The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-03
WANTED $67O,OOO.
New Jersey RefoTmatory
Commission Reports on
the Work Done at
Railway.
WILL EMPLOY CONVICT LABOR
One Wing Nearly Built and the
Remainder to Be Completed
When the Money Is
Appropriated.

/ APPAOPlAauVus
! One of the first things the incoming
| Legislature will be requested to do will
! be to appropriate more money for the
building of the State Reformatory at
| Railway now in course of erection In
April last when the bill was passed ap-
| pointing Commission to build a State
Reformatory and trade schools of the
most approved and modern style the
sum of 100000 was appropriated, but
under bill passed few months later
all moneys not used by commissions be-
| fore the end of November lapsed into
the treasury, and thus the Reformatory
Commission. who had used about $4,000
of their sum- had reluctantly to hand
over the other half to the treasury and
wait for the next Legislature to open
the purse strings for money to complete
the structure at-Rahway.
This Reformatory Commission, con-
sisting of Messrs. David R. Chambers,
of Camden, president Rev. DR.. G. S.
Mott, of Pennington, treasurer,
Thomas NJ. Gopsill, of Jersey City. sec
retary, and Mayor John G. Daily, of
Railway; Patrick Farrelly, Of Morris
| town, and J. G. Ferguson of Paterson
/ X,
although wanting more money are not
hampered in their labors. and have GER
tainly not permitted grass to grow under
their feet. The foundations are all in
and the brick work is now under way,
and before few months roll away one
wing capable of lodging 22S prisoners
| will be completed.
For years New Jersey was censured
and abused by penologists because she
! had no place to reform those who had
| taken their first step in the broad road
| OF crime. True there was a school at
| Janlesburg for very young criminals,
| but for young men who had made
| Slip and might be redeemed New Jer-
sey had no institution. New England,
| Southern, Western States, all had splen-
did reformatories where men not nee
essarily criminally disposed We're taught
| useful trades and brought back again
within the pale of decent society by ju-
dieious and careful training without
bearing the brand of the State Prison.
but it was not until last year that those;
wonderful sereataires the politicians per-.
mitted the passage of an act authorizing
| the construction of a reformatory for
New Jersey
''As reform is the thing now I voted
| for it. You can never tell what will
happen. Maybe we will need it for re-
| formers observed one Legislator who
narrowly escaped drowning in his recent
reform Republican wave
The bill went through with bells on,
the Commissioners were appointed by
| Governor Werts. and these gentlemen
| lost no time in getting down to business.
| have done, and what they have to do, are
| all best told by Commissioner Thomas
NJ. Gepsill. who was Kind enough this
You see,,'' began Mr.. Gopsin, that
formato for for Fl the @ % ton geA Of 900
forth. The ' Dill also also conte@plated @ I that at
missioners shall take charge of it until
| the whole term of their service, three
years, expires. They, are t. equip It,
fore we, thought of any plan we visited
re6ormatories a il t-s Concord Mass; Fl FL
giea pbeav * sowab tse baanq and ana venf Als
sting sting in Il the last ld named @ being Hsfl the
finest of its kind extant., We had plenty
Compared, pare discussed and and weighed every s'
one until it finally simmered down to
three drawings. After very careful com
plan of Mr.. John R.. Thomas. of No. 100
broadway. New York, who drew the de-
sign for Elmira ReformnteTy fr and Is
Napanock im New York State
His plan which ,s,sia we are now low, foley
radiates four wings. Some call it .
scrucifo1rn,' others a crab and still
others gpider Pt M as oyye, yeH will 1lnr,En per
the plan and pointing out. the central
building, ''this enables officers to see
ht Is g09og Our on PLAIN eah of g2 Sung smu Is
RR5sslss9y 'hs ns@s shS
tiers, and each tier will cpntain 81. cells,
making 228 cells in. a wing. and in
building. The wing will measure 2s4
| feet long. by So feet wide. and the cells
will be PLACED back to hack Zach cell Ell
together. and the outside work will be
pIan. Ia adverfised for BIDS for @ construc-
tion, and the lowest bidder was. Enoch
". Hooper, of Trenton. whose price was
ffonished the Commissioners. and even
the architect admitted that for SO large
work he had never seem competitors
Referring again to the plan Mr.. Cop
sill, described the arrangement Of the
of the Central building a domed struc-
| ture, is the administration building. Here
the offices Of the Warden will be located,
| Commissioners rooms, etc. At the ends
Of the wings will be the trade schools,
hospital laundry, dining room. schools
| chapel, all forming the four sides of a
| hollow square, the interior of which is
| to be used as an exercise ground for
the prisoners. Surrounding these build
ings wings and ALL will be four high
walls, with guard towers at each corner.
where armed sentries will be placed by
day and night.
ITO build all these outside structures"
said Mr. Gopsill, 1--WE will ask the Leg
isia ture to allow convicts to be sent to
us to complete the entire plan, This
I is embodied in the terms Of the bill that
we may employ convict n, labor; We have
of the convict labor, we estimate the
total cost of the Reformatory to be about
Nj Mr.. Gopsill pointed out that at pres
ent, owing to the lack of funds. the
Commissioners only contemplate building
one wing. When the Legislature granted
additional appropriations they would pro-
ceed with the remaining buildings. The
work Of constructing this one wing pro-
ceeds SO satisfactorily that Mr.. Gopsill
hopes it will be finished in a few months,
when more money will be asked for, and
with convict labor the work will go
ahead until Mr.. Thomas plan is consun-
The New Reformatory will be for pris-
oners who have been convicted for the
first time, and great efforts will be made
by the Commi issioners to carry out the
plan of the other commission appointed
by Governor Werts. WHOSE Iabors were
So Interestingly told in THE News