New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-29
SING SING Is DOOMED.
Commission Recommends AbOitiOH
of old State Prisons.

A,h.r, Ian 2s-The abandonment Of Sing Sing
and Auburn prisons. both Of which are declared
20 be unaltcrably defective both structurally and
frorn tbe sanitary standpoint, and the construc-
ton Of tvo new State prisons new sites are
the principal recommendations in the report OF
the state Prison Improvement commission Whlcn
was made public tonight. The commission was
created nv the last legislature and is composed
OF the following members, appointed by Governor
Higgins: Cornelius V. Collins, Of Troy superih-
tendent OF State Prisons: John G. Wickser' or Bur
falo; Edwin O. Hotter. New-Iork; Samuel y Bar
rows. New-York. and William F. Wheeler' Foiu'll'e
Superintendent Collins was elected president, ana
George Mclaughlin secretary, OF the commission
After an exhaustive investigation tho sanitary
conditions in both prisons were found by the com
mission. as they have been many times reported TO
be- very Objectionable In Sing Sing Prison espe-
cIaly. the cells were found to be damp, insuh1-
GENTLY ventilated and too small, which with the
defective plumbing and drainage system created an
atmospheric condition productive Of lassitude.
prison fever tuberculosis and other diseases. Most
Of these conditions also encountered at Au-
burn and in view of this fact the commission
declares that it would be inadvisable to recon-
struot these prisons to spend approximately
81 100000 each In constructing new ana modern
cell houses on the present sites.
The commission recommends that one Of the pro-
posed new prisons 10 take the place OF Sing Sing.
should be located south Of Poughkeepsie. in the
vicinity Of New-York, on a site Of not less thah
ave hundred or six hundred acres.
The commission recommends that the prison TO
take the place OF the one at Auburn should be To-
Gated in the western part of the State in the centre
Of the population OF that prison district. The east
ern prison should have capacity Of not less than
400, while the prison in the western part OF the
State should be able TO accommodate 1900.
The commission recommends that one OF these
prisons should be located near New-York City be-
cause about 20 per cent all the inmates Of State
prisons are sentenced from greater Network.
The report states that the estimated cost OF a
new plant to take the place Of Sing Sing Prison,
outside of the dollhouse and cells would be Ss926sl
The estimated cost OF a dollhouse containing LAOS
cells constructed Of pressed brick, would be 1884.
1873 making the total estimated cost Of new prison
plant $1,s25sA. The estimated cost Of a dollhouse
with deafened steeI cells would be A,077Sb. max
ing the total cost Of construction with This kind Of
cells 81 a70 236. This does not include the site for
such building which, it is believed by the COM
mission. would cost approximately $4,000. The
actual cost OF a new prison to take the place Of
Sing Sing however, will be the above amount less
whatever sum shall. be obtained from the sale OF
the present prison at Sing Sing.
The report states that the cost Of new prison
Of capacity Of 100 cells. TO take the place Of
Auburn Prison. would be approximately S26oOo0 less
than the above estimates for the proposed East
ern prison. The commission recommends how
ever that the institution take the place of Sing
Sing be first constructed and that the construction
OF the Western prison be deferred until the East
ern prison is completed.
The construction Of a central prison to take the
place Of both Sing Sing and Auburn, which was
Of the important propositions considered, is de-
olared by the commission to be inadvisable. In
connection with this plan the report says:
The cost Of providing q single prison plant for
tventy-four hundred prisoners on a new site would
be practically the the cost OF two separate
plants for the care Of the same number Of inmates:
The cost Of the large dollhouse, mess hall hospital
and shops for the Industries would be double the
for a single prison for half that number Of In
mates There probably would be a small saving IN
adD1inistTa ton building. There would be praC-
tically saving in the subsequent administration
the rnanag cement of large prison population
the increase in the number Of prisoners
The commission recommends that "the Eastern
New-York Reformatory at Napanoch be placed un-
DER the administration and authority OF the board
OF managers Of the New-York State ReforTnatory
at Enira 10 take effect at the close Of the present
fiscal year