The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1901-10-04
BUILD WEST WING At ONCE.
Power Of State Board in the
Matter is Limited.
GOVERNOR sAvAoe's POSITION.
Opposed to Any But Fire Proof Struc-
tures for State Purposes Believes
That Four-Fifths Of the Value Of the
Building Was Destroyed.

That Four-Fifths Of the Value Of the
Building Was Destroyed.
From Mondays Daily:
The destruction Of the hospital for the
insane Mt this place has brought forward
number of ideas regarding the handl-
ing Of the states unfortunates. One of
the best is plan to do away with
hospital for the chronic insane and give
tre hospital at Hastings the same stand
ing as the one here and at Lincoln. 1t
is needless to state that it is distressing
to the patients and their relatives to be
transferred to an institution for incur
ables and il equivalent to The assertion,
"Who enters here leaves all hope be-
hind " A fair and honorable way
would be for the patients to be divided
up between the three institutions rs far
as possible, the Norfolk hospital to care
for the unfortunates of the north part
of the state and those at Lincoln and
Hastings to care for those of the south
half. Before the fire the Hastings in
stitution contained more than 700 pa.
tients known as chronic or incurable.
Some of them are cured in spite of this
reputation and there would undoubtedly
be more Of them to recover if they did
not realize that they were virtually con.
demned TO life servitude in chronic
hospital. 1t is to be hoped that if the
destruction of the Norfolk hospital has
no other effect it will at least arouse
the people to the need of change in
this particular.
The Lincoln correspondent OF the
Omaha World Herald sends the follow.
ing to his paper under date of Septem.
ber 2S "The board of public lands and
buildings decided this afternoon to send
an architect to Norfolk to secure an
estimate of the cost of reconstructing
the west wing of the burned asylum
and to advertise for bids for fire
proof structure Architect Grant was re-
quested to make the trip Monday. On
his return the board will ask contractors
to submit bids with the express under
standing that the builder must look to
the next Legislature for pay. The esti-
mate cost of rebuilding this wing with
fire proof material is from $40, 900 to $25,.
600, but the estimate of the architect
may increase this.
Probably nothing further will be
done by the board toward rebuilding the
large structure that was destroyed by
fire. An effort will be made to put up
the west wing this fall
Governor Savage, returned yester-
day from Norfolk, accompanied by At
torney General f. N. Prout, is out.
spoken in his opposition to the building
of anything but tire-proof structures
He is also of firm belief that the 1876
patients now at Norfolk cannot be prop.
erly kept in the small building that still
remains. With fifty five old and help.
less women patients in one room, with
scarcely any facilities for the care of
such persons, the governor thinks
trouble is sure to come. He believes it
wholly wrong to attempt to keepg the
patients at Norfolk under the existing
circumstances.
! "At the meeting of the board it devel.
oped that the board has no power to
build building for the state or to To-
cate an institution or to abandon one
without the action of the legislature.
In cases of emergency the board
might repair building or transfer pa
tients to place where they can be
cared for, but it has no power to eXpend
money to rebuild a structure without
a specific act of the legislature. The eX,
tensive repairs needed at Norfolk go be.
yond the power of the board, as most
members regard it, and contractors must
govern themselves accordingly
1.-The Norfolk people need have nc
fear, the members of the. board say, that
the institution will be abandoned or re.
located.
The governor believes that the eX
penditure of 5000 900 would still leave
the building unrestored. He takes is
sue with those who assert that the re-
pairs will not cost over $50, 900"
The following authorized interview
with Governor Savage concerning the
Norfolk hospital situation was given tc
the press yesterday morning;
With the exception of the west
wing" said the governor, 1.-The building
is virtually destroyed. The walls o.
the west wing can be used in rebuilding
by enlarging the holes where the joist'
rest, but the rest Of the masonry vii
have to be cleared away. In order t.
use the brick now N the walls each on'
; must be taken from its place, cleaned o
mortar and used in the new wall, Thi
is tedious process and the expens,
cannot help being large.
According to an estimate made by
Norfolk architect the west wing can b.
: put into its original condition for $4,000
He bases his figures on the original cos