Jail as has been described could he huiIt
probably at cost of not exceeding S1O0 000
and would be a better building for all prac,
tlcal purposes than the Pittsburg iaiI which
Is reported to have cost half million.
oeparatlon and seclusion of prisoners could
De easily secured on account of the com
plete separation of the several floors The
Jalier's residence could .be run to the rear
VI the puIidlng on a level with Second street,
IN single nat, and the women's department
couid be placed in the story above.
| know of no prison of this description any,
Where but 1t is certainly entirely practicable
10 apply the modern principles of building
70 prison; and If a Jail is built on this
plan l am confident that it will find many
imitators. N-'i'