The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-09
NEW JAIL on Old S|TE
COUNTY COMMISSIONER DECIDE
TO TAKE ACTION AT
ONCE
NO POLICE STATION IN IT
Mayors Proposal Not Entertained
The New Structure viii Cost
Nearly 100000. and VIII
Be Wen Equipped.


With the mayor alone dissenting, the
county commissioners yesterday after
noon decided to build a new Jail on the
site Of the present building. County Ar
chitect DOnohue was instructed to pre-
pare plans and specifications and get
everything in readiness for letting the
! contract. Thus another vexed question
in county politics has been settled, and
almost the last word on it has been said.
Though disappointed in many ways, the
mayor will at least have the satisfaction
of seeing Ramsey county provided with
Jail which, ii is promised, will be second
to none in the United States 1t will not
have provision for a central police sta
ton, but as a Jail pure and simple it will
be unsurpassed.
The new building, which will cost from
100000 to 100000, will begin on the side
walk line on Cedar street and extend
us feet on Fifth street. This will
bring it eight feet within the first
wing of the court house, near Cedar
street. The building will be built as close
to the street line as possible along Fifth
street, and will be distant thirty-five feet,
in it's widest part, from the court house.
This will give room for the extension OF
the two court house wings whenever this
may become necessary.
The new Jail will be 11S feet long, thir-
ty-siX feet shorter than the present one,
but it will have more rooms, better light
and better accommodations
On motion of Commissioners Hardick,
County Architect Donohue was invited to
submit rough plans of the proposed struc-
ture for the inspection Of the board. He
did so, and it was seen that they provided
for q three-story building, with twenty
four tool-proof cells in four divisions,
and twelve cells with Bessemer steel
bars, in two divisions, for men; eight
cells similarly equipped for women, and
seven for children In addition. there will
be a condemned cell, three witness rooms,
two hospital rooms and quarters for the
sheriff. A bridge will connect the third
story of the jail with the second story Of
the court house, and over this prisoners
will be transferred.
j. T. Jackson, secretary Of the state
board Of charities and corrections, was
present and was asked to express his
opinion of the plans. He stated that they
We're entirely satisfactory to him, and
that he thought the new Jail would be
as good as any in the United States. The
great trouble with the present jail, apart
from its dilapidated condition, was the
fact that no provision was made for the
isolating of prisoners 1t had only nine
single cells, and prisoners were therefore,
for the most part, allowed to ming,e free
ly. This made things so pleasant for
them that many professional deadbeats
preferred the Jail to any other winter
quarters. There was plenty of congenial
company, they were kept warm and had
plenty to eat. With the new jail this
would all be done away with, and the
solitude of a single cell would prove so
distasteful to the majority Of these gen.
try that they would not be half so eager
to take apartments for the winter, thus
saving the county a considerable sum
of money. He also thought that the
county could pay the interest on such a
building and maintain it for about the
same sum as the present jail costs.
FAVOR THE PRESENT SITE.
AS soon as Mr.. Jackson had finished
Commissioner Lott offered the following
resolution, which was adopted only the
mayor voting. against it:
Resolved. That the beard of county
commissioners, after due consideration
and upon the recommendation of the va
rious commercial bodies and the judges
of the district court. is of opinion that
the best place to bui'd a rev jail upon
is the present site, and that the jail be
constructed upon that site"
Commissioner Hardick then moved the
following, which was also adopted on the
same vote:
Resolved, That 1t is the decision Of
the board of cOusty commissioners that
it is essential that d new Jail be built in
Ramsey county, and that the county
architect, E. j. DOnOhue, be accepted by
the board Of county commissioners. and
that he is hereby instructed to finish the
plans so that bids can be called for for
the construction of said building"
G. W. Walsh, on behalf of the Team
sters' union, appeared before the board,
and offered a resolution providing that
in contracts for county work all material
far as possible, and that clauses to that
effect be inserted in all contracts enter
ed into by the county.
Commissioner HardiCk objected to the
limitation imposed by the word st.
Paul" He favored the insertion Of such
a clause if the county were included.
Mr.. Walsh pointed out that Transfers
from the county were in the habit of
coming to the city during winter months,
bringing their own feed and hiring out
at 81 per day cheaper than city team
sters could afford to do.
Commissioner Wright was strongly OPP
posed to the adoption of the resolution
as it was worded; he wanted Ramsey
county to be included
Finally, after w. Page, president Of
the union. had spoken. the motion was
adopted, Commissioner Wright being the
only one to vote against it.
The contract for removing four joints
of the court house smoke stack was
awarded to Kenny Bros.
Mayor Smith, after the meeting. was
asked his opinion of the action of the
commissioners. He replied:
81 have done my duty. I knew the
board had determined to act as it did,
and I opposed it, as l thought the cOun-
ty cannot afford a new building. More
over, L am opposed to the present site,
and think that if new Jail is to be put
up. It should contain accommodation
for a central police station The COM
nissoners apparently could not agree
with me on any of these points, and in