The journal of prison discipline and philanthropy (Vol. XV, No. I, January 1860)

by Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons

Art. I.—NEW GAOL FOR THE CITY OF BALTIMORE.

We hear with unfeigned pleasure of any improvement in the construction of city and county gaols. Convinced as we have been for many years, and by testimony from innumerable sources, that in most of them we shall find a fruitful soil for the production and growth of criminal purposes and habits, we can conceive of few objects of municipal oversight which demand earlier or closer attention. What the gaol does to make a bad man worse, the penitentiary cannot easily undo. If a thief or burglar or counterfeiter, while waiting for trial or sentence, serves a few weeks’ or months’ apprenticeship to one or more adepts in those branches in a gaol, he is a very unpromising subject of penitentiary discipline. He is, perhaps, rather braced against any influences which may be employed to change his course of life, and buoyed up with the anticipation of pursuing his criminal projects under more favorable circumstances, and with greater skill and success, upon the termination of his sentence.

So deep are our convictions of the immeasurable evils inflicted on the community by bad gaols, that we accept an attempt to improve them, in any respect, as a token of good. If a cell that was dirty yesterday is clean to-day—if the sexes are separated—if, instead of allowing prisoners to herd together day and night, they are separated by night—if for darkness, dampness and a pestilential atmosphere, the light and air have free access—if, in a word, there is some decent respect shown to the species represented in these suspected and perhaps fallen, degraded, and certainly discreditable specimens of it—we take courage.

Of course we are prepared to congratulate our fellow-citizens of Baltimore, on the completion of a new and imposing city gaol. And though we could have wished they had adopted the principle of individual separation—which we cannot but regard as indispensable under any system, both as the duty of society and as the right of the offender—still, a well-constructed, wholesome prison, properly governed, does credit to the wisdom and humanity of the public authorities, and will, in the end, prove altogether the most economical.

The following description of the gaol, illustrated as it is by the accompanying engravings, will give our readers the means of judging for themselves of the design and character of the new edifice:

The jail stands in close proximity to the penitentiary, and comprises a centre building, and north and south wings.

There is a block of cells in each of the two wings, 15 cells in length, 2 in width, and 5 stories in height, making 300 cells in the two wings, for the confinement of prisoners.

These two wings are on what is known as the “Auburn plan,” being a prison within a prison. The cells are surrounded by corridors formed between the block of cells and the exterior walls.

The cells are 8 feet by 11 feet, and about 10 feet high, they are built of bricks, with segment and arched ceilings, and brick floors; each cell has an iron grated door and window opening into the corridors. The corridors are 13 feet wide, and have floors of hard flag stone on a level with the floors of the first story cells, they are open from this floor to the top of the upper story cells.

All of the cells above the first story are reached by galleries and staircases of iron. Each cell has a ventilating flue constructed in the wall, with an opening into the lower part of the flue for the reception of the prisoner’s night pail, to be closed with an iron slide, and another opening near the top of the cell for ventilation, which is also provided with an iron slide, by which it may be closed. These flues all open into a large ventiduct constructed on the tops of the blocks of cells, the vitiated air is taken from the cells through these flues and airducts, by means of large ejecting ventilators, placed on the roof and connected with the ventiducts.

Light and air is admitted in abundance by the large windows in the exterior walls.

There are five sink rooms in each of the four corner towers, making one sink room for each range of fifteen cells; the iron galleries are continued across the corridors to the sink rooms, and each one is fitted up with an enamelled iron hopper and trap, through which the contents of the night pails are discharged into the soil pipes and sewers; there is also an iron sink with a sufficient supply of water. Each sink room has two windows for light and ventilation.

There is a tank in the upper story of each of the four towers to insure a constant and adequate supply of water.

The guard room in the centre building is 57 feet 6 inches by 59 feet 6 inches, and about 38 feet high, and is separated from the wings by heavy iron screens or gratings, to confine the prisoners to the corridors and galleries of each wing at such times as they may be allowed privileges outside of the cells; these screens are constructed so as not to obstruct the view into the wings from the guard room. The corridors, stairs and galleries of the wings all being in full view from the guard room—the floor of which is on a level with the lower gallery of the wings, and is formed of 144 plates of cast iron, supported on rolled iron beams, so arranged as to form a bearing for all the four sides of each plate, the beams being supported by nine iron columns and the four side walls. The guard room is lighted by three very large windows. The only entrance to either the north or south wing is through the guard room.

The kitchen, in which all the cooking, baking, washing, &c. will be done, is under the guard room and on a level with the first story of cells, and is of the same size as the guard room, and 11 feet high.

The cooking and the heating water for the various purposes is all to be done by steam, and the baking in two brick ovens. The kitchen is lighted by three windows in the east side, two angle windows in the west side, and 4 floor lights, taking the place of four of the iron plates of the guard room floor.

There are two rooms in the front part of the centre building on a level with the kitchen for the reception of prisoners, one on each side of a vestibule through which they are entered—they are fitted up with iron bath tubs, water closets, and a fumigating oven for the purpose of cleansing the filthy before placing them in their cells.

The entrance to these reception rooms is under the landing of the steps to the upper vestibule, and there is an iron staircase from the lower to the upper vestibule, by which the prisoners are taken from the reception rooms or lower entrance to the guard room and cells.

The two rooms in the front part of the centre building, on a level with the guard room, are for the use of the warden and his deputies.

There are six rooms in the front part of the centre building for the confinement of witnesses, or for privilege rooms, four of which are about 20 feet square, and the other two about 15 feet square; these rooms have private water closets, and are supplied with water, they have high ceilings, are well ventilated, light, pleasant, and cheerful; they are approached by private staircases in the two towers of the front part of the centre building, and are connected with the galleries of the north and south wings by a gallery on the west side of the guard room.

There are three hospital rooms in the upper story of the front part of the centre building, they have private water closets, bath tubs, with warm and cold water, and shower, they can be reached from the cells of the north and south wings by the gallery through the guard room and iron staircases, and also from the stairs in the front towers; they are well lighted and ventilated.

There is a water tank in the upper part of the centre building to supply the kitchen, water closets, baths, wash basins, &c.

The chapel is in the upper part of the centre building over the guard room. It will seat over 400 persons. There is an entrance to it from each of the wings, and also from the front part of the centre building. It is about 22 feet high, well lighted and ventilated, and so planned that the prisoners can be separated into classes if deemed desirable. The chapel floor is supported by two double lattice wrought iron girders.

There are ventilating flues and ejecting ventilators constructed in all parts of the centre building, and all of the windows and other openings throughout, are made secure by wrought iron gratings. All the floors are on iron beams and brick arches. The building is thoroughly fire proof in all parts except the chapel and roof framing, and is warmed by steam from two large boilers located in the boiler house on the east side of the jail, and lighted at night by gas. There is a thorough system of drainage from all of the waste pipes, soil pipes, and rain water pipes, through brick drains and sewers to Jones’ Falls, a stream running within about 200 feet of the jail.

The entrance gateway and lodge, the clerk’s office and the residence for the warden, are on the south side of the jail lot, fronting on Madison street. There are two chambers over the lodge and office on the east side of the gateway. In the Warden’s residence, on the west side of the gateway, there is a kitchen, dining room, parlor, five chambers, and bath room, with hall passages, pantry, store rooms and closets, and all other requisite appurtenances and conveniences for the comfortable accommodation of a family. The yard for the warden’s residence is separated from the jail yard by a stone wall and iron gate.

The prisoners are received and discharged through the gates on Madison street.

The exterior walls of the jail and other buildings are all of stone, together with all the corbels, copings, quoins, chimney tops, &c. The base, up to the second range of window sills, is of granite, cut and set in large blocks. The walls above the base are of light blue stone, laid in rubbled masonry, with splayed jambs and arches. The window sills above the basement, and the quoins, corbels, copings and other dressings are of marble. The roofs are of slate. The interior walls, arches, &c., are all of brick.

The site is a good one, being easy of access from all parts of the city, and convenient to the court house and penitentiary. There is ample space on all sides for a free circulation of air. The lot has a gentle ascent to the north and east, and a dry self-draining gravel sub-soil. Its proximity to Jones’ Falls, and its elevation above the water level, affords the best means of drainage.

In designing this prison and working out the various details of the plan, we endeavored to carry out the following general principles, viz:

1. Confinement of prisoners in separate cells, so far as deemed desirable.

2. Separation into classes.

3. The cells so arranged that their doors and windows may have open gratings, and yet so as that a prisoner cannot from his cell see into any other cells or into any other part of the building except the corridor opposite his own cell.

4. The corridors so arranged and located that prisoners can, with convenience and safety, be allowed privileges in them.

5. Pleasant and convenient yet perfectly secure rooms, for the confinement of witnesses, entirely separate from the other parts of the prison.

6. No apartment for the confinement of a prisoner to be below the surface of the ground.

7. An unobstructed view of the corridors, galleries and stairs from the guard room.

8. Central location for the kitchen, the chapel and all other offices.

9. Convenient means of ingress and egress.

10. Such an arrangement of plan as would secure the greatest benefit of sunshine on the exterior walls and into the corridors and rooms, and admit of the free movements of the currents of air around and throughout the building.

11. An abundant supply of water, properly distributed throughout all parts of the prison, and a suitable number of bath tubs, water closets, hoppers and sinks to promote cleanliness among the prisoners and in the prison.

12. The sink rooms so located and arranged as to prevent their contaminating the atmosphere of the prison.

13. Effectual means for warming, and a thorough system of ventilation, and means for admitting an abundant supply of fresh air and light to all parts of the building.

14. All parts of the building in which the prisoners are to be confined to be thoroughly fire proof, and to be so secure as to preclude all hope of escape therefrom.

15. Hospital rooms to be conveniently located in a quiet part of the building.

16. The residence for the Warden’s family not to be in the jail, but on the jail lot, and very convenient to the entrance to the jail.

17. Simplicity and economy, in plan and construction, so far as consistent with the other essential requirements.

And finally to provide, by every possible means consistent with security, a proper degree of economy and a salutary discipline for the healthfulness, comfort and convenience of the prisoners; for while a prison is a place of confinement for criminals or persons charged with crime, and as such should be made so secure as to shut out all reasonable hope of escape, that the proper ends of justice may be met, yet humanity and indeed justice herself demands that the life and health of the prisoners shall be carefully protected, and every suitable means afforded them for repentance and moral improvement.

The architectural style of the building is castellated Gothic, and presents in the durable stone of which the building is erected those simple, yet bold, strong and massive features which convey the idea of fitness—that basis of all proportion—which affords to us an emotion of pleasure, or that feeling of satisfaction arising from the contemplation of means properly adapted to their end, and possessing those qualities of order and harmony which excite our admiration. Any attempt at mere architectural display, by elaborate ornamentation or expensive finish, would have been the work of supererogation. Propriety and fitness forbid the use of elaborate embellishment. Strength and security should be the most prominent features in the design for a prison, that it may by its austere beauty wear a suitable expression, and thus proclaim with truthfulness the purpose for which it is designed.

The total cost of gaol, warden’s residence, heating, cooking, &c., is not far from $290,000.