The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-09
NEW JAIL on Old STE
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS 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.

Be Wen Equipped.
/ With the mayor alone dissenting, the
county commissioners yesterday after
noon decided to build a new jailaon the
site Of the present building. County Ar
chltect 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 a least have the satisfaction
of seeing Ramsey county provided with a
jail which, it is promised, will be second
to mono in the United States. It will not
have provision for a central police sta
ton, but 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
rs 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 th{rty-five feet
in its widest part, from the court house
This will give room for the extension Of
the two court house wings whenever this
may DeCODe 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 COMMISSIONER 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 a three-story building, with twenty
Oo1, lie II, a yfcio
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. Z. 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 it's dilapidated condition, was the
fact that no PROVISION was made for the
isolating of prisoners It had only nine
single cells, and prisoners were therefore,
for the most part, allowed to ming.e free
~. 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
distastefuI 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 1t 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 q 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 a new Jail be built in
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 resolution providing that
in contracts for county work all material
and teams be procured in St. Paul, as
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 I 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 central police station. The COM
missioners apparently could not agree
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