Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-06-12
A WISE MOVE.
The Board Of Supervisors Make a
Contract for New Jail.

iH' DUoiu vi oupClVlSUIS Mdkt
Contract for a New Jail.
The Board of Supervisors, realizing
the imperative need Of q new county
jail, one that was sanitary, secure and
large enough for the needs of the
county, have for some time been In.
vestigating plans for new jail build
Ing which would meet the require
ments and come within the amount
which could be legally expended by
the board without taking a vote OF
the people. After some investigation
1t was found that good Jail building
could be built and equipped for less
than $1,000 and trip to Charles City
was taken last week by the board to
inspect their new jail, Returning to
Cresco the Board closed a contract
with @. L. Weundt, representative
of the Pauly Jail Building company of
st. Louis for new Jail, duplicate of
the Charles City jail, at cost of
4,925 for the building and equipment
complete including proper connections
with the present furnace in the sher.
IFS residence.
The new building will be erected on
the site of the present jail and will be
231 feet wide and "a feet and 8 inches
In lengths inches wider and 10 feet
longer than the present Jail. 1t will
be two stories in height, the rooms in
the lower story being feet, inches
high in the clear and the upper story
8 feet. The building will be of brick
on stone foundation, and all floors
and ceilings will be of the very best
concrete. On the lower floor in the
nor theast corner will be a sheriff g
of1ce12 it. square. To the south of this
there will be two cells, each 6x9,
for females. The balance of the lower
floor will be occupied by two abso-
lutely burglar and saw proof cells and
prisoners corridor, surrounded by q
jailor's corridor. The bars in this
cage are made in five layers. three Of
steel and two of iron, blended and
tempered 80 as to combine toughness
and strength with such hardness as
to Withstand any file or saw. The
plates of the cells are of 3-16 inch
Bessemer steel. The doors Of cells and
corridors are operated and locked or
unlocked either separately or in
unison by the iailor from the outside
corridor, thereby giving him protec-
tion from desperate or unruly pris-
oners. The two cells and corridor
now in use will occupy the west half
of the second story, leaving in the
east half vacant space for two more
cells which can be installed at some
future time ii additional cell room is
needed.
The contractor is to take down the
old building and the present outside
door is to be put in between the sher.
IFS residence and the Jail at the ex.
pense Of the contractors.
1t is the intent Of the contractors
to sub.let the construction of the
building to local parties, reserving to
themselves only the furnishing of the
cells and equipment, and before the
representative of the company left
Cresco he had let the contracts for the
tin work, cement work and some Of
the material. The contract calls for
the completion of the building by
December 1St.
There will doubtless be a few who
will criticize the action of the board,
but the great Iaass of our citizens will
commend them for the stand they
have taken in providing substantial,
sanitary and secure Jail building at a
moderate cost to take the place of
the twice condemned building, the
continued use Of which as q Jail would
sooner or later cost the county 10 the
care of prisoners elsewhere or in dam.
age cases, more than the cost of the
new building.