The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-08-09
REFORMATORY
OPENED
Prisoners Already at the Rah-
way Institution.

First Offenders and those Between
the Ages of Sixteen and Thirty
Years, Sentenced for Short
Terms, will be Sent to the New
Institution.
The State Reformatory at Railway
was formally opened on Monday. A
number of prisoners are expected sooD,
but it will probably be several months
before anything like full commitment
will be received.
! Warden Joseph P. Heg, formerly
Warden of the Wisconsin State Refor-
matory, is looking after some of the
work and giving instructions to his depu-
ties. The institution has a capacity
or 256 pr isoners, but that number
could hardly be cared for Immediately =:
in fact, Mr. Heg thought it might be
several months before the full number of
prison RS would be received. Gov.
Voorhees,, who has taken an active in
terest in the reformatory, believes that
the full commitment of prisoners should
be transferred at once from the State
Prison at Trenton, but the Warden ad-
vises against this The institution is
designed for the reformation of first
offenders, short term prisoners, between
the ages of 16 and 30. To assign men
who have already done part of their
time in the State Prison might initiate
against the usefulness of the institution.
There is large central building with
dome, the building being, 100 feet in
diameter. The one wing already built
extends to the north from this central
building The cells are located in the
wing. Another building has been erect
ed about 1000 feet from the main build
ing. In this is located the kitchen and
mess rooms. On the second floor are
the laundry and work shop. At the
rear of this building is an engine and
boiler house. The latter is fitted with
boilers to supply heat, power and light.
The grounds are surrounded with a
high board fence.
The present buildings have been in the
course of erection for eight years. OBJ
lection was made by some of the State
officials to the extravagant manner in
which the funds appropriated were en-
ployed, and work was stopped for long
time because no appropriation could be
secured. The central building and dome
were considered needlessly large and ex-
pensive. AS it is, little use can be made
of this building now.
Warden Heg, who is considered an
expert in such matters, says he
doesn't know what to do with it.
He says that he is very much afraid
that the place cannot be made warm in
winter, and that the temperature of the
whole building, including the wing, will
be much too low for the health and COM
fort of the prisoners and their keepers
The dome is eighty feet high, all in one
big room, and opens directly into the
wing where the cells are located.
i There is second story platform
erected in the centre of the building un-
der the dome. This will be thrown
open to the prisoners. 1t was thought
that this platform might be used as
place for devotional exercises, but the
dome overhead is SO great that it will be
impossible to make such use of it. If
person speaks above an ordinary tone of
voice the echo makes it almost impos-
sible to distinguish the words Warden
| Heg is afraid that he will have trouble
with the prisoners from this source, and
that some Of them will be constantly
creating some disturbance to make the
echo. 1t is certainly very bad On
Saturday workman dropped shovel !,
and the ringing sound continued for sew
eral seconds and was so loud as to be al
most deafening,
The buildings are all of brick and are
entirely fireproof in construction. There
are four tiers of cells The interior con-
struction is very rough and unfinished.
Warden Heg says it is far from the lat
est and most approved plans. The cells
are dark and the corridors are so mar.
row that it will be impossible for the
guard to keep all the prisoners in sight
Everything is very substantial and the
sanitary arrangements are very complete.
Provisions and fuel were being deliv-
cred at the place preparatory to the re-
ception of prisoners. Last week the
commissioners appointed Capt Joseph
Martin deputy warden and Fred Abbott
head keeper. Ernest Brown, of Railway,
has been appointed chief of the kitchen
force. A meeting of the commissioners
will be held at the reformatory ON Wed
nesday when business incident to the
opening will be transacted and Other
appointments made.
The big alarm electric whistle wa:
put in place Saturday by Chief Engineer
Carley Assistant Supt. j. w. Martin
tested all the cell locks and found then
perfect He also numbered the officers
rooms in the domestic building, choos
ing room No. ss his own. All keeper: