The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-02-13
A NEW HOME FOR EoNv1crs
The State Prison and the Future
Comfort Of Prisoners.

Columbia State
The stone work on the new prison
building at the State penitentiary will!
be completed this week and it Will not
be many days before this department Of
the institution will be ready for occu
pancy. Visitors are a little surprised
when they behold the imposing five
story granite cdificc with its c~astcllatcd
walls and paraL cts-the abode Of con.
victs. From u distance this splendid
piece Of architecture looks pleasing and
inviting.
A murderer lleoi: & from his crime
spent years in wandering the Garth. He
returned to his home and gave himself
up From his story he was the lonlicst
thing in existence. He had no nation
no fathcrland, no State no home, no
friends, no God If this man had lived
in South Carolina he might be without
all these gracious influences men toned,
and yet live in a benny gray stone
castle the remainder of his life.
The first prison built on the grounds
was a massive granite structure five
stories high. This building was, how
ever, only 20 feet wide with u heavy
dead wall runring through the centre
dividing the cells in each of the stories
Under this arrangement the entrances
TO the cells were on the sides of the
building and in order to vcntilatc the
cells, doors were not used, but heavy
iron gratings, rendering the inmates
absolutely exposed to the winters cold
Many a winters night brought terror
to the convict's heart when the wind
bore icy blasts Of rain and snow upon
his unprotected head.
Every one will be glad to learn tina,
the day Of this unintentional cruelty
| lAnxy - Ipl.l 49, " - \
ing it is all different. The director.
have exercised tho utmost care COR thu
comfort and health IF the inmates il
the arrangement and construction o
the new prison. IN the site where tn,
new building stands there was formcrl,
a prison, built within a few years aftcl
the wal of secession during the Rcpub
llcan administration, almost identical il
arrangement with the prison inst DIES
cribcd. This has been taken down IN,
the stone preserved to assist in the con
%struction of the new work. A ston,
foundation 10 feet wide running III,
entire length of the building about 4
feet from the outside wall was put in a
the time Of construction, the architect
expecting to change the style Of the oil,
prison, but for some reason it was ncye
done
Upon this foundation the pre- en-
building now rests The shape $ rec
tangular, width IS feet, length 1866 feet
The NTH story brings the height to 5
feet. The tiers on both sides and end
are 10 feet wide leaving a quadrangle
within the building 35Xli6 feet. IN
number OF cells in each story is sc, tn
side tiers contain 25 each and the en-
tiers 5 each, making 2SO Gel 6 in the en-
tire building All cells arc Of Xix
dimensions, 5XS feet AS prisoners ar
seldom in their cells except at nigh
two can occupy Il cell without any dis
comfort There is a balcony three fec
vide within the quadrangle aroun
each OF the five stories These balconic
are supported by 800 steel brackets bee
dcd IN the stone wall.
There is no exposure whatever to TN
inmates In this arrangement as the en-
trance to the cells as not from the out
or sides, but from within the quadrangle,
thc quadrangle is secured by four soil
doors or the ground floor. In wintc
the whole prison will be as warm as tn
homes OF the wcalthicst in the land, fc
a stem OF steam pipes will tr&vcre
every story OF the prison. There wi
be plenty of light. Each cell contains
window. Near the outer edge OF tn
slil Is a steel grating; near the middle
a row OF iron bars, then n window sas
Is httcd several inches from the baI
which can be opened or shut as yentils
ton suggests
The building will be covered by
modern gravel roof, and ycntilute
win louvres. The roof being fist, tn
louyrcs rising in the center, will max
it durable as well AS picturesque.