The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-03-24
ACTIVE OPERATIONS
ON new BUILDINGS
South Dakota Penitentiary to
Be Equipped With Binding
Twine Factoty.
ALSO TO MAKE SHIRTS
These Industries Caused Much Debate
in the Last General Assembly,
but Were Favored by Bills
Passed During Close.
ALSO TO MAKE SHIRTS

Sioux Falls. =. D.. March 2o.--ActtHe
work has commenced in getting out the
stone AT the state quarries for the con-
struction at the Sioux Fails peniten-
tiary of the buildings required for the
state binding twine manufacturing
plant and shirt factory. which are to
be esta blished AT the pcniteniary in ac-
uordance with measure passed by the
recent Legislature.
The work of getting out the gran
lite is being done by = force Of conNicts
from the peni,entiaIy The shirt fac
tory if present plans materiaiZe. Will
be in operation 10y the middle of the
summer at the latest. 1t will employ
1870 workmen. OF the three new build
ings to be erected al the penitentia1y
two will be TO. the binding twine plant
and the other for the shirt factory
Buildings Will Be Large.
Sioux Falls jasper will be used in
The largest OF the structures will be
the machinery building for the twine
plant. 1t will be 30 by 100 feet in size,
and three stories high.
The storage buildings of the twine
plant Will be only one story in height
but will be so by 100 feet in size, with
a twenty foot ceiling. For the shirt
at the penitentialy Will be remodeled
and an addition three stories high and
forty feet square will be added to the
south end. The present structure is of
stone and three stories high. The ad-
dition viii double the size OF the pres
ent building.
The stitching rooms of the shirt fac
tory will be ON the first two floors. In
these 100 sewing machines Will be III
operation. The machines, as we'll as
the mac hinery for the Irvine plant, will
be operated by electricity. 1t is the
present intention TO manufacture only
rough work shirts
However, the members of the state
board of charities and corrections will
he unable To fully decide as to this
matter until they make the contracts
With firms TO handle the shirts. There
are several firms NOW negotiating with
the board for the product of the fac
tory, and until a contract is entered
into With one or more of them 1T Will
are to be made.
The members of the board estimate
that l20 men will manufacture about
200 dozen shirts each working day.
f'ive-Near contracts will be made with
firms desiring TO use the product of the
pcnitentiary The firms which enter
into contracts viii be required to fur
nish the bolts of material for making
the shirts and i'm return will receive the
finiSEed product at a fixed price.
Make Binding Irvine.
The binding twine plant will be what
is known as the single system plant.
Wien running at its full capacity it
is estimated it will manufacture about
> 100000 feet of binding tWine annually.
This. however, is the maximum, and it
is not expected that the plant will be
able to make this amount until many
iaonths after ii has been placed in OPP
er;:ton. The maximum capacity of the
plan; will just about supply the state
With one third of the binding twine
needed. as the farmers of South Da-
kota each season require over 12,00000O
feet of binding twine.
The recent legislature appropriated
the sum of $4,000 for the twine plant
OF this amount, $4,000 will be expended
for machinery and the remaining $20,-
600 for the erection of the necessary
buildings. AS the state owns it's own
granite quarries near the penitentiary,
and has convicts employed cutting the
stone into building Blocks the neces-
sary structures can be erected for the
amount of the appropriation.
Have to Raise Bio Fund.
While the shirt factory will be in op-
GRAFTON by the middle of the summer.
the binding twine plant will not be
placed in operation for over two years
at least, for the question of raising a
fund of at least s250.OOO for the pur-
chase of raw material and with which
to operate the plant. must first be sub
mitted to the voters of South Dakota
at the general election a year from
neAt fail.
IN the meantime the shirt factory will
give the inmates of the penitentiary
the employment which they so badly
need and serve the purpose for which
the agitation in favor of the adding of
binding twine plant to the peniten.
tiarN was first due.