The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-07
COALBURG. BAD, | SAYSDR. BRAGG Physician Inspector Re
 ports to Governor. CONNECTS TO BE MOVED State Wards Will Be Sent to | Other Prison Camps. : s.N f4 S9l n%5ts ytlE0AG A. Fi One Hundred Convicts Have Died at Coalburg in Three Years-Re- port Is Severe on Thin Seam Mines.

! Inspector, yesterday transmitted to Gov ernor Jelks report on the condition of convicts leased to the Sloss- -Shefheld Steel and Iron Company for work in the mines at Coalburg. ell says that the mine is an unfit place for convicts to work and that within three years one hundred con- | victs have died there. The State con victs at Coalburg will be removed from there at once. tN
 | It will be remembered that upon the | receipt of the quarterly report of the Convict Department by Governor JelEs about a month ago Dr. Bragg was re- auested to ga to CoalburK and make report direct to the Governor on the situa- ton there. The report of the Convict Department showed that for the first three months of this year more convicts had died at Coalburs than at all other prison camps in the State combined. Dr. Bragg remained at Coalburg about ten days He carefully examined the ea- vironrnent of the men and made phy- sical examination of each of the convicts. | His report to the Governor is accom- panied by an exhaustive statistical report | upon each man.
 Text of pr. Bragg's Report. | The full text of the report of pr. Bragg | Is as follows: Montgomery, May 6. 1902. |
 | "Sir-Acting under instructions from you. have made a thorough investiga- | tion of the conditions existing at Coal burg and herewith submit my report: l The location Is totally unfit from
 sanitary standpoint for prison. for | while we may expect much sickness,
 where large numbers of men are kept
 together. either in tent or prison, the
 environment of this particular place Gal Af na
 which produce sickness and death among
 the men who are worked there as con xicts The prison is built at the base | of the mountain and in such close proximity to the coke ovens that every eastern breeze waits the smoke and other
 effete matter directly into the building.
 This prison was in the beginning very crudely constructed; the sunlight does not permeate 1t thoroughly. consequently
 it is at all times damp and, through neglect. as at present in state of decay.
 which in itself is a cause of unhealth-
 fulness. The only remedy for this is the
 building of new prison, and in a diff ferent locality.
 "we have found that the greater
 amount of sickness prevailing among the
 convicts worked at Coalburg. is during
 the winter months. which must be ascrib- cd to the conditions I have called your
 attention to as existing there. The
 winter days being short many of the
 men do not complete their tasks. They get out of the mines before sunset and
 except on Sundays virtually see no sun light from week to week.
 Permanently Bad Plan.
 ''The mine inspector reports, that in his opinion, there Is sufflciency of air
 of good quality, in the mines. but the l enaciated features of many Of these men
 during the short days of winter is indi-
 cative to me of the inhalation of such
 an amount of carbon dioxide as would
 not be conducive to good health. com
 bination of all these conditions has caused
 Coalburg to be a constant source Of ap-
 prehension and, in my opinion. 1t must ever remain so.
 | "On April 1, 1899. there were 5e9 con victs confined there Between that time and April 1892, 1.676 convicts have been 1 received, making a total of 2,2S5. Of this number one hundred have died. eighty seven from disease and thirteen from ac- cident and other causes. Of these 100 deaths, 40 were from Jefferson County and by reference to the tables submit ted, you will find that s62 county conyicts were received from that county alone. T | herewith attach to this report statistical | records of both State and county con- 1 victs received. also the death record, 1 showing whether State or county. white or black, when received, condition when
 received and cause of death. During this
 period 14o whites were received and or | these. two have died.
 By referring to the attached exhibit
 you will find that one of. these was re- ceiyed in bad condition and spent his | term of imprisonment in the hospital. "I may here call your attention to the fact that a very large proportion Of the convicts sent from Jefferson County are in bad physical condition when received; some die in a few days after reaching the prison, while others serve their entire sen
 tence in the hospital without performing A single days labor. It Is noticeab bla fact that the health of large percentage II of prisoners seems to suffer during the early stages of their confinement, more than at other times, which may be att tributed to confinement in jail and also to mental depression.
 By referring to the report of the Chief
 Mine Inspector. which Is hereto attached.
 you will find that the prisoners at Coal
 burg are worked in series of mines no-
 tably in D F and No. 3. It is in the last | two of these that I find the most objec-
 tionable features as regards the working | of convicts at Coalburg.
 His Sympathy Aroused | The seams of coal in the above men l tioned mines are only two feet, ten inches l in thickness. and are in my mind unfit | places for the compulsory working Of men. The cramped position of the body,
 combined with the deficiency of both sun | light and air in these thin seams or coal, would readily account for a condition both physical and mental, which would cause the prisoner to fall an easy victim | to those diseases that feed upon weak Il ened constitutions. l know that the free
 miner can and does work these thin eeams of coal without detriment to health, but while we find heroic natures
 who endure without murmur these condi- tions, for the sake of being bread winners
 for others dependent upon their efforts, II it is not criterion by which the State II of Alabama can put money into its Treas
 ury without detriment to the health of its convict labor and my sympathy has been very much enlisted for the convict who
 has to plod on from day to day without
 change and in the winter months seeing
 but little of the light of day.
 III "I attach to my report one from Dr.
 Lewis. who has lived at Coalburg for sev-
 enteen years. l fully agree with him in
 many of his deductions, and am satisfied that much of the sickness that prevailed
 among the conYicts at Coalhurg in the
 beGnninGtof the present year was due to
 the want of prompt transportation from the mines to the prison. The temperature
 Tn the mines is about 67 degrees, and ] when these men were brought out, thsI