  The site for the Western Penitentiary of Pennsylvania has been officially chosen by Warden John Francies and the Board of Prison Inspectors. The selection of the site is subject to the approval of Gov. John K. Tener, and is in Center County, a few miles from Bellefonte. It contains 4,878 acres of fertile agricultural land, 936 acres being part of a State forestry reservation, the rest, 3,942 acres, being held under option from a number of private landowners. The cost of the private land will be $191,655. From the forest reservation ample wood for the construction of preliminary buildings of the new prison may be drawn. The institution will be entirely fireproof, and it is Warden Francies’ intention to have all the manual labor entailed in its construction done by his wards. From McBride’s Gap, which forms a cleft in Nittany Mountain, will be drawn the new prison’s water supply. Warden Francies has obtained the entire watershed of McBride’s Gap Run, giving the prison absolute control of the sanitary condition of the drainage area. A beautiful roaring spring of sparkling water descends from the Gap, which has a minimum flow of 600,000 gallons of water per twenty-four hours. The water in McBride’s Gap is of a high degree of purity. The sanitary condition of the watershed, as found by engineers employed by Mr. Francies, is excellent. It is Warden Francies’ intention to construct a huge reservoir, which will store about 70,000,000 gallons of water. Pressure will be at command at all times to amply operate the mechanical and industrial departments of the prison and meet the requirements of many homes which will be built by the State for the officers of the new prison. In view of the fact that each of the farms embraced by the Nittany Mountain site is improved with farm houses in good state of repair, barns and other outbuildings, that the properties are well fenced, drained, and most of them have matured orchards, the average price per acre paid by the State for the twenty-two farms is considered to be remarkably cheap. |
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