Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-27
Copyright 1s1A. By Hseosrt Kaufma..l

coir rope makers. who work out in the
OPEN All these dropped their work ano
folded their hands as we passed.
I asked as to the earnings of the pris
oners. They are considerable. Most Of
the criminals are sentenced to hard labor
and the expenses OF the jails are largely
paid by the sales of their work They
manufacture all sorts Of things for the
government departments. do much OF
the government printing and binding and
make the weapons and chains used in the
jails. / saw scores Of prisoners in the
blacksmith shop forging swords and dlrks
to be used by the men who guard them,
and also shaping iron collars similar u
those they had on their necks.
Machinery has small part In tne
work of this prison. Human muscle takes
it's place. The flour used in the kitchens
is ground between millstones turned by
men who sweat as they drag them
around. l saw gang at such work, and
was told that each was expected TO make
and clean about fifty pounds of flour
daily. The sweat stood on their brown
skins as they worked, and they toiled
hard at the grinding.
On my way through the yards | saw the
pumps working The water of the jail is
raised by great barrel-like wheels SO hung
that as they turn they dip down into the
water. To the rims of the wheels buckets
are attached. These fill as the wheels
enter the water. rise to the top as 1t goes
onward and empty out into trough
Wnen 1t Is luTHeu over. he uoaiSC Po"S
for each of these wheels is a half dozen
convicts. who holding on to bar over
head stepped ever upward, their weight
turning the wheel.
This work was in the open, and 1t did
not seem especially hard. 1t is the only
treadmill that is now at work in the jail.
The great saw and planning mill treaolns
arrangement is still In existence, but 1t Is
idle, having been displaced by boiler
and steam. 1t was actively working whel
lit Do fUQnfy
a 60 and in the eye of my mind can st II
see the picture of the convicts then TOLL
ing. This treading arrangement was run !
ming a large planning mill with all It's ac-
compa niment as we'll as otner snops coi-
tanning machinery.
*
1t operated a buzz saw and scores OF
machines run by pulieys and wheels c.
ing the work OF O modern steam engine.
Imagine long narrow room about thNty
feet wide, in which six great cogWheeis
twelve feet IN diameter are SO fitted to-
gether that they make q continuous wheel
one hundred feet long running from one
end OF the room to the other. Let the
cogs Of this wheel be boards half an inch
thick. SO made that they form set of
steps upon which mon standing car. by
their weight, make the wheel move. There
is a DdE dDCEc u WINCH lHc AACfi
can hold, and to which they can.
il necessary. be chained to keep them at
work. When / was here last / saw
100 men clad only in waist cloths. holding
on to that bar, and walking up. up. up.
turning the wheel as they did SO. and So
by their weight running the machine
shops and the planning mills. The men
so punished were mostly incorrigibles,
who had committed terrible crimes They
all had chains on their legs, but the
chains were tied to their waist cloths to
relieve their ankles. Several Of the con-
victs had their hands fastened to the
bar overhead, and ell were forced to
keep treadiIg to the not unmusical jingle
of their Unbound legs.
As far as can learn the prisoners are
now well treated. / saw no hogging.
and there is no cruelty worth mentioning
One Of the severest punishments l saw
was a gang of four men exercising with
cannon balls. This is imposed upon men
who cannot be controlled in other ways.
Each man had a cannon ball weighing
thirty-two pounds In his hands. and al
the tap Of the gong went through GER
tain motions. The four men worked In
unison. AS the guard pounded the gong
they lifted the shot from the ground.
Another tap and they held it close to
their waists. another and they raised 1t