The Journal of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy, March 1912: New Series No. 51 — John Shaqi
The Journal of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy, March 1912: New Series No. 51Pennsylvania Prison Society
History
The Journal of Prison Discipline and Philanthropy, March 1912: New Series No. 51
Pennsylvania Prison Society
Charities -- Periodicals; Prisons -- Periodicals
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.
The bakery is also very spacious with 4 arched ovens and 4 kneading
troughs. Eight barrels of flour are converted into bread every day,
excepting on Sunday, a double quantity being baked on Saturday. The
number of loaves baked averages about 900 daily, the weight of each
being 2 pounds, this being a proportion of something more than one
loaf a day to each prisoner, and it is worth while to add that the
bread is uniformly baked and of unimpeachable quality.
Still another large room is used for the production of chocolate
and what is called coffee. It is necessary to state that no coffee
is used, but the article which passes by that name is rye, which is
roasted and ground and boiled in copper boilers; 25 pounds of this
material is used every morning and suffices to furnish about 3 half
pints to each prisoner.
An equal quantity of chocolate is furnished for the supper. A
dessert of prunes is furnished each prisoner on every Friday.
The boiler room, some 30×80 feet in dimensions, requires the
attention of 6 men, and from this room an extensive system of steam
piping permeates every portion of the buildings and furnishes the
power for the engine and for the electric lighting. Electric lights
are throughout all the premises, including each cell.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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