Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-09-08
NEW BUILDINGS
COMPLETED

OF the four new buildings at the
| Hospital for the Insane designed to &C
oommodate the lavatory system two
are wholly completed. These are con
nected with the water and the sewer
system of the institution and are ready
for occupancy.
The third building is practically
| completed while the fourth will be
finished next week.
The four annexes are all counter
parts of each other, four stories in
height, containing on each floor q
central corridor, which is q continua-
tion of the corridor of the main build
ing. On the right side each annex
contains several apartments consisting
ofswash room, an apartment contain.
ing sinks, &C., OH the left side are
bath room and clothes room, the lat
ter containing dry room besides
ample shelving, divided into compsrt-
ments for laundered clothing, which
accommodates sixty patients.
Each of the buildings Is plastered to
correspond with the main building.
They are of superior construction
throughout, theoretically fire proof
and modern in all their appointments.
The exterior wall is of brick furred
with two-inoh tile to prevent damp
ness. The partitions are all built of
four-inch hollow tile, making the
walls dry and light. The floors are
laid in cement or fiat arches, support
edson steel beams. The wainscoting is
of cement, furnished with cement cap
and base. The walls are finished in
three coats of plaster.
The woodwork shows up very nicely
and is one of the finest features, being
finished in brown ash, the doors ven
eered.
The plumbing is strictly sanitary
and modern throughout. A feature in
the construction of the buildings is
plumbers vent, or pipe shaft, which
extends from the first floor to the top
of each, in which every bit of plumb.
ing in the building is contained and
which can be reached from any of the
floors by merely unlocking a door.
The new buildings were designed
with the object in view of adding to
the facilities for escape in case of fire.
At each of the annexes is an outside
fire escape taking in all four stories.
A heavy wire screen enclosing the fire
escape from the top of the building to
the ground insures safety in passing
down in case of fire. Each of the an
nexes contains steel fire curtain,
which can be dropped SO as to shut
off the main building. which is not
fire proof and where fire would be
the most likely to occur. In such an
into the FIRE proof annex ana wpne
the steel curtain shut out the flames
the unfortunates would be leisurely
conducted down the fire escapes.
The monthly meeting Of the Trustees
for the Hospital for the Insane occurs
today, when the two buildings COM
pleted will be taken off the contract
ors hands, if approved. They will be
put into immediate use. as they are
much needed to relieve the overcrowd-
ed state of the Hospital.
There are 1892 patients crowded In
to the institution. Notwithstanding
that the Hospital has capacity for
bat 800. The excess OF patients are
obliged to sleep in the corridors OF the
building and are taken care of as we'll
as circumstances will permit. The
space in the main buildings at present
occupied by the bath rooms, wash
rooms and the like after the lavatory
system is removed to the annexes can
all be utilized as sleeping rooms. The
space gained, however, wilt be inade-
ouate to furnish rooms for half OF
those at present sleeping in the halls.
The new buildings were begun on
the 18th of October last. Work, how
ever, went very slowly during the
winter owing to the severe weather.
During the entire time that building
was in progress G. W. Specie OF
Wilkesbarre had charge and the COM
pletion of the handsome structures re-
veals how we'll and how thoroughly
he has done his work.