The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-11-04

Nhc SiatS lOodIu ILLS clcdI, UuC CHcIe
are windows. only at one end and
openings at the other. 1t has wooden
floors, and no ventilation for the toilet,
but good care is taken of it,
The county Jail is also clean and has
clean blankets and sheets for the pris-
oners, which is commendable. The
ventilation and bathing facilities are
not enough. Shower baths are needed
Otherwise, the Jail is all right.
The County Aims House.
County Aims House. / found seven
teen men and eight women there, with
a kind, lady in charge. / ain glad you
do not have the system of letting the
care of these poor unfortunates to the
lowest bidder. You pay the overseer
$50 a month, but it would seem that
his wife's services are not less valu-
able than his own, and these are thrown
in. The county doctor comes on call,
but makes no regular visits.
The inmates are shown kindness and
given good treatment, but there are
several very bad features about the in
tstitution. A man is generally chosen
to oversee it because of his success on
a farm, with no thought of what his
training for the position may have
been. He has no training as a nurse.
There is only one sitting room. I
ever before saw a place like this,
where there was no separate sitting
rooms for the men and women. Often
old, broken down tramps and prosti.
tutes are found there, and must CO.
mingle with the more respectable in.
mates. l ask whether Blue Earth
county is doing all that it ought to
do for these poor old people. One
common sitting room is an indignity
and an injustice. There was very lit
tie ventilation, and one small bowl for
all of the men to wash in, and this did
not seem properly trapped against sewer
gas, and the room was lighted by one oil
lamp. Three toilets for the men and
women inmates and the overseer and
family are side by side.
There are no rubber sheets, and
straw beds are used. Something bet
ter than this should be provided. /
have seen straw beds used in some
OF the colored quarters in the south.
With rubber sheets, the inmates could
have comfortable mattresses to use.
There are no fire escapes, and the
matron said that many nights she
could not sleep for thinking about
what to do in case of fire, with the
old people, some blind and all nearly
helpless. The cellar heating pipes are
too near the ceiling. The sewer outlet
was traced seemingly into the hog
yard, although 1 have been informed
that it does not 90 there and that this
place is an old well overflow. This
place smells like the discharge from
the sewer, however, and is in a straight
line with the outgoing pipe, and no
other outlet could be found. The hogs
were drinking from it and the poultry
were around
No religious nor burial services are
held, as far as we could learn. The
dead inmates are taken off and buried
like some wOrnOut old horse. This
should weigh heavily on the .consciences
of you people.
Conditions Far From Ideal.
The Schools. / have not visited
your best ones. 1 went to one paro-
chial school, where diphtheria is said te
have repeatedly developed, and found
the conditions far from ideal. The
rooms were dusty. One set of doors
leading outdoors was bolted on the
outside, but it was holiday and they
may not be so bolted during school
hours. The doors open outward. The
inside doors were bolted on the inside
The panic bolts should be provided
which stand considerable pressure, but
fly open on great pressure. A sug.
gest these for all of the schools. The
toilets in this school were very of.
fensive and smelled, and were dirty
They were said to be flushed with
hose once day. There ought to be
sewer connections. The lights are in.
sufficient and poorly placed, and this
Is SO in the public schools visited.
visited the Union school and found
very dirty oiled floors. They are oiled
twice a year. Oiling is substitute
Tor cleaning and should be abolished
l found the. sanitary drinking foun.
tains. The cloak closets were unventi
lated and dark and halls narrow. The
marble bowls in the lavatory were a.
dirty as possible, and the roller towels
were changed but three times week
there was poor ventilation The fur.
mace room was dirty, filthy, clutterec
up place., and entirely unfit. Principals
should attend to these things if school
boards do not. There is also some dan.
ger OF fire, for. heating pipe is but
tour inches from beam, which has
been cut away from it. There ;las
been no fire drill there this year, and
they don't use the fire escapes in theil
lire drills, as they should do. The
lighting is bad, as is generally the
case. The windows extend too far to-
ward the, front of the rooms for the
good OF the eyes of the pupils, which
/ is a very bad feature. Nature has
protected us to some. extent against
this, with eyebrows and eyelashes. fo
cut, OF doors, but not against light
coming in in front through openings
No wonder the eyes. of school children
fail, and. l. should think that this
| would OccIlr here . Tho ,roron4 l,:1s