New-York tribune., 1896-06-03

building to half what a building without this
material and labor would cost Commissioner
Henry who does not take n hopeful view OF an
Immediate change of the site Of the Penten-
tlary admitted Yesterday that this estimate was
not wrong Warden Hayes VINO knows just what
his prisoners are capable doing goes even
further than Commissioner Burtis. and thinks
that by employing the prisoners the cost OF NOV
ing the PenitentIary could be reduced to the cost
OF transporting the stone and other material In
short he believes that the entire work OF tearing
down and rebuilding can be done by the pris-
oncrs.
THE stone In the Penitentary is perfectly
good and IL can be taken down and cleaned by
the convic,s." said Commissioner Burtis. VINO IS
enthusiastic over the project to put the Kings
County Prison I'm a more appropriate place. we
have some practical stonemaeons among the
prisoners who could help In the construction OF
a building on such new site as may BE- selected
Otlcr prisoners could help by carrying stone ana
n.,rtar
The Pcnitcntary haa got TO go. continued the
Commissioners I'm venture that II VIII be e.
moved within nvc ye'.rs. shouldn't wonder Dut
the LegisIattro viii do something n,xt year. OF
course. the subject Of new site Is question
that should be gwen q cool deal Of thought.
think ~ " qua De HlhlfhDt 10 bus St't'''
thousand acres OF scrub oak land in Long Island.
This can be bought for so 10 SlJ. IN" prls)n"'s
could then be- put - work grubbing out these
oaks and turning the cheap land into valuable
land The Improvement IN the value OF the land
would amount TO much more than the cost OF
the new building Suffolk County cid this and
their land has blossomed like "A rose. The Man
hattnu state Hospital is on $40 scrub oak land
AT Centr. lJp. and It's land Is more valuable
to-day than the land at Kings Park, Tor whlcn
Klugs County WAS made t. pay SNO an acre
II .r, isn't any surface water on any part OF
the 500 acres at Kings Park. and the sixty COWS
that were recently bought have 10 be driven Il
long distance t. water twice day.
There is no objection to going far enough out
on tn, Island t. get cheap land, az prisoners can
bc taken long distance readily. some OF them
are now taken from here T. sing sing or Dan
nrmora 80
III the Penitcntary 10 be moved" said
Warden Hayes. 1T should be- moved to Barren
Island some other available Island ms
would enable to utilize all OF the prisoners
In puttlag up the buildings and improving the APP
pcarance of tn" island. The PeniteEtiary build
ings could bc removed just as churches ana "ther
lnrp. bindings are. Each stone could be marked
"a II WAS taken down and the building relGii
nl~t az II now Is. stone for stone. When the
building was first put up II was the plan To nave
eight tiers of cells. instead or four TWO years
sgo tterc was some discussion 10 the adj
Visibility of adding two tiers. This would nave
given NJ 200 more cells.
asked
,iou to remove the Pen" the Warden said ne
thnught we'll of IT II desirable place could be
found -,
.~The only expense Of moving would be the
freightagc' he added I'VE have as good me-
chanics as there are I'm the country They can
do as good work at stone-layins brck-layins
painting etc. as any one All that would pe
necessary would be to build temporary nome
Tor tfcm AZ the new site. and then begin 70
transport While part Of the prisoners were
tearing down and transporting. others would De
rebuilding - ,h, f.,
The site of the Pentcntiary was boiEn, ,o, IN
IS32 Some improvements were MAD" III iNrf'
| iut is vaa not till 1852 that work began on the
| long-term prison. The wall was built IN I'D,
Wren the Kings Park lana was ppuEnt III
| ISS5 the argument made in the Board OK super :,
v,sors was that all OF the county charitable ana
| correctionarv buildings were 10 be moved the''.
ca tho nroiect Of moving the Penitontiary ~ not
| n new one but old one revived i.lh' :
| drIftcd along until 1t finally thought |" , -,
| Too exnonsive under Supcrvisorial rule To builh
more than an asylum for the insane al -, 1onH 4,
| land As for the hospital and almshouse' lc
.no ,bo general opinion that they should be-
nearer To the city than forty miles