The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-11
TO FINISH WING.
Result Of the Legislative
Committees Visit to
Railway Re-
formatory.
WORK WILL REQUIRE s22B,ooo MORE
Introducer of the Bills Tells
What it Was Originally
Meant to Build.
WORK WILL REQUIRE S225,oOO MORE
Introducer of the Bills Tells


Railway Reformatory by the Joint Legis-
lative Committee on appropriations and
that was that the members were con-
vinced that the money which has already
been spent has been dispensed economi-
cally and to a good purpose. Senator
Braun, of Passaic, one of the Senate
Committee was particularly impressed
with that idea. AS the party approached
the Reformatory, Mr.. Braun caught
glimpse of the great dome glistening in
the sun.
What is that dome covered WITH" he
asked
"copper"" one of the commissioners re-
piled.
well, that is pretty expensive re-
piled the Senator, but there is one good
thing about it though. when it is once up
it does not have to be replaced every once
in while.''
That was the keynote of the whole in
spection, whatever had been done had
been done in the most substantial manner
and with the best material possible.
Henry Dickson, of Newark, a master
builder, who accompanied the committee
and commissioners as an expert when
asked what he thought about the work
replied that it was of a splendid char
acter.
The committee, with Architect j. R.
Thomas, who made the plans for the
building, and the members of the State
Reformatory Commission, Patrick Fan
ely, of Morristown; David M. Chambers,
Camden; Benjamin A. Vail, Railway;
Thomas M. Gopsill, Jersey City, and
George s. Mott, of Newark, met in the
building which will be used as admins
tration building when the Reformatoyy
is completed. They discussed the plans
and spoke of completing the wing the
shell of which is now up. This will in
clude the erection of the cells, providing
for lighting and heating and taking care
of the sewage. In providing for the heat
ing and power it is proposed to erect
buildings large enough to furnish suffi-
cient heat and light for the entire in
stitution This does not mean that the
boilers, engines, etc, necessary to light
and heat the entire building will be put
in but only at first that machinery
which will be sufficient for the centre and
wing to be complete. The main object of
the inspection was to ascertain what it
would cost to complete the one wing now
under way for the accommodations of
prisoners. 1t was found that to follow
out the plans it would take. S2S6.000, but
after discussing the matter some time it
was decided that by doing away with the
chapel and one or two other general
buildings the cost could be reduced to
S225, 600 and 260 prisoners taken care Of
After this first cost the expense of add
ing on the other wings as they may be
needed will be comparatively small.
zone is struck at first glance with the
| imposing nature of. the building" said
one of the visitors, who is in the building
trade. "The whole conveys the impress
sion that the single idea in the construc-
tion of the buildings was that of stabil-
ity. Whether the necessity existed for
the erection of SO massive a building for
the purposes required is, of course, a
matter of opinion. Another matter that
may be open to question is the wisdom of
putting up so elaborate monument of
architecture in that out of the way place,
where it will never be seen by anybody,
except the convicts.'
All the other visitors were much i'm
pressed with the solid and massive APP
pearance of the structure.
Questioned as to the statement made
in the Appropriation Committee last year,
to the effect that it would be a matter of
economy for the State to take down the
| buildings now standing, revise the plans,
or draft new ones, on a less costly and
more unpretentious scale, and use the
material for new building, Mr.. Dickson
was emphatic in the negative.
IT think it would be the height of folly
to do anything of the kind he said.
/ of Off toy-xy
was begun under the provisions of an act
| introduced in the House of Assembly in
| 1895 by John C. Elsie, then a member
| from Essex county. The act provided
| that when part of the place should have
been equipped the balance of the work, or
such of it as could be handled in that
| way, was to be done by the labor of the
| inmates. The Commission sets up the
claim that the money for which they will
| shortly ask will enable them to furnish
accommodations for 260 prisoners, many
of whom could be employed in the work
of constructing the remaining wings OF
| the place.
| Mr.. Eisele's views on the dilemma in
which the commission found itself lart
year were expressed in letter which he
wrote to Thomas NJ Gopsill one of the
| commissioners, last spring.
when the Reformatory bill was intro.
duced, in 1894, it was for an appropriation
of $3.50, ,OO0," wrote Mr.. Eisele, which
would, as was estimated at that time
| build such an institution as the State OF
New Jersey required. In 1892 the State
Prison authorities built wing which cos
but $4,000, and in 1895, the same year il
| which the Reforma tory hill was ma ssed
another appropriation was made to builC
another wing Cat the State PRISON., to-
gether with a hospital, new bakeshop
and an electric light plant, which, l think
has cost less than S150O00.
'In the fall of 1885, just previous tt
the Board of Managers adopting The
/ plans, l met the Board in the architects
office in New York, to urge them to aci
/ promptly in adopting some plans ant
going ahead with the institution, as
j knew there was a great deal of opposition
to the building of the Reformatory by
/ those interested in building up the State
4 Prison.
II was astonished when I saw tEi
plans and was opp osed to such elaborate
1 plans, which 1 knew at that time would
/ cost hundreds of thousands of dollars te
carry out such plans 1t seems
to me that the managers acted entirely
under the advice of the architects. who