Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-11-11
TERRITORIAL ASYLUM.
Institution for Care OF New Mexic0's
Insane Well Managed-Some In
teresting Notes ON the Man
aEement.

The New Mexico insane asylum at Las
Vegas according to the reports which
come from that instit ution, is in good
shape, and credit alike to the steward,
G. W. Ward, and the territory, When the
institution was established the building
was placed upon an open hillside, above
all irrigating bitches and aside from the
commanding position, the location had
nothing to commend it for the purpose,
but under the act as passed it had to be
80 located. The original tract contained
five acres, and to This have been added ID
acres, making IS acres in all around the
building. Most of this land was appar-
emily worthless, but, with the help of the
patients, Mr.. Ward has accom- plished
wonders as the following from the Las
Vegas Examiner shows:
Where have been set out on the grounds,
and are now growing, over 600 trees,
mostly shade and ornamental, but with
quite few fruit trees scattered in. The
garden has received good attention and
care, as Mr.. Ward says il has netted
the asylum at least $4,000 this year in saw
ing supplies. Outside of what was used
during the summer the asylum garden
had this fall the following to show for the
labor expended Forty-ive Thousand
pounds of cabbage, $4,000 pounds of beets,
5000 pounds of .oarrots, 1000 pounds
of parsnips, 5000 pounds of tnrnips,
1000 heads of very fine celery, good
supply of pickles and kraut, and ali the
corn needed to fatten the hogs it is rails
ing. There are enough COWS to supply
all the milk used, while in the yards in
the rear are some so head of hogs which
are fsttened off the waste from the tables
and the surplus of the vegetables.
Inside the building, every thing is as
neat and clean as the best house ia Las
Vegas. While the rooms of the patients
have little furniture in them, they wonld
make the Cleanliness next to Goodness"
person rejoice, as the wood work and
floors look as though scrubbed daily.
The first floor and basement are occupied
by the male patients, of whom there are
80 at present; the second and third floors
by the females, of whom there are "a.
These latter, under the care of the ma
tron, Mrs. Olinger, are kept as we'll EN-
ployed as they can be in the laundry,
mehding clothes and bedding and max
ing up supplies of bedding, quilts, mats,
etc.
"The dining room for the men is in the
rear part of the building on the first floor
and the womsn's dining room is on the
second floor. There are plenty of bath
rooms and bathing facilities, and all the
patients, willing or unwilling, are req uired
to take weekly bath. In the basement
are located the storerooms, kitchen and
boilers for heating. Everything there is
in the best of shape and in the most
methodical order. The many years of
experience in hotel life that Mr.. Ward has
have enabled him to know what is needed
and how to manage his present business
to the best advantage, and that he has
done 80 no one who has been through the
asylum can doubt
"With the enlargement of the asylum,
upon the ompletion of the new building,
Mr.. Ward feels that he will have more
patients on his hands, able and willing to
work, than he can use with the limited
space available, and is casting longing
eyes on some of the unused land in the
valley in front of the asylum that is under
irrigation. If the territory could pur-
chase good sized tract for the asylum,
to be farmed by the patients, we know
from what we have seen that 1t would be
q paying Investment and would place the
asylum where it could be self-supportipg
on many kinds of supplies"