Chap. VIII.
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bed of concrete 3 feet in depth and as much in width, so that every precaution is taken toprevent the ascent of moisture. Under the entrance building is a ward for the receptionof prisoners, where they are examined by the medical attendant. The access to this wardis from the ground floor, near the entrance door; and the accommodation consists of areceiving room, a number of cells in which prisoners can be locked up for twenty-fourhours if necessary, an examining room, clothing stores, bath, and a closet for fumigatingand purifying clothes. This ward has no connection with the rest of the basement, butprisoners, after being examined, cleansed, and dressed, are taken into the prison throughthe entrance passage on the ground floor. The basement under the great central hall isused for the distribution of materials, and is surrounded by a covered passage, whichcommunicates with the kitchen, yards and stores, &c. Adjoining the kitchen is a roomin which the provisions are weighed out and arranged in trays, after which they arehoisted by an apparatus to the different stories, and distributed to the wards. The re-maining portion of the basement is used for offices, punishment cells, and the attendants.
The ground plan shows the distribution of the building, the exercising yards, the entrancegates, and two front barriers; the well for supplying the prison with water; the houses forthe governor, chaplain, and gate porters.
Besides the 520 separate cells, there are twei\ty others on the basement used as work-shops, &c. ; a chapel, which contains stalls for 256 prisoners; a board room for the com-missioners, A ; offices for secretary, B, governor, H, chaplain, D, physician, E, governor’sclerk, N O P, clerk of the works, &e., waiting room, G, visiting room for prisoners’ friends,U M, schoolmaster’s room, library, surgery, offices for the steward and clerk, kitchen andscullery, stores for provisions, &c., stores for manufactured articles, dwellings for go-vernor, chaplain, assistant chaplain, steward, and manufacturer, principal schoolmaster,clerk of the works, four principal warders, twelve warders, two gate-keepers, one mes-senger, an engineer, and apartments for the deputy-governor, resident medical officer, andinfirmary warden. The total area, including the boundary wall, is 6 acres 10 perches;there is a garden of 2 acres in the rear, and a terrace and road 75 feet broad in front.
The chapel is 72 feet 6 inches in length, 40 feet in width, and 26 feet in height to theunder side of the cornice, above which is a coved ceiling. It occupies a portion of theupper part of the building, and is entered on the level of the first .and second galleries.The rows of seats are so disposed that the prisoners are effectually separated from eachother, whilst, at the same time, each has a view of the officiating clergyman, and can beseen by the attendant inspector. Each prisoner, as he enters, closes the door after him, andwhen a row is filled the officer fastens the whole of the doors in the row by a handle andcrank, which are shown in the cut.
There arc four entrances, and, by means of a sliding partition drawn across the gallery,the whole can be filled in seven minutes. When service is over, a signal is made by meansof a letter, which designates each row, and the prisoners occupying the seat correspondingwith it retire.
The plan of the stalls shows the doors shut, half shut, and entirely open, in the threedifferent rows; the clear space allowed each prisoner is in width 20 inches, and in depth32, the width of the seat being 9 inches out of it.
The section shows the stepping up, so that each prisoner may obtain a view of the clergy-
doors open.