the centre wall, and should be continued 'through the remaining two tiers of cells that must soon be built, and then through the roof. The locks and fastenings of these cells are quite different from any others about the Prison, and are very secure. The walls of the wing have openings of six inches square, near the floor, every twenty-five feet. These openings are made to admit fresh air, and, if the ventilators of the cells are continued and kept open, this part of the Prison will be well supplied with good, wholesome air. The mess-room has been enlarged, so that it is now sixty-seven by seventy-six feet square, and will probably accommodate all the convicts that may be in Prison, when two more tiers of cells in the east wing are completed. At the same time, the Chapel was enlarged, and is of the same dimensions as the mess-room. The former Chapel was deemed too low between joints. On this account the roof was raised, making it about four feet higher than before. It is now sixteen feet high; and permit me to state, while raising the old roof to its proper height, by some unforeseen cause, it fell, covering beneath its ruin some eight or ten convicts. Providentially, there were only one or two very much injured. To repair this roof, or rather to make an entire new one, there was an extra expenditure of about three hundred dollars. This is, I believe, the only accident that has occurred since my connection with the building department. The Agent's house has been repaired by changing the large pillars, which were placed by a former Agent in front of the building, without any regard to equality of distance between each other. There were six pillars, built of brick, five feet in diameter at the base, and forty-two feet high, and no two spaces between them were alike. Now there are only four pillars, and are placed at equal distances from each other. The piazza was found, on examination, to be rotten and unsafe. I therefore built an entire new one, putting up, also, an iron balustrade in front of the whole, with several other improvements, and the building now presents a tasteful and uniform appearance, and looks as if it were built after some design. I allowed, in making the estimate for a fence in front of the entire Prison, to be built of wood, six hundred dollars. On further consideration, it was deemed best not to put up such a fence, but that a good substantial iron fence should be made, that would last as long as the Prison, and would be much more in keeping with the same. For this reason I have not built the fence as was contemplated by the Legislature, but have on hand most of the materials for building the same as was at first designed. I have put up in the east wing, for warming the same, four coils steam pipe, each coil containing six hundred and twenty feet of pipe, at an expense of $1,000. This arrangement will warm the wing effectually. There has been built, under the appropriation, two ranges of work-shops. The first range is one hundred and forty-five feet long, forty-two feet wide, and two stories high. The second range is one hundred and twenty feet long, forty-two feet wide, and one story high; also, a chimney eighty feet high. By a resolution of your Board, I built a range of workshops for the cabinet contract, not contemplated in the act of appropriation, one hundred and forty-five feet long, forty-two feet wide, and two stories high. Also assisted in building two dry houses, and making sundry other repairs. Also paid H. H. Vandercook three hundred and fifty-n ne and fifty-five one-hundredths dollars, as a final settlement of all claims of said Vandercook against J. H. Titus, late Building Commissioner, on account of cast iron; upon all, expending over four thousand five hundred dollars. It was my opinion, at the time, that by a careful and prudent management, I could build this range of shops, and also do all that was required by the appropriation, but at the closing up of this financial year, I find that my means will fall short paying the indebtedness about seven hundred dollars, ($700 00) and it will require about five hundred dollars to complete the forty cells now being constructed, making in all twelve hundred dollars indebtedness, for which amount it will become necessary for you to provide. Had I not expended this amount of money in building the cabinet shop and for other matters, I should have had on hand about twenty-seven hundred dollars, after completing the entire work provided for by the act making appropri ations for building purposes. The following is a statement of the receipts and expenditures during the prosecution of the work, for the past year, ending Nov. 30th, 1858: Cash on hand Nov. 30th, 1857,.... 1857. Dec. 14. Rec'd from State Treasury for Inspector's certificate,..........$1,000 00 1858. Feb. 20. Rec'd from State Treasury for Inspector's certificate,. 1,000 00 March 6. Rec'd from State Treasury for Inspector's certificate,. 1,000 00 April 8. Rec'd from State Treasury for Inspector's certificate,. 3,000 00 24. Rec'd for property sold, old iron, &c.,... 30. Rec'd for property sold, old iron, &c.,.. May 10. Rec'd from State Treasury 448 24 509 26 for Inspector's certificate,. 1,000 00 .$ 1,860 44 Sept. 3. Rec'd money returned overcharged on freight,...... Sept. 11. Rec'd from State Treasury 5 77 for Inspectors' certificate, 1,000 00 Oct. 17. Rec'd from State Treasury for. Inspectors' certificate, 1,000 00 Nov. 11. Rec'd from State Treasury for Inspector's certificate, 1,000 00 30. Rec'd for property sold,.... 300 00 Total cash received,. Cash expended this year as per vouchers taken: For free labor and team work,.. 14,314 77 $16,175 21 Nov. 30. Balance cash in hands of Com'r,...... $1,313 99 From which deduct my incidental expenses (for which no vouchers have been taken) during the time I have been Commissioner,... Leaving cash in my hands,.. 439 19 $874 80 PROPERTY ON HAND. One span of horses,. $250 00 46 wagon,. 50 00 66 "cutter,. 66 cart,.... punching-machine, Blacksmith tools,... Carpenters' and joiners' tools,.. Value of property on hand,........... In accordance with your request, I have made an esti mate of the amount required to make one hundred and sixty cells, and do certain other works, which you deem necessary to be done within the next two years: 30.00 20.00 25 00 150 00 75.00 25.00 100 00 150 00 20.00 $895 00 "making iron fence in front of entire Prison,... 1,500 "removing and re-building Female Prison,.... 1,800 removing and re-building north wall,. .... 3,000 4,000 Total amount,... $34.300 |