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.