The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-02-08
JAIL REPAIR FUND
GETTING LOW
With Eight Months of Fiscal Year to Run
Only $500 is Allowed to Pay Re-
pair Bills.

With only s76s.72 with which to run
the county Jail for eight months of the
fiscal year from the original appropria-
ton of $4,000 for the entire year, I. I.
Wentworth, in whose district the jail
building is located, is cutting every
possible expense in the effort to give
the citizens of the county the service
which he guaranteed TO give during his
electioneering campaign.
The old board of commissioners ap-
propriated $4,000 last September with
which to operate the county Jail, make
usual repairs. and to care for general
expenses. During the first four months
of that time the commissioners used 81.
22S.50 of this amount, leaving Commits
sioner Wentworth only S76S.72 with which
to finish out the remaining eight
months. or until the next appropriation
is made. Most of the bills were con-
tracted while J. Geo. White was on his
vacation and Mr.. Soderlind was hand
ling the district.
Plumbing, the heaviest bill of the last
administration, was said to be in very
poor condition by Jail Inspector B. B.
Bitch when he made a tour of inspec-
ton several weeks ago. Since that time
Commissioner Wentworth has had this
defect remedied, and at only a cost of
about $50 to the county. The previous
administration spent s626.59 for plumb
ing during the four months.
When Commissioner Wentworth went
over the Jail, he said the plumbing was
in a deplorable condition and proceeded
to straighten out the fault. All leaks
in the building have been stopped and
all plumbing has been repaired and there
are no further criticisms along this line
at present. This plumbing was done
largely by the janitor of the jail, assist
ed by some of the prisoners as helpers.
Reminding all cell door and other
locks in the building was requested by
Sheriff A Cary Ellis, when he took over
the office of sheriff January 4 of this
year. This work was referred to Com
missioner Wentworth by the board of
commissioners and when completed cost
the county about 800. Several keys to
various cells of the Jail were said to
have been lost, causing the sheriff to
request the repair of the locks.
Two windows on the third floor of
the building, through which the seven
prisoners recently and the two Black
well brothers some time ago made their
escape, have been solidly cemented in
upon request of Commissioner Went
worth. Sheriff Ellis appeared before the
commissioners requesting that the two
windows be screened. The matter was
referred to Commissioners Wentworth
and he recommended that the windows
be cemented solidly. The bars were left
in the windows, as reinforcement of
the concrete.
New mattresses and mattress covers
for the cells have been purchased under
the direction of Mr.. Wentworth, so of
these covers being delivered yesterday
Crates for the furnace have been re-
cast under the direction of the new COM
missioner. Before the war the CRATES
cost the county about seven cents per
pound. Commissioner Wentworth had
the CRATES recast since taking office for
five cents per pound, saving the county
two cents per pound, in the face of the
higher prices for all material.
The JAIL pronounced by the inspector
as being insanitary, has been thorough
ly cleaned out and scrubbed. Prison Ia
Dor was largely used, working under the
supervision of the janitor. Inside and
outside the building has been cleaned
and all rubbish and trash has been TAX
en- away. Grass has been replanted on
either side of the entrance of the Jail
building and everything has been given
a spring cleaning.
The court rooms are said to be in bet
ter shape now than they have been for
the past four years and no complaints
are heard from the county officers who
have offices in this section of the coun-
ty building.