Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-01
CITY TANKS
TO BE MADE
WORSE YET
'IMPR0VEfIENT" WILL ADD TO
SUFFERING
MEzzANINE FLOOR TO usuRP
BREATHING SPACE
Laws of Sanitation Evidently ignored
In Present Plans to Spend $1,000
for Additional Tiers-Two
councilmen Protest
RY wINF1ELp 5. MoRGAN

One thousand dollars worth of lum-
Der is to be damned into the already
over-crowded tanks of the city prison.
Evidently believing that the suffocat-
ing prisoners there, whose numbers
now almost triple the capacity of the
jail, are surfeited in the excess of air
and ozone, the oppressive atmospheric
famine is to be further intensified by
the introduction of other space-con-
Stunning objects, vaguely calculated to
provide floor space for those helpless
victims of the dragnet to sleep on
when the over-crowded conditions of
the Jail become intolerable, or the long
dearth of sleep leaves the miserable
wretches so supplied they care not
where or how they may stretch their
bones to snooze-aye. perchance to
drean-battle with the vermin, rats,
mephitic germs and all those Shiny
things which go to make the long noe
turnaI hours at the city prison a night
mare OF naddening decisions.
With one thousand dollars worth of
lumber piled into the present sitting
Gehenna hole, however systematically
arranged, there is little hope for the
prisoners. It had been generally be-
lieved that the limit was reached and,
in some instances, almost exceeded;
but nay, not so. There is no limit.
when it comes to the capacity of the
city bastile.
Sanitation Overlooked
Instead of providing big windows,
electric fans, ventilators, air shafts
and charging the space of the tanks;
remodeling the jail; living up to the
laws of sanitation and hygiene; COM
plying with the state statute which
declares "there must be provided for
every human being in a public lodging
house, hotel, hospital, sanitarium
or prison at least 500 cubic feet of aid"
or, in other words, instead of rebuild
ing the old city jail, or erecting the
much-needed larger one, such as every
other city in the United States, with
the population of Los Angeles, pos
sesses, the city council has decided to
expend the muniffcent amount of $1,000
(actual CASH, in the purchase Of lum-
Der and material for the insertion of
an upper floor, or mezzanine balcony,
on which some of the contested mass
of unfortunate human sardines can be
packed in PROSTATE postures when the
big tanks can no longer avoid bursting
under the extreme strain of congestion.
The aim of the council seems to be
to provide accommodations for more
so-called Migrants omen who cannot
get work. even when anXiouS) or
DRINKS and petty criminals; but not to
alleviate the sufferings of the two hun
bred and some odd beings who are now
there-packed into two Shiny, rat-rid
den, vermin-infested tanks constructed
originally for the imprisonment of but
100.
1t is not a question OF providing air
and sanitary accommodations for the
excessive number now confined there,
but merely of ''rarranging' for the
further surfing of this municipal dis
ease den.
In order to arrange for the "accom-
modation' of whatever greater number
may be imprisoned the city council de-
cided on the second floor, or mezzanine
gallery.
Architects Hindered
Achitects Hudson and Munsell ex-
planned to the councilmen that the
present jail was not built on modern
lines which would permit of the en-
largement in accordance with the laws
on sanitation. 1t was imposed upon
the architects, it is said, to make the
$1,000 go as far as it could" Just how
far it will go can readily be realized
by the most superficial thinker.
Restricted to this amount, the
draughtesmen provided plans for
wooden floor in the tank adjoining the
main corridor, and for a mezzanine
gallery. or second floor, to be built
above the floor on which the prisoners
now huddle and fight with the vermin.
This is a wonderful improvement for
unquestionably it will almost double
the sleeping capacity.
A stairway, of course, will be pro-
vided for the prisoners, so they may
crawl up to the second shelf. Thus
there will be two tiers of suffocating
men where in the past there was but
one.
Incidentally, too, the breathing space
viii be diminished by one-half; the
germs will have twice the usual incu-
bator crevices and the rats and Yermin