Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-04-06

new city detention hospila''
The board asks for an expressions
of opinion. If 1t Is assured the
public wants a new hospital 10
take the place of the wretched
pest house. called the detention
hospital. it's members have said
they would call special election
to authorize the expenditure. II
you believe new hospitai
should be built write members OF
the board of supervisors or see
them personally and urge it. Ed
Marshall county owns bulldlns.
Il stands on the banks of the Iowa
river which glides now like silver
thread past the front steps and again
like q maddened beast lashes the
foundations and dumps Iowa muu
into the basement. The building is
excellently situated. One may Sit on
the front stoop and let the eye wan
Ger from the city pumping station
far across the road to the ice houses'
to the rear beautiful pool of water
with all the requisites for breeding
malaria. supplies a summer nights
chorus, and to the west sweeps the
public highway. and from the hign-
way sweeps the dust, often in black
clouds, to sift thru the windows ana
porous walls to be deposited on the
dining room tables, where 1t will be
most noticeable and cause the most
comment.
No, this is not an ancient ruin. nor
Is 1t a stable for the hogs and the
kline. 1t Is refuge for the afflcteo.
The county calls it detention nos
rital. People go there when they are
sick and they come away with
curse in their hearts.
1t is said the building is thirty
two years old and at the speed with
which tits falling into decay 1t VIII
be a valuable ruin in another year.
an interesting visiting spot for the
adventurous, and In two or three
years will be so decayed as to be
past repair. But the county board OF
supervisors is having 1t remodeled'
so that those who are afflicted may
20 there to think over the Sins OF
their lives and prepare to pass to
another world.
And L Houses Humans.
This venerable structure, with
side walls so thin and loose jointed
that the dirt and grim Sits thru,
with creaky narrow stairways, ana
shaky floors, with all the character
istics of a haunted house, is in
tended to house humans, and sich
humans at that. Marshall county |.
more kind to it's criminals than to
its sick.
In the winter, when We have the
stor mwindows on says the care
taker. "the wind gets thru the walls
and you can sit here and see the cur
tains flap."
AS summer resort the place
would be a success in the winter
time.
Men are at work in An effort to
make the shack a habitable place.
out no matter what the expense or
he effort it can not be made desir
able for housing the sick.
Visitor Needs Diagram.
Because of the devious ways thru
me building, the narrow stairWays
and doors leading into mysterious
,.aces, the visitor needs a diagram
II competent guide when visiting
the place.
An effort to make the place wildly
cheerful has been made by an artist
With ina ination, who has dauped
The sidewalks of all the first floor
.ooms with thin pink paint, while
he ceilings have been tinted q sick
robin blue. The jangle Of color
must be pleasing to the sufferer, who
3 slowed away in a room just large
nough for small iron bed.
On the first floor is found a ''cozy"
lifting room. dining room,
,itchen, a store room, fumigating
.oom. d toilet and several rooms for
he sick. The rooms are all un-
arpeted.
Houses About Thirty Patients.
The building has housed upwards
# thirty patients at time, and
meals are served at three tables in
(, dining room 13x15h feet. Adjoin-
ng this is a Kitchen, ska. The
cheme OF repair contemplates the
Enlargement of the dining room, by
semoving the kitchen partition and
reating new Kitchen out of the adj
o!ning store room.
A trip across the kitchen and store
soom floors Ii terrifying, the floors
swaying and rocking like boat in a
ctr oh I'd
the east, is the fumlgating room, a
mere shed, with cracks In the side
walls. which emits fumes like smoke
sron q furnace pipe.
cemfsrtas!s Quarters for Sick.
Il has been customary to put the
women inmates In the rooms on the
frst floor-the danger Of insanity be-
ing less than on the floor above The
irst floor rooms are more comfor-
table, allowing d few more cubic feet
1T air than the apartments OF the
sky paflor". The smaller rooms are
sx7 feet in dimensions, and the
largest are 7xg feet. The average
room IL 7xs feet. There are two beds
In the larger rooms, usually full
sized bed and q a half-sise.
The rooms are Comfortably" fur.
nishcd With the cheapest of iron
beds, which seem substantial enough,
small stands. suoh as were given
nIay with q can Of baking powder
before ptofiteerins became the popu-
iaf st,6ft. and lii s6li1a cases. 6H2 indh
mirrors, which show the features
" t,Adiy distorted that the most hale
hnd hearty inmate ID willing u 30 TO-
bed ana tta for dell yerAhce I. ~ i *, iis
~ tInaa inative artist who did I
I lhe Interim 0ec0fatinG wnu mor9s
4 Z ~ thx \! :! a \ Il 4 "A Z ~