The evening world., 1911-11-17
JudGc Crair, Stirred by
EUening Worlds Er-
posure of Conditions,
Offers to So Two Hours
Extra Each Day to Try
Prisoners.
Heads of Departments
Insist Only Permanent
Remedy Is a Larger or
an Extra City Prison
Workhouse Conditions
EUen Worse.

Bone relief II promised from the scan
dalous overcrowding OF the Tombs. IS
exposed by The Evening World, through
holding court for longer hours in Gen
eral Sessions. While various remedies
have been Suggested. longer sessions Of
court offer the only immediate relief.
Permanent relief IL suggested In build
Ing another city prison and tho estab-
iishment OF a woman's court and jail.
Judge Grain last evening called on
District-Attorney Whitman and volun-
tered to sit every afternoon from 4 until
s and try small prison cases to help out
the situation. The courts now adjourn
at =. II all ave the extra two hours
hundreds Of petty cases In the Tomes
could soon be disposed Of.
But heads OF various city departments
concerned unanimously agree the only
effective method OF alleviating the evI
OF overcrowding. which Is itself a direct
violation Of the law. Is to build another
City Prison.
This puts the matter up to the Board
Of Estimate. That any immediate relief
will come from them appears unlikely.
as COMMISSIONS Patrick II. Whitney
said to-day he had been trying ever
since'last December to get an appropri-
alton to relieve conditions on Black
wells Island. which. according to his
| Association aRo Far .,nrs. sk.- sn..- Il
the Tombs.
Mayor Gaynor. when told Of the scan
dalous conditions In the Tombs. said he
could say nothing about the matter. a. 1t
was . subject on which he ,sas not Of
aciaily informed.
COMMISSIONS whitney. speaking of
the workhouse. said there was practi-
cally no fire protection there. Last DE.
cember he asked the Board Of Estimate
for $3.000.000 to erect another w~orkhouse.
Two weeks ago they gave him 500, 900
to fre-proof the old building. In the
meantime there are as many As thirty
inmates Of the workhouse sleeplng and
living In n cell.
An ofnciA not In the Department OF
Correction, but who has had access to
kn0 A0uAO8s tdi0 lo-uay INA ne nA1
seen AZ many as four prisoners In one
cell there and that the narrow eight
by, six feet compartments were fairly
crawling with vermin In spite Of the
drastic measures used by the Warden.
] When . reporter asked Comptroller
! Prendergast about the matter he ap-
peared irritated.
WHITNEY AND DIsrEIcT.ArToR.
j, NEY SEEK A REMEDY.
y ut Is q matter that will have to be
r brought before the Board OF Estimate
' he said. II nave nothing to do with IT,
II l have any responsibility In the mat.
ter. / should like to n II out, ther
I ] would take means 10 remedy the evil. =
Borough President McAneny said h,
J didn't think anything could be lone b,
, the Board OF Estimate unless a forma
|, application was mads to 1t by Com
missioner Whitney. In an emergency. h,
h thought perhaps the Health Depart
men might interfere.
Health Commissioner Lederle an
Sanitary Superintendent DIR, Waite
e Bensel said the Health Department ha
: absolutely no control over THO Tomb
or the prisoners. They could not ste
in unless asked to do so by the De
partment OF Correction. DR.. Benss
said he knew the sanitary condition G
Z the Tombs was rot up TO the STANDARD
= on account OF its congested condition
y but his Department had no right to In
terfere unless asked to do 20.
y Mr., whitney said he had held n cor
4 ference with District-Attorney VIII
man yesterday afternoon. and ways an
Y means for remedying the existing col
y ditions In the CITY Prison were discus
" sed. MIR. Whitney said that he did n,
F. blame the office OF the District-Atto
Z ney for the congestion IN the Tombs. bl
y that It was simply a matter OF the II
I adequacy OF The structure Itself.
y * welcome any publicity that W,
" help to end the frightfui congestion
d, the Tombs,' sild Mr.. whitney. 'Tl
o~vercrowding Is due to the increase
\ the population OF the city. The Tom
Y was built nine years ago. and tho eli
!. has grown since then.
4 Blu conditions at the workhouse a
d n great deal worse than In the Tomt
and / can get no immediate relief. 4
IL though | have been trying Tor almo
\ II year. Lhst December | asked I
Ia Board OF Estimate to give me $780,,
~ to build another workhouse. We ha
there on AN average, y thousand ps
~ sons. We are SO crowded that the
y are as many as thirty-one inmates
z a single cell. II Is a d%eplorable 81,
2@ alton. 1t breeds physical and mon
~ Illness. a hJgt while ago three pr
4 oners We're seat to State prison
serious onences committed IN the Won
z house, The consested condition OF
Z Tombs and the Workhouse IS respc
sible for a great deal o, immortality.