KM as? £*2-£ :t-t #f< * DOCUMENT No. 31. BOARD OF ASSISTANT ALDEJRME1V, OCTOBER 13th, 1835. Memorial of the late_ Commissioners of the Alms House &c. and Members of the Committee on Blackwell's Island and Long Island Farms, of the last Common Council, on the subject of the Lunatic Asylum. Laid on the table and ordered to be printed. Wm. Hagadorn, Qlerk. To the Honorable the Common Council ) of the City of New York. ) The Memorial of the undersigned late Com- missioners of the Aims-House, or members of the joint committee, on Blackwell's Island, and the Long Island Farms of the last Common Council. Most Respectfully represents:— That your Memorialists have recently obtained copies of the Report of the Commissioners of the Aims-House, made Doc. No. 31.] H 272 to the Board of Assistant Aldermen, dated September 7th, 1835; and are of opinion that they owe it some notice to prevent the effect of inferences affecting themselves, which the report will warrant, and which their silence will be construed as admitting to be just; and in order that the facts may be correctly understood. Your Memorialists took a deep interest in the Lunatic Asylum, during their continuance in office , bestowed much time, and acquired some information upon the subject; and they yet feel bound to the public in- terests, to the people and the cause of charity, to aid the en- terprise. The speedy completion of the Asylum is a matter in which the poorer and labornig classes have a great inter- est ; the number of them, who become insane is very great, in proportion to those who are more at ease in their circum" stances ; and if visited by this dreadful dispensation of Di- vine Providence, they became at once dependent upon the public charity. Your Memorialists therefore, when in office felt, that great exertions were due from them to furnish an asylum for the insane poor, that would promise some relief to its inmates, in place of the present Hospital, to the in- mates of which, hope even, is almost, denied : Such an Asy- lum, they believe, that would be which the last Common Council ordered to be built. The points which the aforesaid Report professes to con- sider, are two, namely—That the location selected " is not a good one ;" and that the expense of the Asylum which your predecessors ordered to be built will be unwarrantable. The conclusions which the Report seems intended to support, are, that the late Boards, their Committees, and the late Commissioners of the Alms House, directed the Building to be erected upon a site, which is of a value to the city, which will not justify its use for the purpose ; That they were proceeding to erect the edifice at an expense double what it ought to cost; That the Building adopted, is false in . its principles, and not as well adapted to the purposes for which it is designed, as another which has been proposed. 273 [Doc. No. 31. If these positions are true, your predecessors, and especially your Memorialists, who recommended the measures adopted by the last Boards, are guilty of a dereliction of duty. If they are not true, the wrong will lie with others. It appears that the aforesaid Report is intended to give the reasons of the Commissioners for the opinion expressed by them, intheir communication to the Board of Assistants dated the 29th of June last, and contained in Doc. No. 14. They say the location "is not a good one ?" Is not a good one for what ? Why, undoubtedly, for a Lunatic Asylum. It would be supposed then, that the reasons by which such a positibn would be supported, would be those relating to its salubrity, its-adaption to the curative treatment of insane patients, its convenience in respect to the management and government of the institution ; its features affecting its police. No reasons are contained in that Report, addressed to either of these points, of salubrity, treatment of patients, economy or police, saving and excepting what is said on page 198, in respect to the deleterious influence of the low ground at the northern end of the Island, and the eulogy of the site, contained on page 199 ; the arguments though ar- ranged under this head, are solely applicable to another. " The reasons" given in the Report in support of the posi- tion, " that the location of the building * # * is not a good one, are first that the site selected * * * * consists of an im- mense quarry of stone, and it is calculated * * * that it will produce 68,444 tons of the finest building stone in the world, worth at least $1 each ton." Second, that a large quantity of ground North of the site would become comparatively useless : That this piece of land is mostly low and marshy ; contains sixteen acres and five perches of land; and " when Jilled in and properly regulated," could be sold for $2000 per acre—That the filling in and regulating could be done with but little expense by convict labour"—That the refuse stone and dirt from the quarry would be all sufficient for that pur- pose.—That at all events, this low ground must be filled in Doc. No. 31.] 274 and regulated " for all experience admonishes us that low and marshy situations are the continual sources of disease to all who reside in their immediate vicinity," (p. 198.)— Third, that the insane " ought to be isolated or removed as far as possible from all other public buildings on the Is- land ; and it is not unlikely that the future policy or necessi- ties of the Corporation may induce them to erect buildings for public purposes, nearer to this location than is at present anticipated." These several positions or grounds of opinion, may be proper subjects of consideration on an inquiry as to the ex- pediency or prudence, or economy, of putting the building on the selected site—but do not touch the point, that the lo- cation is not a good one for a Lunatic Asylum. Indeed, the excellence of the site for a Lunatic Asylum is strongly en- forced by the Commissioners themselves, in their Report on page 199, and in opposition to their previous reasoning. In answer to the position of the Report, we submit, that the pe- culiar fitness and^excellence of the spot, and its superiortiy to those of all other similar Asylums, is strongly commend- ;d by Dr. MacdonaJd in his very able Letter on this subject to the Hon. Stephen Allen, contained in Doc. 101 of March 1834, (see page 832 ;) that it has received the highest com- mendation of Dr. White ; that the skill, science, and practice of these Physicians in the treatment of the insane, and their acknowledged talents, gives to their opinions the force of high authority. The views of your Memorialists in re- spect to the excellence of the situation for the Asylum are found in Doc. 38 of the Board of Assistants, and 54 of the Board of Aldermen of the last year. They believe that no Bite superior to it for an Asylum for the cure of the insane, is supplied by any spot within the precincts of this City. Your Memorialists have no personal motives for urging the excellence of this site for the Asylum beyond its merits; they are not entitled to the credit of having selected it; such credit is due to the Committee and Commissioners of 1833- 275 [Doc. No. 31. 4, at which time the present Commissioners, Messrs. John Targee, Thomas T. Woodruff and George Lovett,with their then asociates, Messrs. Ostrander and Roosevelt were Com- missioners of the Aims House. Your Memorialists have only to sooth themselves with the reflection, that they had taste and knowledge, and sense enough not to differ from their opinion. It is not said in the Report, that the location selected is unhealthy—though such an idea would seem intended to be conveyed. This low ground is a salt meadow, but it is no where stated in the Report that such is the fact, and that the ground though low is not marshy. It is not known to your Memorialists that salt meadows or marshes were ever con- sidered unhealthy. As to the remaining objection "that the future policy or necessities of the Corporation may induce them to erect other buildings for public purposes nearer to this location than is at present anticipated"—the idea is a novel one for Legislators to act upon. It results in this, " do nothing lest by possibility you may do wrong." Your Memorialists but remark that they thought it their duty to look as far into fu- turity as their short vision would allow ; to settle the policy of the City by the exercise of their best powers, in refer- ence to its probable wants; to design the buildings and its appurtenances with reference to its intended purposes. That being done, their wisdom had reached the limits of its exercise. The cost of the Asylum.—Under this head, the facts and circumstances urged by the Commissioners against the lo- cation, are by them, here again made to perform a second duty; but they are applicable here, (if any where.) The language used under this head involves a charge against your Memorialists of gross, wilful or negligent extravagance in the appropriation of the public property; and the same Doe. No. 31.] 275 charge impliedly at least, is contained in the grounds used in support of the petition. Let us see how this matter stands—the Commissioners in their Report state, that the quarry will be lost by placing the Asylum on the proposed site, and that " the loss of this fine quarry will , amount to the enormous sum of $68,444." Are the Comrrlissioners correct in this fact, even on the assumption that the estimate is correct, (and your Memorislists do not intend to express a doubt of it,) that the quarry will yield, if worked, 68,- 444 tons of stone ? We say no, "I si. The value of the stone is stated in the Report to be one dollar per ton ; and when estimating the value of the quarry, (which your Me- morialists and their coadjutors, were se extravagant as to throw away at a loss of $68,414 as they assert,) no deduc- tion from this amount of gross sales is madefor the expense of quarrying and delivering. "2nd. No stone was ever sold from Blackwell's Island, previous to the present Commissioners coming to office, (and your Memorialists are not informed lhat any has since,) for more than 73 cents a ton ; and previous to June 1834, it was sold at 62 1-2 cents per ton. This reduces the value of the quarry one quarter." The actual value to the City of working the quarry, can be ascertained only by comparing the expense of each prisoner to the City, with the produce of his work, and your Memorialists do not possess the materials for making the estimate; though from what they have seen, they be- lieve it to be very small. But in the second place, there is no necessity of losing the quarry if it be expedient to work it. Your Memorialists contemplated so doing, and were proceeding with the work of blasting the rocks, west- ward and southward of the site of the building, when they went out of office ; and the Superintendant of the Island was proceeding in the execution of the plan, when the hands were ordered off from the work by the present Commis- sioners, and set to graduating ground at the Penitentiary, and 277 [Doc. No. 31. stopped the progress of the building. Had the quarry- ing been continued to this time there is much reason to be- lieve tjJJ^ne'ta^rk ^-(#1 now have so far progressed, that the further blasTmg of.rqlks there could have preceded with- out dBger^^hejMjilding. Toallow of this quarrying, the ultimatSjrjpWition of the surji.ee of the Island at the site of the Asylum was reduced to 18 feet abo^e high tide, from 22 feet (the Committee yielding a reluctant'consent thereto) to the injury in their opinioflfbf tfielsite Tor the Asylum by re- ducing its elevation, and consequently, thej^plivity of the arising grounds—a matter in the opinion bf the Committee |Hk of more consequence than the quarrying aa|l vendingFof ^^ stone, and more consistent with the dignity of the City, and those principles o^Cbgislation which look to the good of the People. The fea^pity of preceding with both the quarry and the building, was maturely settled on the opinons of Mr. Acker the then Superintendant, and Mr. Brainard, then and still the quarry master of the Island. Again the commissioners say that " a due regard to Eco- nomy and the interests of the city, induced them to take in- to consideration another circumstance *** it is that the point north of the Asylum consisting of 16'acrerf 5 perches properly regulated and surrounded with a suitable wall, might become the most beautiful and valuable part of the Island, worth rising $30,000 which otherwise would be sacrificed or to say the least could not be occupied to the best possible advantage." ( pa. 200)—Let us see how this position holds with "a due regard to economy," the objects of this institution and facts. What will it cost to regulate this part of the Island, and build the suitable wall ? If it is to be made the most beautiful and valuable part of the Island—it may safe- ly be assumed, that raising it at least six feet above high tide line will be required ; for the Equinoctial tides rise four feet above common tides. To raise the tract six feet will cost rising 840,000—at nine cents per load of Earth; and Doc. No. 31.] 278 if the earth for raising the surface, is to be obtained else- where than on the Island, it is presumed it that sum, whether obtained by co^pct the Commissioners say that the "reguk the island, so as to makg^t.available fo! can be accomplished wmi thejereatelt ease, and with but little expense, bjrconcict labour ; and the refuse dirt and stone that would aJScumu^ate in the adjacent quar- ry if worked, would be all sufficient for that purpose." (pa. #198.) It seems to your Memorialists, that the commission- erafcave inconsiderately made these assertions. The outlay of caln, beyond the prison expenses, might not be so immense, yet still in horses'carts and tools this^apense could not be inconsiderable,—If the work be doneTOy1 convicts the ex- penses of the Island, in proportfcbn to tfiyhumber of convicts employed, must be charged against the work; and this to- gether w'th the expenses of teams carts and tools would raise this " little expense," to a large sum ; and the "great- est ease," which it would be accomplished would be equal to 14,000 days work of Men, besides that of horses and teams. Your Memorialists have no hesitation in avering the fact to be, that Earth for filling in, to the requisite gradua- tion, could not be obtained from the island, without so re- ducing its elevation, as to destroy it for sites of public Build- ings, by rendering the yards as close, confined and preg- nant with disease, as those at Bellevue, and throwing away all its present advantages for a thorough ventilation. The pro- posed regulation could not be effected by the refuse dirt and stone of the quarry. The dirt and refuse of quarrying out, 68,4-14 tons of stone, would not fill a space equal to more than l-8th of the hole made by the quarrying. And if it should be necessary to carry such quarrying to the depth, that it has heretofore been carried, the site of the Asylum, would be ruined, in respect to the airing grounds ; and the then necessary walls to those ground, would continually present to the patients, those ideas of imprisonment, which 279 [Doc, No. 31. it is a first principle in their treatment to exclude from their minds. The " suitable wall" proposed, could not be less, than four feet above tide, and by the map of the Island it would be over 2,800 feet in length, and would have to be of a width which would make it to contain 134,400 cubic feet of wall, this could not be made at less than 25 cents per cubic foot and would thus cost the sum of $ 3,733, add the above stated price of filling, 40,000, and the proper regulation and suitable wall would cost $43,733. As the land would then be worth, but $30,000, it would seem to your Memorialists, "that a due regard to economy," would not prompt the location of the building, " on this low land." With these views, your Memorialist respectfully submit the question, whether upon the grounds taken in the report, the value of this salt meadow, forms any reason why the Lunatic Asylum ought not to be built on the site propos- ed ; and whether your Memorialists and their associates in their measures, or the authors of the report, are chargeable with a want of "a due regard to economy" in the appro- priation of the public property. Another argument, used in the report against the cost of the Building is that, " in the completion of the Asylum large quantities of stone of a peculiar quality, will be re- quired for lintels, sills, flagging, water tables, jambs &c. which cannot be procured from any part of the Island, ex- cept from the quarry on which the work is commenced," and to get them elsewhere would be at great cost. It certainly must be that the authors of the report believe what it con- tains but they are here clearly mistaken; for in point of fact, the stone which will be required for lintels, sills, flag- Doc. No. 31.] 280 ginu, water tables, jambs &c. are not, of so very a peculiar quality ;—neither is it the fact, that they cannot (excepting perhaps the flagging) be procured from any part of the is- land except the quarry on which the work is commenced. The lintels, sills, flagging, water tables, jambs &c. which will be required are like those which have been put into the centre building, and north wing of the Penitentiary, and those were almost if not quite all, excepting the flags, taken from the Southern Quarry. Besides all this, there is no stone in the Northern quarry superior in its promise, to that at the southern part of that quarry, and which must be blast- ed out, for a cellar to the centre building of the Asylum. It is further added in the Report, that " on making, an estimate of the cost of the work so far as it had progressed, it was found that about double the amount of money had al- ready been expended upon it, which the same work could have been contracted for, by competent and responsible builders."—Your Memorialists do not pretend to say what calculations the authors of the report have made; but the covert charge contained in the above quoted passage, that your Memorialists or any of them have expended on the foundation of the Asylum, double, the sum the same work could have been contracted for, is a broad one, and they meet it in its breadth by denying the charge and fact; and they aver that no "competent and responsible builder" would undertake to do that work for one half the sum ex- pended. About 2000 loads of stone—or 26,000 cubic feet -—are laid in the foundation of the Assylum, as appears by Colonel Harkers measurement. This at 20 cents per foot, (in contemplation of plain straight and vastly inferior work as distinguished from the many jambs and angles of this) would amount to $5,200. The pay of the masons and Mas- ter mason was about $2,500, leaving a balance of $2,700, for materials and labour of prisoners. The work done is of tfhte very best quality, and by a set of hands who were skil- ful, and, worked their full compliment of hours per day, any 281 [Doc. No. 31. thing in the report to the contrary notwithstanding. The work done could not be contracted for by a competent and res- ponsible builder for less than 25 cents per foot. The Commissioners in their report have ventured upon some remarks, on the adopted plan of the edifice to which your Memorialists cannot assent. If the position of the Asylum be reversed, " so as to let the foundation, which is already put up, and which is intended for its northern extremity remain, and build the other part north" instead of south—it would carry the building on to low land, by which that great excellence of the site—its height above tide, and consequent declivity for airing grounds would be lost—or such a height of ground would have to be artificially made at an enormous expense. And again the Island itself cannot furnish the earth for filling in the low lands—without spoiling the building sites. To avoid throwing the building on to too low ground at the north wing, the centre building was located last year 100 feet further south, than it was the year before. To remove the Octagon 20 feet further east, will remedy no evil; for it is a matter of no moment, in respect to the utility of the building whether the two east and west wings are of equal length or one 20 feet shorter than the other, and as to its ap- pearance it would scarcely be seen. " The planot the Middlesex Asylum is defective in many important particulars," says the report. This may be so, but it was settled, by the most sagacious and scientific talent in this line in England. No existing defect in the plan, is men- tioned in the report; the defects charged against it, are not in the plan. The three storied centre and octagoned build- ings, are not breaches of the principle stated in the report. Those buildings are not tobe used by patients except for their day rooms, the intended use of them is fully stated in Docts. 38 and 54 of the last Board. Doe. No. 31.] 282 The ventilation of the building is defective, says the report. This assertion is denied, the ventilation of the cells is very perfect, as a slight examination of the drawings will show. The porticos and saloons, embracing 6 out of 14 windows will amply ventilate the corridors ; and each cell should have its own ventilators, as in the new House of Detention now building. On one side of the corridors the dormitories occupy but 120 out of 200 feet. For the recreation of the patients, in doors, ample day rooms and soloons are provided. The halls are not "the only places for recreation." And out of doors, extensive airing grounds to which the patients may at all times have access without the attendence of more than a single keeper for the whole class,and extensive grounds for gardens, groves &c. are appropriated and needed. The low ground before spoken of should be used for no other purpose, and should be reclaimed for that pur- pose, as circumstances, may direct. To give the patients pro- per means of recreation, 30 acres at least should be allotted to the Asylum. Your Memorialists were greatly surprised to perceive it stated in the Report, that the plan of the building under consideration had " fallen into disrepute in Europe," and that the plan of the Limerick Asylum is preferred. They were still more surprised to see the authority of Mr. Haviland cited in support of the assertion. The Commissioners are mistaken in their facts ; and your Memorialists have strong doubts, whether they understood the purport of Mr. Havi- land's remarks to them* Mr. Haviland is eminent authority on the subject of prisons; and it is well known that in his opinion, as applied to prisons, the radiating plan of building is capable of the most perfect combination of supervision and ventilation of any form. Not long since one of your Memo- rialists had a conversation with Mr. Haviland on the sub- ject of Lunatic Asylums, and then he professed not to be intimately acquainted with them, as he had never been called to give the subject particular attention. The truth is, (as 283 [Doe. No. 31- your Memorialists believe,) that the Middlesex Asylum is the last built in England, and is considered an improve- ment upon all other single buildings and modifications of the Wakefield plan; and that in France, the Parisian plan of separate houses for each class (the only plan for effecting perfect classification and ventilation) is the favorite: In Italy and Germany, these Asylums are made of monasteries and Fortresses. The Reports to the last Boards contain some re- markson this subject, which would naturally have suggested the necessity of comment in support of an opposite theory, if read, but we have no such remarks in the Report under review. The Report contains many minor matters, notice of which might be expected ; but as they affect your Memorialists personally, rather than the subject, they must be left to pass at their value. But in as much as this Memorial has en- sued the assertion of the Commissioners that "on mature re- flection, they were convinced" of the badness of the location of the Asylum, and extravagant cost of the edifice, and therefore had stopped the works : we maybe pardoned for submitting the following facts which have been stated to us, and which we believe to be true, namely: On the 25th day of May last, the present Commissioners were appointed. On the 28th day of the same month they visited the Island, and ordered off the prisoners from the quarry and building, and set them at levelling ground at the Penitentiary, leaving the Masons at the Asylum without any one to attend them. On the Monday following (the 1st day of June) the Master Builders and the Masons were dismissed. On the 29th of June, the Commissioners made their communication to the Boards ; and in pursuance of a Resolution of the 22d July, they on the 7th of September, gave their reasons for their conduct. No one of the now Commissioners had visited the Island before the day on which they drew off the prisoners from the Asylum. Two of the Commissioners had never be- Doc. No. 31.] 284 fore held office in the department, and would naturally yield to those who were experienced; one was in Europe, and the fourth is known to be a man engaged in active life. Most respectfully submitted, WM. MANDEVILLE, JOSEPH HOXIE, P. W. ENGS. SAM. STEVENS, ANTHONY LAMB, ROB'T C. CORNELL, JOSEPH TUCKER, ROBERT SMITH, WM. SAM. JOHNSON. New-York, October 3d, 1835.