The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-09
REFORMATORY
Railway Institution To Be
Made Ready For
Prisoners.
AGREEMENT REACHED
The Dickson Plans For In
creasing Facilities Will
Be Carried Out
At Once.

Work on the State ~Reformatory at Rah-
way, says the Newark Sunday Call" is
to be resumed. This fact was settled at a
conference held with Governor Voorhees,
in this city last week. The commission
ers in charge of the work have consented
to a very material modification of their
plans. Plans will be prepared on the new
lines laid down, specifications drafted,
and bids obtained, and IL these meet the
approval of the Governor work will be
Immediately begun.
The conference at which this agree
ment was reached was held at the office
Of Henry Dickson on Clinton street, New
ark, on Wednesday. Mr.. Dickson was re-
tanned as an expert by the Joint Legisla-
tive Committee authorized to consider
the plans of the Reformatory Commits
sion; he examined the plans and the
structure already erected at Railway
and recommended some very important
notifications of the plans, which con-
templated a very large reduction in the
cost of the work.
Mr.. Dickson's estimate for putting the
buildings in condition for use was $780,
600, and sthis amount the Legislature ap-
propriated, stipulating that the moneys
should not be available until the Cover
nor had approved the plans for it's use.
Governor Voorhees, has now retained
Mr.. Dickson as his expert, and will be
guided by Mr.. Dickson's advice in the
prosecution of the work. Those present
at the conference on Wednesday, besides
Governor Voorhees, and Mr.. Dickson, were
members of the Reformatory Commits
mission and the architect who prepared
the original plans. 1t is expected that 1t
will take until fall to complete the modi-
fled plans, prepare specifications and OBJ
tain bids for the work. The appropriation
| is not available until the beginning of the
next fiscal year, in November. 1t is ex-
pected that the plans will be ready and
bids obtained by that time.
The agreement reached between the
| Governor and the Reformatory Commits
| sion provides for the completion of the
| central building and wing now erected at
| Railway. The wing is to be used as a cell
house. The cells are to be made of
brick, as contemplated in the original
plans. This was thought best, as the
foundations for the cells are already in
place. The completion of this wing will
provide room for 260 inmates.
Two floors are to be put into the CEN
trail building, as suggested by Mr.. Dick
son in his report to the Legislature, and
this immense structure Is to be made of
use. In this central building will be pro-
vided offices for the Commission and
clerks and keepers of the institution.
There will also be a school and chapel
located in the central building instead of
having separate buildings on the
grounds, as provided in the original plans.
The domestic building and power house
will be erected near to each other and
about 800 feet away from the central
building. The domestic building will be
a much less ~pretentious structure as to
size than was contemplated in the origi-
nal plans of the Commission, but other
wise the plans of the Commission have
been agreed to. AS originally designed
the domestic building was to be 231 feet
long, AZ feet wide and three stories high.
The dimensions of the building will be
very much less than the figures given
above.
The power house will be about the same
size as called for in the original plans,
6Sx7S feet, and a subway over $40 feet
long will connect the power house with
the central building. Power and heat will
be conducted through the subway to the
central building. There is some question
as 10 the utility of this plan. The loss of
heat and power, it is thought, will be
considerable. and Mr.. Dickson at the time
of his report to the Legislature question
ed the advisability of this arrangement.
In the domestic building, in addition to
the dining rooms and living apartments
Of the attendants, will be provided officers
| quarters, and possibly hospital quarters,
for other than contagious diseases. This
will eliminate separate buildings for Off
| GERS quarters and hospital, as provided
in the original plans of the Commission.
A frame structure now on the premises
will be remodeled for the superintendent
| residence, and thus the necessity for
erecting another building originally
planned by the Commission done away
with.
The Commission and its architects be-
lieve that the work planned above can be
done within the appropriation made by
by the bids obtained work can be re-
| sumed and the institution put in shape
for use. All the work will be in line with
the original plans, and should it be de-
sired the institution will be eventually
completed on those lines. This is all that
Governor Voorhees, has desired.
The original plans of the Commission
| were most elaborate. They provided for
| seventeen different buildings. Besides the
| central building. with it's four wings, and
the domestic building n the power
house, there was to be a large admins
| tration building, superintendent and de-
| puties' cottages, officers building, Upper
| grade cottage, foundry and two work
shops, two schools, physical culture pulld,
ing, chapel, solitary cell building and
hospital. Most of these buildings were
| designed to be very large and some of
them quite pretentious. In his report to
| that the cost of completing the buildings
| planned for by the Commission would
bring the total outlay for this institution
IN ~ q O01 495