The herald., 1898-02-03
The Inquisitors Finally Conclude the Labor OF
Several Months
AND PRODUCE TAME DOCUMENT WHIT TEWASHING EVERYONE
NONE OF OFFICIALS w1LLFUL WRONG
FEW ERRORS
The Feeding Prisoners County
ably Compared With System in Use CityThe
Is Lightly Touched

The county grand jury yesterday flee
its final report with Superior Judge
Smith, who thanked them for their la
bors, after which they were discharged
Following Is the document:
In obedience to your instructions we
have made an examination OF the books
and inquired into the condition of affairs
of our various county officials. We nave
also made an investigation of our prisons
and other public institutions, and we pre-
| sent you herewith the result of such IN
quiries.
The examination comprises the offices
of the following: Clerk. including the
law department, marriage licenses, in
| corporations, trust funds and criminal ex
| hibit department.; treasurer: auditor, IN
Guiding redemption department; assessor
tax collector, including the license de-
partment; recorder; board OF supervisors
sheriff; horticultural commissioners; law
library; superintendent of schools; coroner
and public administrator.
The examination was systematic and
thorough, as otherwise it would be OF
but little value.
We have found no instance of willfu
wrong doing and considering the i'm
mense number of transactions, but few
errors. all of which have been corrected.
On the other hand, we find generally
good systems of bookkeeping, together
| with proper checks and safeguards tina,
reduce to the minimum the chance OF
losses, either by mistake or the wrong
doing of any individual.
THE CORONER
In the office of the coroner we find that
quite number OF transcripts required by
law to be filed with the county clerk have
not been filed.
| HORTICULTURAL COMMISSION
In the accounts of the horticultural COM
| mission we find a few minor errors of
| small consequence.
| In this connection we would say that
| we consider that this board is doing some
| good work in the fumigation of orchards
| but we would suggest that a small portion
of the money allowed to this department
| could be profitably expended in search
for beneficial parasites.
| PUBLIC ADMINISTRATOR
The books and accounts of Public Ad-
| minstrator Kelsey are in good condition
and properly kept. 1t seems to be the GUS
| tom, however, that where there is nc
| money in one estate to transfer money
from other estates to pay costs and ex-
penses. which seems to us to be of doubt
\ full propriety.
| COUNTY JAIL
| We find that there were in the county
| Jail on January Sth, 1898, one hundred and
| thirty-three prisoners.
The building and premises having beer
| examined in detail. the same is found tC
| be overcrowded We would therefore rec
! ommend that the Broadway 'front.' ex-
tending back to main jail building, be ex-
cavated to level with the street for use
| of engine, boilers. fuel, ETC.; that the main
| Jail building be extended through to Broad
| way lat a uniform height with present
| building, and provided with cells and all
such other apartments as may be neces-
sary to complete modern prison Find
| ing that the water supply is insufficient,
| we recommend that the supply pipe be
| enlarged. or tank placed on the roof. We
| further find that the escape pipe for the
steam from the cook room is too short and
would recommend that 1t be extended to
| the top of the building, to prevent steam
from returning into the apartments. Fur
ther recommend that a suitable duct be
| provided at the rear end Of the jail for
| disposing of swill and slops. Also, rec
ommend that provision be made for drying
| clothes. and would suggest that the space
| on the south side of the building be made
secure and utilized for that purpose.
| We find that in the women's department
| the plumbing is defective, there being no
washbowl in any of the rooms or hall.
| This should be corrected at once.
| We further recommend that there be
an iron bridge connecting the Jail and
court house, to prevent the possibility of
prisoners escaping while being transferred
| from Jail to the court room.
JAIL FARE
We find that the prisoners in the coun-
| ty Jail are fed by the sheriff, under pro-
visions of section 215, page 573 county gov
ernment act of 1897. That the board of
supervisors allows the sheriff fifteen d5)
cents per meal for said board The dis
crepancy between this and the cost of
feeding the city prisoners which is less
than three and three-quarters (3%) cents
per meal. including fuel for cooking, is so
great that we feel justified in calling the
| attention of the board of supervisors to
this state of facts We find the city Jail
| large and commodious. We would call
| the attention of the city council to the
| location of the storage room for fuel. 1t
is too far from the heating furnace. The
two should be adjoining. Also the room
for reporters, 1t is too small, and should
be in different part of the building from
where it Is now located
COUNTY HOSPITAL
The county hospital was visited at an
early hour on November Goth last, and
after careful inspection of each and every
| ward, they were found to be in a remarka-
| bly, neat and clean condition After re-
| peated inquiry amongst the patients of
| the several wards we were unable to find a
single patient with complaint of any ma
| ture-a remarkable state of affairs we
think, as compared with that of the for
mer regime. and one for which great credit
is due the superintendent and his very eff
| ncient corps of nurses.
| To these young women Composing the
| training class of nurses) great praise is
| due, as it is to their cheerful performance
| OF every onerOus duty imposed upon them
| In this their chosen field of labor that has
| in q large measure brought about this
! highly satisfactory state of affairs.
| We found the hospital we'll equipped with
the conveniences necessary for the sue
cessful performance of surgical opera
| tions of whatever nature. We made care
| full examination of the food provided for
| the inmates, and pronounce it good and
wholesome. We would suggest that the
| lighting mught be improved later on. and
| that the buildings could be heated by
steam with a greater degree of comfort
| to the inmates, and we believe 1t would be
| an economical measure as well.
A DETENTION WARD
We have, however, but one recommen-
dation to make, viz; Under the new law
which went into effect March 31st, 1897, 1t
became the duty of our supervisors to pro-
vide, within the short time of sixty days,
a suitable ward or detention hospital for
the confinement of the insane, pending
their examination such ward or detention