Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-06
CHANGES SUGGESTED
WASHINGTON ASYLUM
OF INSTITUTIONS IN
HIS CHARGE.
Says Present Arrangement is Unfor.
tunate-Favors Removal of Aims
house to New Site.

/
house to New Site.
| number of urgent Recommendations for
improvements at the Washington ASYLUM
are made by Mr.. Louis F. Zinkham, the
| new superintendent of the institution, in
his first annual report, which was sub
mitted to the Commissioners today Among
other things, Mr.. Zinkham believes that the
present arrangement for conducting the
several branches of the Washington Asy-
Ium under one management is unfortunate,
| and he suggests that the institutions should
De separated. new nurses home is also
requested. and the need of new municipal
hospital IN Washington is urged. The SUI
peiih.ehoeht also emphasizes the need of
p'oVluing sa1e and ample accommodations
~, the detention of sick prisoners, alco-
hohc patients and insane suspects.
with reference to the present arrange
ment Tor conducting the three branches of
the Washington Asylum-the workhouse
the almshouse and the hospital-under one
says: ''e"oeh' |'nhha"
The present arrangement of conducting
three entirely different institutions under
one management is, to say the least, unfor-
tunate Each should be entirely distinct
from the other. By the present arrange
ment. under which much OF the work In the
hospital and almshouse must be done by
the prisoners from the workhouse, 1t IS
olncult to secure proper oversight and to
preserve proper moral tone among the
various inmates. This same system pre-
vailed on Blackwells Island a few years
ago. 1t has been abolished there and the
general tone of the institution has been
elevated The almshouse and hospital
should In no way depend upon prison labor
to do their work. excepting possibly the
work that may be done upon the grounds
and in the laundry"
Removal of Almshouse.
Mr.. Zinkhan heartily approves of the pro-
posed removal of the almshouse to new
site. With regard to the need of accommo-
datfons for the nurses lie says:
THE nurses home is entirely too small
for our present number of nurses. and their
accommodat lions are not at all what they
have right to expect. and deserve The
enlargement of the nurses home is an i'm
mediate necessity, yet we must compel them
to accept considera BILE Inconvenience and
discomfort tempora rily"
The superintendent makes the following
brief recommendation for the erection of q
municipal hospital
After the almshouse is removed from its
present site, prompt steps should be taken
TO erect municipal hospital in Washing
ton remote from the asylum worktouse"
Inc report contains the following with
reference to- the conditions at the work
house:
During the past year the first wing of
Ine new workhouse was completed and is
now occupied 1t has 144 cells. The totaI
capacity of the male workhouse is $40
ANY number beyond this means the
cfowding of prisoners into the corridors
and cellars, a contingency which 10 de-
plorable. Our capacity is&now taxed ana
the larger population predicted with the
approach; OF cold weather only emnha
sizes me necessity Of hnrrxipg the con
TO an early completion ie
IT is OF the utmost Importance to es
fapilSh modern laundry plant in the.
lemaie Workhouse, where ali the laundr,,
work for the entire institutfon 10 da.nhy
Iano During the past year 439. 5S1 niaces
Were numbered, and with the growth nf
lii utospital the amount of laundry work
VIII increase. The work cannot he nron
cry done with our present force of
ohers ana the primitive equipment.
Poor Bathing Facilities.
l., The facilities for bathing ,riso,au
very meager In the old workbouso 49,
all male prisoners are bathed. the en,,i,
merit is inadequate and poor, Tho ~,
Workhouse is without single haiti 81,
III the female workhouse there are only
Two path tubs for from eighty to over ion
prisoners 1t is of first Importance. that
prisoners should be kept clean. New
oaths, suhclent in number should he
paced In all the warehouses; This VOL,
can De done properly for about So, 900,
MI. Zlnkhan states that the nursing
stan is oVertaXed and should be incressaSS
o oy as isa 81 one nurse. He is emphaticalIy
opposed to pupil nurses being reouired ~
nurse consumptlxes, and in order TO nro.
woe Iof tnls class of patients four grad
uate nurses are needed Continuing. he
says: ho
The most serious problem in the bosni-
tai department is how to provide safe and
Impie accommodations for the detention
o o. SICK prisoners; delirium tremens pa
tients ana mental suspects. At present
tnere are only few rooms available for
tnese cases in the receiving ward ana
oIten 1t is necessary to place four or five
or them in single room Under thesa CON
ditions the patients are a menace to eaot,
other and source of danger to the nurses
and >orderlies ''ie hui ses
,+; several patients and orderlies have been
injured by unruly patients and the nurses
nave at times been in great danger
me superintendent believes that the hos
pital buildings should be connected by tele-
tenn in the hospital. He also mentions that
during the year the farm produced the fol
lowing WI foodstuffs: 13,745 pounds of pork.
n,oso pounds OF beef and 219 pounds of
veal Inc farm has also produced quite
number of eggs, says Mr.. Zinkhan, 'but
OF these could find no account"
hd nuring the past year 719 burials have
oeen To- made In the potter's field, increase
Submits Estimate.
Superintendent Zinkhan also submitted
to the Commissioners today his estimate
of the funds necessary for the conduct of
the Washington Asylum for the fiscal year
1906. Mr.. Zinkhan asks for $1O6, 451, or an
increase of $9.915 over the appropriation for
the current fiscal year.
The increases noted are as follows: 81 600 !
additional for repairs to buildings and for
materials; $1,000 for installing new laun-
dry plant at the institution; 50, 500 for in |
stalling new baths in the workhouse build |
ings: $500 for telephones connecting the hos |
pital buildings; 1915 for salary for engineer |
for the new workhouse; $50 for additional |
salary OF assistant matron Of the aims |
house and $50 for additional salary for one |
almshouse attendant; $3.50 for an additional |
assistant cook for the almshouse and $3.50 |
Tor salary of additional pupils nurses Mr.. |
Zinkhan requests that the number of punil |
nurses at the hospital be increased from |
fifteen to twenty-one.
Mncac, An,