The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-30

At the meeting of the prison board In
the county commissioners office. Satur-
day morning. it was decided to pro-
ceed at once to put the county jail in
mates at work on the roads and the
West mountain extension of Jackson
street was selected as the place for
making the first experiment. a. z.
Dunning was engaged to supervise the
work.
1t was also decided to install the
weaving looms at once. William Ken.
! nedy, of the West Side, was hired to
take charge of the weaving.
The prisoners who are to work on the
road will not be made to wear any kind
of shackles. Two foremen, II. f. Fer
Der and Robert Allen, will look after
them while they are at work, and as
only the short-term men will be Sc
lected for the road gang, there is little
likelihood of any of them attempting
| to escape
Engineer DunninE read an interest
ing paper before the board on the sub
ject of employing contract labor in
roadmaking. After reviewing the sue
cess which has attended this plan in
other states, he went on to say
| From the above We conclude that the sdyan.
| Iaccs of using convict labor arc:
!. That an organized force can be better main.
tanned than could be dcnc with free labor fol
road building.
I ,. 1t is cheaper than free labor would he
! 3. 1t frees the country from the expense Of
! keeping prisoners without any return value
| 4. 1t engages convict labor in hcalthml uCcupa
tion without bringing it in competition with
| free labor
;. 1t is the best possible punishment fol the
common criminal.
g. 1t cures the tramp Nuisance.
! :. Tho result goods roads, is beneiaction.
| The most serious problem that we have Ia
solve in this locality is to get the right kind
| Of stone for road making. Our native stone IS
| too soft, Int have substitute which has
been used very successfully upon our city Streets
| the Stag or cinders obtained from the blast fur
| mace.
\ stone crrlshcr could be located near the blast
| furnace where, by the Use of prisoners from tho
jail, large quantities of Stag broken to proper
size thoroughly screened, could be prepared ant
ready for shipment to different parts Of tho city
| and county ! think transportation arrangements
| could be made with the railroad company at
| low figure TO deliver this material where il
could be used TO great advantage. Perhaps il
! return for transportation this same material
could be furnished for ballast to the railroa,
COMPANY
And, again. as our native stone is adapted fo
use for ballastng by the railroad company
prisoners could he located in quarrcs at point
near the railroad and prepare the material whicl
| could he exchanged in lieu Of transportation fo
the prepared Stag at the blast furnace I an
! not authorized TO make this statement as being :
| fact, but from my knowledge Of the necessi,,
Of ballast and the disposition Of tho railroal
companies to do all they can in the advance
mcnt Of the cause OF good roads, | am satsRc,
some arrangement Of this kind could be made
At any rate il would be worth investigating
Outside Of the preparing for the improve
mcnt OF the road the prisoners could be utilizet
in improving the roads in various ways First
they could prepare native stone taken from
the mountain side, the fields and stone wall
along the roads, to be used for foundation
upon which gravel and clay could be placed
Second, sections of road could be graded AM
the prisoners employed in laying stone gutters
especially is this true on mountain roads, wher
in times Of heavy storms, torrents of waite
come tearing down the CUTTERS, utterly dc
stroying them, as well as the road itself
The picks, shovels, hammers. barrow
and other roadmakinG implement
have all been purchased and every
thing.is ready to begin operations a
once. The board expects to have tn
new scheme in operation this week.