maintenance; and care should be taken that both present and future needs shall have their full supply.

In the matter of workshop-construction, no definite statement can be made, as it is evident that the kind of labor must to a certain extent determine the plan of the building. But regularity, as well as convenience, should be regarded. Abundance of light, good air, and facilities for moving prisoners and goods, should be prime requisites. I am inclined to think that workshops of one story, lighted from the top, are better and safer than any others. The necessities of the time and place, however, must decide the point.

The separation of the sexes should be rigidly enforced. There should be prisons for women exclusively, to be under the guardianship and care of women. Female convicts should never be put in charge of male officers, so far, at least, as the internal administration is concerned. The English prisons for women, and the new Massachusetts prison for women, are excellent of their kind, and in the success and admirable character of their management.

But I have already dwelt too long upon my theme; and I proceed to give, by way of illustration of what I have said, a description of the new prison in Rhode Island, completed and occupied late in the year 1878.

This prison is situated on the State Farm, in the town of Cranston, about six miles from the city of Providence. It is not only a state-prison for the confinement of convicts serving long sentences, but it is also a state or county jail, and a house of detention. I am aware that there are very serious objections to this method of bringing different classes of prisoners beneath one roof and under one system of management; but it has become, through the peculiar circumstances of the case, the traditional policy of the State, and cannot be changed at present. In its practical working we have not found, as yet, any great evil resulting from it. In building the new prison, the commissioners endeavored to avert any bad effects which might possibly be wrought. They decided to separate the different classes of inmates, as far as this could be done within the same institution. This was accomplished in two ways: 1. By dividing the prison into two distinct wings, with a central building between; 2. By breaking or subdividing the two wings, carrying back the extreme northern and the extreme southern portions, thus making four blocks of cells. A further arrange

ment for division was made by building the cells of three different sizes, those in the extreme blocks being of the unusually large dimensions of eight feet square. We thus have a central building, with a reception-room and other rooms upon the first floor, separated from the wings by brick partitions; a guard-room upon the second floor, twenty feet in height, separated from the wings by iron gratings rising from the floor to the ceiling; and on the third floor a chapel and six lodging-rooms for night-officers, or for witnesses and debtors. We also have two wings divided into four blocks of cells.

The prison is built upon light, dry, gravelly soil. It is constructed, as I have already said, of a hard, compact blue stone found upon the farm, with granite quoins, window-sills, door-sills, and belting-courses. The yard has an area of 240,000 square feet. The buildings in the yard are of the same material, with brick quoins and granite window-sills and door-sills. The cells are built in three tiers, with an intervening passage running lengthwise through each block in the rear of the cells. They are built of brick laid in Portland cement. In front of the prison, and connected with it by an iron bridge twenty-four feet in length, is the warden's house, which is built of the same materials as the main prison. All the buildings are constructed in the most thorough and substantial manner; the work having been done by the day, under the supervision of an experienced mason. It required four years to bring them to completion. The yard-wall was built in the summer of 1875, the foundations having been laid in the autumn of 1874. The blocks of cells were also built in the summer and autumn of 1875. The outer walls of the main prison were built in 1876. The buildings in the yard and the warden's house were constructed in 1877. The season of 1878 was employed in finishing all the buildings, and preparing them for occupation.

In order to complete the account, I add a detailed description of the buildings and premises, prepared with the help of the architects, Messrs. Stone and Carpenter, of the city of Providence.

The main prison building is placed on a true meridian-line, and consists of a central building with two wings, each of which is divided into two blocks of cells, by breaking the front about midway, and carrying back for 42 feet the extreme northern and southern portions. The central building contains on the first

floor, level with the corridor floor, the reception-room for prisoners, officers' bath-room and clothes-room. On the next floor is the guard-room, occupying two stories, and connected with the keeper's house in front, and the mess-room, kitchen, and hospital in the rear, by means of two iron bridges. The bridge in front is 24 feet in length by 9 feet in width, and is constructed of fifteeninch iron beams, supporting an iron framework, with windows, and covered with a slated roof. The bridge in the rear is constructed in the same manner and with the same materials, and is 16 feet in length by 9 feet in width. Above the guard-room is the chapel, also two stories in height, with a seating capacity of three hundred, and having a gallery for visitors. The space above the guard-room not occupied by the chapel is finished into six rooms, for lodging the prison officers on night duty, and for the accommodation of debtors. Above the chapel is a large attic-room, with stairs leading to an iron cupola upon the roof. The central building is 76 feet by 76 feet, with the corners cut off at an angle of 45°. It is 85 feet in height from the grade-level to the floor of the cupola, and is covered with a slated roof resting upon an iron frame. The reception-room, and other rooms on the first floor, are separated from the corridors by brick walls, pierced for seven windows and two doors. The guard-room, 20 feet in height, is separated from the cells by an iron cage, rising from the floor to the ceiling, with two doors opening upon iron bridges leading to the second tier of cells. The stairways leading to the chapel and officers' and debtors' rooms are protected by strong wirework. The chapel is 70 feet in length by 45 feet in width, the platform for the chaplain's desk and for bookcases being carried back into a recess.

Each wing is broken into two, in the manner before stated. The middle northern and middle southern contain each 78 cells built in three tiers. The extreme northern and extreme southern contain each 48 cells. The total number of cells is 252. The cells are of different dimensions. The five cells on each tier in the middle wings, nearest the guard-room, are the smallest, measuring 8 feet long by 5 feet wide, with a door only. The remaining cells, 8 in number on each tier, are 8 feet in length by 6 feet 6 inches in width, having a door and grated window. The cells in the extreme wings are 48 in number in each wing, are all of the same size, 8 feet by 8 feet, and have each a door and grated window. The cells are all nine feet in height from the

bottom of the floor in one tier to the bottom of the floor in the tier above. The floors are of iron covered with Portland cement. All the corridor floors, together with the floors for the receptionroom, guard-room, and chapel, are of Portland cement laid upon brick arches, supported by iron beams.

The cells are arranged in each wing in two blocks, separated from each other by a passage-way in the rear, six feet in width, with a gallery for each tier. A ventilating-pipe is carried from each cell into this intervening passage, where the pipes are collected in groups of six enclosed in tin cases, which are carried through to the attic. At that point the pipes are separated, and pass, at equal distances apart, through the ridge of the roof to the outside air. Each case is warmed by hot steam carried by a pipe through every group to the top. One-half of the pipes end in globe ventilators, the other half in cowl ventilators. It is believed that complete ventilation is thus secured. An observationhole is pierced through the rear wall of each cell, permitting the inspection of a large portion of the interior.

The exterior dimensions of the main building are as follows: central building, 76 feet by 76 feet; middle wings, each 109 feet by 64 feet; extreme wings, each 83 feet 6 inches by 68 feet. The total length is 461 feet. The width of the corridors is 15 feet. The walls of the cells are of brick laid in Portland cement, and are 12 and 16 inches thick.

The height of the walls in the wings is 33 feet to the eaves; the height to the ridge-pole is 47 feet from the grade level. The roof is of wood, and is slated. The lines of the roof are broken by ten gables, in each of which is a window admitting light to the attics. Each gable ends in a chimney, to which pass two flues, with openings at the level of the corridor floors for purposes of ventilation. Beneath the entire building is a cellar-room, 6 feet 10 inches in height, with 18 windows for the admission of light, and with provision for the entrance of an abundance of fresh air. The foundations of the blocks of cells are 11 feet in thickness; the foundations of the walls are five feet, and the walls themselves are four feet in thickness, including the brick backing and airchamber between.

In the rear of the central building, and running to the west, are the mess-room 42 feet by 70 feet; an octagonal building 57 feet by 57 feet, with the kitchen, 54 feet by 54 feet, on the first floor, and the hospital of the same dimensions on the second floor; and

the boiler-house 35 feet by 40 feet. From the kitchen is built a chimney-stack 98 feet in height, containing four flues, with a central brick cone 42 inches in diameter for boiler-flue. The messroom is furnished with tables and stools for the accommodation'

of 224 men. The kitchen has two large and two small Robbins's ovens, and four cooking-kettles (three of 80 gallons and one of 10 gallons), with every facility for washing, cooking, baking, &c. The boiler-house contains four Mills's sectional boilers, a forge, and a steam-pump to be used in case of fire. The hospital is very light, airy, and well ventilated through four fireplaces in the chimney. An iron cage is built so as to enclose the central part of the room, with a passage around it about six feet in width. The north-eastern portion of the room is partitioned off for bathroom and doctor's office. This building is roofed with wood, and slated. The boiler-house is roofed with iron, and slated. Beneath the building is ample cellar-room, a portion 8 feet in height for storage of supplies, and a portion 14 feet in height for storage of coal. On each side of the boiler-house there is also a coal-cellar 9 feet by 38 feet, and 10 feet in depth.

The workshop, two stories in height, is placed at a distance of 60 feet from the boiler-house, and runs north and south. The building is composed of two wings, each 100 feet in length by 50 feet in width, and a central portion 60 feet by 40 feet. There is also an attic for storage, 12 feet in height. The entire building is 62 feet in height from the grade-level to the ridge-pole. There is no cellar under the workshop, but a space of about two feet is left for the circulation of air. The central portion of the building contains a bath-room with twelve tubs, and facilities for doing a certain amount of laundry-work. There is also ample room for an engine for power if needed, and for offices. The lower story is partitioned off from the central part; but the upper story is left clear, that temporary partitions may be placed where they are needed for dividing the room into different shops.

The prison-yard has an area of 240,000 square feet. The wall runs back from the prison 400 feet on either side. The rear wall is 600 feet in length. A granite sentry-tower, octagonal in form, stands on each corner. The wall is 20 feet in height, 5 feet in thickness at the bottom and 3 feet in thickness at the top, covered with granite coping 3 feet 10 inches in width. Along the coping runs an iron rail for the protection of the patrolling officer. The yard is entered by two gates, one at the north of the prison build