| Show tick As yet nothing lias been done by the towards towa making tho needed and d for appropriation to the aay lum th nig aing of oid appropriation bill by hie governor io vernor liquidated the debt that was hanging over the building and placed the credit of tho asylum on good footing this wag one needed step towards the accomplishment of the object desired is awaiting the action of alie legislature inasmuch aa next wednesday is alic day resolved upon for alio committees on appropriations to prepare and present alie general appropriation bill for it is about time something was being done towards making the needed appropriation it will never do to ifal the asylum remain in its present crippled condition till the meeting of alie next legislature the last two years what the result would be alie building lias nearly one hundred patients in it already and judging the future two years by alie past similar period there would be a deplorable condition of at the asylum the capacity of alie wing now built which is in reality only one half of a complete building and is as such necessarily essa rily only liala adapted for the use the entire building was designed is eighty inmates hence we can see only two bilings for alie administration to do cither to decline to new patients the benefit of admission or else to so crowd the institution as to render the attainment of the object of alie asylum more than questionable and the more the institution ution gets crowded the more the question of a conflagration with its liar rowing results comes into prominence just imagine lucli a building on fire crowded with inmates more helpless than children with oiled wooden floors supported by wooden foists joists one mile distant from the fire department and at times barely supplied with enough water to keep the boiler going this is certainly not a very agreeable prospect but only within the last few years cases under similar circumstances have occurred in some eastern asylums and the loss of life and alie scenes attached to it have been terrible and must have at least furnished plenty of food for reflection if not to those who have biad and duty to prevent these disasters by properly and liberally providing for institutions the inmates of which may bo members of our own family or friends if Provi dences direct to reduce chances of a disaster so terrible as that described and in order to give room for all the patients eliat may seek admission the appropriation asked for should be made in order to permit of the improvements in contemplation among aliese contemplated improvements we understand it is the intention aj to increase ahe water supply of alie institution by enlarging the stream from the present well or by driving some artesian wells 2 to take out of the existing building all that might lead to a fire as kitchen bakery etc ca to introduce a complete system of forced ventilation where a fan forces fresh air into the beddings bud dings through air ducts even if there should exist no natural air current 4 to kitchen build igns and one large hall feet this hall ia intended for exercise room in bad weather for theatricals etc to connect with alie main building by a covered corridor it is proposed to eventually connect y the kitchen building with the main buildings by a small railroad running through alie corridors in the basement to convey food etc from and to the main building and hoist it to the upper stories by means of dumb waiters there is also to be a male wing to be used exclusively for male patients and to be situated north of the existing wing and connected with all the other buildings by means of covered corridors the arrangement of this wing is to be similar to the one already built alie absolute necessity for the erection of this addition is apparent when the difficulty of classification fi and separation of patients of different stages of insanity is considered after having provided for accommodations for about one hundred and eighty patients it will be necessary to have a physician reside in tho institution to give his sole attention to alie asylum and of course the increase of alie bui trill require proper quarters for offices etc all of which has been anticipated and incorporated in the asked for appropriation it can be plainly seen that the asylum as it now stands is inadequate to alie present demands to say not liing of alie future and wo sincerely trust alie legislature will at once proceed to make tho needful appropriation |
