The Washington times., 1903-03-29

women are seen passing from the aims
/ house to the workhouse at the dinner
/ hour. Both the men and women arc un-
der guard. but ehe guards arc not seen
/ in the picture. The asylum pig pen and
one OF the cattle sheds appear in the
/ background.
Duties. Of the TRUSTEES.
/ Male prisoners arc assigned to heav-
/ icr tasks. Their work NAV be divided
roughly into three cIasses-that con
nected with the institution. carpenter
work. and work on the street in the
chaingang. Around the buildings about
Fifty men. known as TRUSTEES. are en-
ployed. They are allowed considerable
freedom and do much OF their work
apart from the observation of the
guards The system OF selecting the
TRUSTEES is well defined. and this class
OF work is given as a reward for good
order and capableness shown in the
street gang or at the carpenters bench.
Some Of these men arc employed as
messengers and in whatever tasks can
be found for them
number OF men are employed in
feeding and caring for the stock kept
at the asylum These are horses. cat
tie chickens, and hogs. This work Is
in charge OF an experienced farmer and
the men labor under his supervision and
under the observation OF a guard.
Work of the TRUSTEES.
Nenr the barn is the carpenter shop,
and the basement of one barn serves as
a general shop for repairing tools and
for the manufacture of most of the
woodwork used on the asylum farm. The
reporter was shown wagon made there
and several carts. The chief work done
in the carpenter shop, however. is the
making Of cOfins used by the District In
burying the indigent dead. The Pot
ter's Field IS on one side Of the asylum
grounds. and all persons buried al pub
lie expense are placed in collins made
at this shop Several hundred OF them
are required each year The coffins are
made OF pine and when finished are
plain but neat boxes to receive the
bodies Of the poor and give them decent
burial. There is also a blacksmith shop
anu a pant SuDp connected Win the
asylum in which prisoners work
Hard Lot of the Chain Gang.
The chain gang is made up Of the
rOugher class of prisoners. They do
street work for the District. perform the
drudgery on the Asylum farm. and labor
the greater part OF the year in the i'm
provement of Rock Creek Park The
1--->iful drives in that public recrea-
tion ground. the moving OF weeds and
the improvements necessary there are
the work of the chain gang. In the
spring. summer and fall two wagon
loads of the prisoners under guard leave
the workhouse each morning at I O'Clock
for the long ride through the city out to
the park. They work there until abou,
4 o'clock in the afternoon. when the re-
turn ride is begun.
Cutting Through Eighteenth Street.
One OF the accompanying pictures rep
resents the chain gang at work cutting
Eighteenth Street southeast through the |
hill between East Capitol and A Streets
Only a portion of the cut Is shown bu, |
II illustrates well the methods of work |
The cut at this point is eleven feet. and /
the dirt was being shoveled into the
car and drawn away to the river bank
to an extempOrized dump. The horse is /
in charge OF one OF the TRUSTEES
Saving of Convict Labor.
1t has been estimated that with the
appropriations made by Congress for the |
purpose, Washington would have had If /
ty miles less improved streets II the
chain gang had not been pressed into ser
vice. The cost OF grading where the pris-
oners are used is reduced to the supply OF
tools, the price OF material used and
some incidental expenses. The wages of
labor form no item of the expense. The
employment OF criminals in this way
has been the subject OF complaint by the
labor organizations. but the latter have
never been able to convince Congress and
he Commissioners that the employment
Jf convict labor on the streets of the
District was not wise. The prisoners
must be supported. and the practical
men in charge Of affairs are OF the opin-
on that their labor should be turned
% account 10 save public taxation.
One OF the illustrations represents
members OF the chain gang at work
Ipou one OF the roads passing through /
he Asylum grounds. AS the artist was
arranging his camera, the black fellow
n the foreground expostulated against
he proceeding strenuously. l.