Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-11-19
ESCAPE PROOF PRISON
NashviIle's BastiIe viii Defy Most
Skillful Jail Breaker.
FILE PROOF STEEL FOR CELLS

Court-PrIsoners Can Be Tried, Con-
victed and Executed All In the One
Building.
Work upon the new criminal court
and county Jail building in Nashville.
Tenn, is being pushed forward as
rapidly as possible and despite the
many delays which have retarded the
undertaking, it is more than probable
that the edifice will be ready for oc-
cupancy by Dec. /.
This was practically the answer of
Superintendent of Construction Charles
NJ. Little in response to "A reporters
question. The exterior work is all
finished, with the exception of small
awning which will be erected over the
central archway entrance to the main
court and building.
1t is probable that no city in the
south and very few anywhere in the
United States will possess Il more per
fectly appointed and secure bastile
than will Nashville, and the prisoner
who escapes therefrom when once the
jailer has turned the key upon him
will need all the cunning of II Jack
Sheppard and then 1t is likely that he
would fail to gain freedom. There is
a system of locks and cOunterlocks,
cages within cages and steel barred
corridors that is enough to battle the
most skilled Jail breaker in the world.
A more compact and complete an
rangement for the handling of crimi-
nails would be hard to imagine, as the
criminal court will also sit in this
building and it will be possible to try,
convict and execute a prisoner with
out his ever leaving the building
There are provided kitchen, scullery,
laundry, toilets and baths for prison
ers and others who remain in the
building all the time, and everything
has been provided that could possibly
be needed in connection with the sew
eral departments.
In the basement are the boiler and
engine rooms, heating boiler and ven
tiator fan rooms, laundry and ironing
rooms, all finished in concrete and well
aired and lighted.
The main entrance to the building is
through the grand archway, to the
right and left of which are the jailer's
office, road commissioners office, board
of charities and board of health. In
addition to these there are n guard
room, locker room and closets for the
use Of colored and white people. The
light well or central court is at the
center of the building, and when the
prisoners are brought In the big moi
gates may be closed before they are
taken into the utility corridor, which
is entered from the light well and
which traverses the main building fol
its entire width The cells open of
this corridor and are arranged in five
tiers, there being n hundred of them
in all, arranged in tiers Of twenty
Each cell is fitted with four hunks
and there are four cells in Il row, witt
bath cell with Il porcelain tub at the
end of each tier of four. There is d
prisoners corridor outside of the -four
cell groups and a jailers' corridor out
side OF this A large steel barred eel
is arranged at the center of the eel
court, and here visitors will be al
lowed TO see the prisoners. In order t.
keep them from passing articles sucl
as files, etc, to those confined the Wis
itors' cell is screened with fine mesh
ed wire steel screen or net.
The cells are controlled from a lock
ing box in the outer corridor and may
be locked all together or one at time
The condemned cells. which will bt
known as "murderers row." are -four
in number and will be located so thai
the interior may be seen by the turn
keys and jailers at all times. All the
cells on the upper three tiers are OF
saw and file proof steel, and the entire
top ceiling is drill proof. Even the ven
tilating shafts are steel lined and bar
red. In addition to the regular cell,
there will be three padded cells for in
sane prisoners, one detention cell anC
three misdemeanor cells. There is {
small corridor between the cell rows
and here are the closet pipes, ventilat
ing pipes and other fittings which it is
undesirable to have in the cells them
selves. The floors and ceilings of the
cell are Of steel, the flooring being re
enforced with four inches of concrete.
The second floor of the building is
| devoted almost exclusively to the erin
! inal court. The main courtroom, which
| is two stories high and 4S by 81 feet
will have a gallery for negroes and
will be perfectly appointed. The offices
of the judge, attorney general and as
slstant attorney general, witnesses anC
| jury rooms, grand jury room and jury
dining rooms are also on this floor
| In the rear, In the utility corridor, 6
trap opens to the third floor, and, look
| ing up, one may see huge iron rinl
in the ceiling from which condemned
! prisoners will be hanged.
On the third floor viii be the operat
ing room, female hospital. jury bed
! rooms. etc. In the space between the
third floor and the roof there Is huge
ventilating fan driven by dynamo
| that will draw all the foul air from the
| prison and other parts Of the building
and force 1t outside. The roof is Of
steel and concrete. covered with tarret
paper and gravel. guaranteed to be
waterproof and durable. The mair
halls of the building will be tiled, a.
viii the lavatories and closets. The
entire jail property, which includes 6
large concreted yard, will be surround
ed by wall twenty feet high and alb
| cplutaly qhaar ovar which no mar