The Philadelphia County Prison, located at Holmesburg, between the Philadelphia and New York Railroad and Torresdale Avenue, about 6 miles north of the City Hall, and known as the new jail, was erected some 15 years ago. It occupies a plot of land containing about 21 acres. The wall which encloses the buildings sets back from the outer line of the property about 30 feet, so that the acreage of the interior is about 18 acres. The stone walls are 35 feet in height above ground and 12 feet under the surface, so that the entire height of the masonry is 47 feet. The wall is 6 feet wide at the top and about twice that width at the base, and entirely enclosing four sides of the tract. The cost of this wall, including labor and materials, was $835,000.
In the center of the building is a rotunda 80 feet in width and about 70 feet in height, surmounted by a lantern. From this center six one-story corridors, or blocks, radiate like the spokes of a wheel. These vary somewhat in length, but average about 330 feet, and there is an average of about 70 cells in each. The floor space of each cell is 8×18 feet and the ceiling height is 13 feet, surmounted by a skylight. Of these corridors, A, B, C, and D are occupied by white prisoners, and two of the corridors, E and F, by colored. The number of prisoners at this date, February 1st, 1912, is 715, about ninety less than at this time last year. About 60 per cent. are white and 40 per cent. colored. All the prisoners are men. All women convicts are sent to the Moyamensing Prison.
The total number of cells is 440, and usually each cell is occupied by two prisoners. Every cell is provided with a wash basin with running water, a closet, two iron bedsteads, a table and one or two stools. Each bedstead is provided with a mattress stuffed with 25 pounds of hand-picked corn husks and a 7-pound pillow of the same material. Beside a pair of sheets and pillow cases each prisoner has two 4-pound blankets of excellent quality.
When a prisoner enters he undergoes a careful examination and a very complete record is made of all his personal characteristics. He then goes to the bathing room. An entirely new suit of clothing is given him, and the clothing with which he entered the prison is tied up in a sack, to which his name is attached by a tag. The sack is then placed in a room provided for that purpose, where it remains until his discharge from the jail.
Wednesday and Thursday are bathing days, and each prisoner is required to take a bath at least once a week unless the physician certifies that the condition of the prisoner’s health would render bathing inexpedient. A change of bedding and underclothing is supplied to each prisoner on every Saturday.
Office of Administration, Philadelphia County Prison for Convicts, at Holmesburg
About 200 of the prisoners are employed in various trades, in carpentering 7, on tin work 2, making mattresses 2, as tailors 14, shoemakers 20, making brushes 10. These all occupy separate apartments. In one additional apartment there are 15 hand looms, on which are made the muslin used for sheets, etc. About 18 men are employed in connection with this weaving. There are in the same apartment 24 stocking weaving machines, employing one man each. About 20 find employment in the laundry, and beside these there are about 70 men employed in various duties, to wit: 14 men in cooking, 14 in the bake house, 6 in the boiler room, etc. The men employed in these various engagements have their meals in a dining room apart from the other prisoners, a room having 6 tables, seating 12 each.
The kitchen for this great establishment is a very spacious one and very complete and convenient in all its appointments. There are 6 large steam heated copper boilers intended for making soups. In these boilers 250 gallons of soup are made per day during 4 days of the week and an equal quantity of what is known as Irish stew on the other 3 days. The basis of the soup and stew is fresh beef or mutton.
From 700 to 800 pounds of fresh meat is furnished to the jail every day and is hung in a cold storage room, ready for use as wanted. There is in addition another storage room in which are stored a great quantity of canned tomatoes, barrels of rice, barley, etc., etc.