The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-05-15
HOLOCAUST
At NEW HOSPITAL
FOR THE INSANE
Grand Jury, in April Present.
ment, Tells Of Lack of Fire.
Fighting. Facilities.
FIND PENITENTIARY TO
BE TOO CROWDED
City Home, County Jail and lso-
lation Hospital Declared to Be
in Good Condition.

Grave danger of a holocaust FROM
hre at the new Hospital for the Insane
M Overbrook. due to lack Of hre-nsht-
Ing facilities, was the chief point Of
the prcsentment turned In to the Court
of oyer and Terminer before Chief JUS
tice Gummere today by he hrst April
grand jury, when II was ofncially dis
solved. A batch of Indictments was re-
turned Mt the same time.
Fire fighting conditions were found
faulty at the Overlook Hospital and
he need of immediate Improvement
was pointed out because of the trans
ferrals to the new institution next
month OF 70C patients from the asylum
In South Orange avenue. incidentally
the City Hospital is complained of rs
lacking fire escapes, while attention Is
called to the crowded condition Of the
penitentiary. There are good words for
the City Home and the Isolation Hos
pital. In conclusion the jurors call at
tention to the fact that the pay of some
of the county employees is held up be.
cause of pending Rdecisions in civil
service matters, and heartily approve a
recent resolution of the Board of Works
COVERING the need of guarding several
points in the city against trolley acct
dents.
This is the presentment in full:f
In visiting those city n county
public institutions whose conduct and
condition are proper subjects for grand
jury review. we found much to com
mend and also some things to which
cannot give approval.
At the CverDrook Branch Hospital
we found the appliances for lighting
fire faulty in some respects. and also
found a lack of efficiency in their use.
This was revealed as a result of the
jury ordering a fire drill, In response
to which order the defects mentioned
became glaringly apparent. These
conditions should be remedied at once.
inmates peculiarly demands every pos
sible protection against the danger of
fire or fire panic, n this demand will
be greatly emphasized in a few weeks
when the number of inmates will be
increased by the removal thence OF
the 700 inmates now In the Essex Coun-
ty Hospital for the Insane, in South
Orange avenue.
Need Of Firemen.
In the opinion of the jury an ex-
~perienced fireman should be employed
at the Overlook branch to. give proper
attention to the ~fre-ighting plant and
thoroughly to drill such other em-
ployees as are assigned to fire duty.
we TCCOilincHQ tndt Lne dQpllanCcS IOI
and MIGRANTS, be carefully Inspected by
the succeeding grand jury.
s,e AT the . county pen1sentfary proper
are lacking. We found in three not
large rooms beds for seventeen guards.
six each in two rooms and five In the
guards occupying those overcrowded
rooms there Is but n old-fashfoned
bathroom, which contains also their
recommend that the %authority empowe
cred to improve these conditions should
act in the matter promptly.
Hospitals Commended.
At the City Home. in Verona. the jury
was afavorably impressed by the men
tai and physical condition of the in
mates. The youthful inmates are IN
der military discipline; receive mental
and manual training, and their physical
development Is aided by encouraging
them in athletic sports.
The Essex County Isolation Hospital,
and carefully managed institution, do
contagious diseases and to give
there isolated. This hospital should
be provided as soon as possible with an
automobile ambulance. During the
jury's inspection this need was, by.
chance. brought to our attention.
The horse-drawn ambulance, with
which the Isolation Hospital is pro-
vided, returned. during our visit, from
Newark, n a third call was waiting.
This could not be answered until the
ambulance team was u~pharnessed, the
R Rorse rs sarnssaed sy We Mention ano 2 this iisnf fne
any argument the need OF a moro
modern equipment in this respect, es-
Isolation Hospital answers calls for its
ambulance from all parts of the county
The City Hospital In Newark Is an
weir %sii ad mHassns pTql pstiiut san'P pos mh ana
work and conduct IT is a pleasure to
give his commentator, except as to
the absence of sucn microscopes as are
required by law.
On the contrary the almshouse n a
building unht for, it's purpose, unscien-
tihc In its construction and perhaps
ING made p wyh any s exasn q d building and Ind
plant should be. Aside from these de-
fects, which, of course. are beyond the
remedy Of management, the jury was
unfavorably impressed by the condf-
ton of the sheets and bedding.
All Right In Jan.
In the county Jail we observed moth
ing which did not meet with our ap-
As to both the south Orange avenue
and the branch hospitals for the In
q IN we recommend that the proper
authorities give consideration to the
matter of the duty hours OF the men
and women nurses and attendants. The
nurses, we were informed, are on duty
practically from s o'clock In the morn
Ing until their bedtime. too long, con-
| sideging the nature of their work, to
permit them to give the best service
or to preserve their health.
Complaint has been made to US that
pending judicial decision OF matters re-
1ating to the civil service laws there
are a number OF county employees
them. in some instances for as long as
| ed, we are informed, in deprivation and
| actual suffering in the cases OF some
families of such employees.
Without expressing any. opinion. on
the matter of the legal rights involved
we venture to suggest that employees
performing their accustomed duties
| should not be subjected to this hard
ship while the county is benefiting by
| In Conclusion, we wish to record our
| hearty approval of a resolution adopted
! by the Board Of Street and Water Com
| ~missioners on May 6 last, and approved
by the mayor, which IL asfollows;
Resolved, That the PUBLIC Service Cor
poration be and II 10 hereby direcsed 70
Immediately provide proper and sufficient
4 city OF Newark where its car lines cross
the public sidewalks to enter private prop
erty by the maintenance OF watcnmen ~
said points in order to prevent accidents
to individuals using the SIDEWALKS, ana
said corporation il hereby notited that II