Mr. Allen Greene has acted as agent of the Board during the past year, in superintending the work, making purchases, &c. Mr. Woodbury has given much time and attention to the work, and other members of the Board have been faithful in their attendance upon the meetings, and in their interest in the progress of the work.

The work done during the year 1877, has been as follows:

1. The walls of the centre building of the prison have been carried up to their proper height, and the roof and dome covering them have been completed.

2. The brick arches for the floors of the centre building and of the wings of the prison have been laid.

3. The floors of the cells in all the wings of the prison have been covered with Portland cement.

4. The ceilings of the corridors in the wings of the prison have been plastered. 5. The inside of the prison cells, and the walls of the corridors in all the wings and in the centre building, have been whitewashed.

6. The iron work about the cells has nearly all been erected, making the prison itself nearly complete and ready for occupation.

7. The kitchen, hospital, mess room and boiler house, which are connected together and constitute one group of buildings, have been erected, roofed in, and completed with the exception of furnishing, and the cooking and heating appa

ratus.

8. The workshops, 250 feet in length and two stories high, have been built, including the foundation, and have been covered and slated, and are complete with the exception of the furniture and apparatus for steam power and heating. 9. The Warden's house has been built ready to plaster.

10. A substantial brick chimney has been built 100 feet in height and 8 feet square.

In general terms, it may be said, that the exteriors of all the buildings connected with the prison are completed, and the interiors are in such a state of forwardness that they can be finished during the

summer.

The work of the past year has been done under the general supervision of Mr. Allen Greene of the Commission, and under the immediate direction of Mr. Horatio L. Briggs, as superintendent of all the work not done under contracts.

The rough stone, as heretofore, has all been furnished by the Board of State Charities and Corrections, from the State Farm.

In the work done during the year 1877, there were laid 4,175 cubic

yards of State Farm stone, and 350 cubic yards of granite, making a total of 4,525 cubic yards of stone work during the year. In 1876, the whole amount of stone work laid, including granite and foundation walls, was 4,548 cubic yards.

There were also laid 996,600 bricks in 1877, which were used in the arches for the floors of the centre building and wings of the prison; in the chimneys already described; in lining up the kitchen, hospital and mess room, and also for the jambs and quoins of the buildings within the yard enclosure, viz.: the mess room, kitchen, hospital, boiler house, and workshops. The number of bricks laid in 1876, was 587,600.

The cost of the labor on the prison, during the year 1877, was $40,153.93. The cost of labor may be analyzed as follows:

This does not include the amount paid to the Board of State Charities and Corrections for labor in getting out and delivering the stone, and team work about the prison. If we add this it would increase the amount paid for labor about twenty-five per cent. The cost of getting out, delivering, and preparing the State Farm stone for laying, was about $2.57 per cubic yard.

CONTRACTS OF THE PAST YEAR.

The condition of the contracts made by the State Prison Commission, during the year 1877, and previously, which were not closed at the date of our last report, is as follows:

1. "The Architectural Iron Works," of New York, failed during the year, and on account of their failure, much of the other work, as well as the work under their contract, was delayed several months. Arrangements have been

made with one of their bondsmen, A. R. Whitney, Esq., of New York, for the completion of their contract, and the work is now nearly done.

2. The contract with William Hall & Co., of Boston, for locks for the cell doors, remains unfinished and unsettled, the same as at the date of the last report, because it has seemed desirable not to have the locks put on the doors, until the prison is ready for occupancy.

3. The contracts, uncompleted at the date of our last report, with the Smith Granite Company, of Westerly; the Pawtucket Lumber and Builders Supplies Company; the Watson Manufacturing Company of Paterson, N. J.; Jerome Patterson, for frame &c., for the roofs of the wings of the prison, and Michael Golrick for slating the roofs of the prison buildings, have all been completed and paid in full.

4. The contract with the Danforth Locomotive Works, is nearly completed. The trusses of the iron roof of the centre building have been put up, the guard room cage and the stairs from the guard room to the bridge leading to the hospital, have been erected. There remain the bridges from the guard room to the blocks of cells, and the stairs to the chapel to complete their contract. They have been paid $15,500 on account.

5. A contract was made June 15, 1877, with Jerome Patterson for the wood work required in the mess room, kitchen, hospital, and boiler house, for the sum of $4,725.

6. A contract was made with Michael Golrick, July 19, 1877, and August 6, 1877, to slate the roofs of the mess room, hospital, kitchen, and boiler house, which has been completed and the account settled in full.

7. A contract with Hopkins & Pomroy, for Portland Cement, Newark Cement, and bricks for the season of 1877, was made May 22d, and has been completed and paid in full.

8. The proposal of George Dwight, Jr. & Co., of Springfield, to put up the iron roof of the boiler house, for $525, was accepted July 19, 1877, and the job has been completed and settled for in full.

9. A contract was made July 23, 1877, with Alex. B. Springer, for the carpenter's work of the workshops, for the sum of $13,443. This contract is nearly completed, and he has been paid $8,000 towards it. Also, another contract, with the same, for the carpenter's work of the Warden's house, for the sum of $7,440, was made August 6, 1877. This contract is so far completed that the building is ready for lathing, and the contractor has been paid $1,740 on account thereof. 10. Contracts have been made with Isaac M. Sweet for granite for the Warden's house, for $2,648; also for granite for the mess room, kitchen, hospital, and boiler house, for $553.25. Also, with Garvey Brothers, of Pascoag, for granite for the workshops, for $500, all of which contracts have been completed and settled for in full.

11. A contract was made with Jerome Patterson, for wood work, lathing and plastering the ceilings of the corridors of the prison wings, and the mess room, kitchen and hospital, for the sum of $1,525, which has been completed and settled for in full.

12. A contract was made August 27, 1877, with the Walker and Pratt Manufacturing Company, of Boston, to furnish the ventilating pipes for the ventilation of the cells of the prison, for the sum of $2,525. This contract is awaiting the completion of the iron work before putting up the pipes, and the contractors have been paid $1,500 on account.

WORK TO BE DONE.

For the completion of the prison and grounds, ready for occupancy, there remains to be provided:

1. The apparatus for steam heating of all the buildings, for cooking, and for steam power for the workshops.

2. The means of lighting the prison.

3. An abundant supply of water in all the buildings and for all purposes.

4. Means for draining the buildings and premises, and for the disposal of waste water and sewage.

5. Two iron bridges to connect the centre building of the prison with the hos pital, and with the Warden's house.

6. The plumbing in the Warden's house and prison buildings.

7. The upper cement surface of the floors of the corridors and guard room of the prison.

8. The carpenters' work and plastering to finish the chapel and adjoining

rooms.

9. Furniture for the Warden's house, offices, guard room, chapel, mess room, hospital, kitchen and workshops.

10. The grading of the grounds in front of the prison, and in the prison yard, and the construction of drive-ways on the prison premises.

REMARKS UPON THE WORK TO BE DONE.

From the preceding list of items of "work to be done," it will be noticed that the entire completion of the prison, so as to have it ready for occupation, will include considerable expense, which properly belongs, wholly or in part, to the Board of State Charities and Corrections; and which cannot, therefore, be charged exclusively to the expense of building the State Prison.

1. Thus the second item-" the means for lighting the prison"can be provided by putting in suitable kerosene lamps. But if, as we believe, it is advisable to provide for lighting the State Prison and all the other buildings on the State Farm with gas, it is certainly not proper that the whole expense of doing it should be charged to the cost of building the prison.

2. In regard to the third item-"an abundant supply of water”it may be said that it has always been supposed that this would be provided by the water works, already in operation for supplying the State Farm. It seems probable, from past experience, that generally this supply would be sufficient for the State Prison also. But it also seems probable that sometimes, in a very dry season, the sources of the supply would be inadequate, and it is therefore necessary to consider the question of an additional supply and to provide for it.

But if this additional supply of water is provided for, from the city water works, or otherwise, it may be found advisable, and more economical, to supply all the institutions on the State Farm in the same way, and give up the present source of supply, and save the present expense of pumping. If this is done, it is certainly not right that the whole expense of providing the supply of water should be charged to the expense of building the State Prison.

3. The fourth item in the "work to be done," is "the means for draining the buildings and premises, and for the disposal of waste water and sewage." It, of course, belongs to the State Prison Commission to provide means for the accomplishment of this object; but the way in which this shall be done, and the best way, is certainly an open question. It may be the best way to provide for composting, or disinfecting the sewage within the prison yard, and this could be done at a comparatively slight present expense. Or, it may be best to provide an underground system of pipes and drains, by which the sewage will be carried to a distance, outside of the walls of the prison yard, and used for the improvement of portions of the State Farm. It seems to be just and proper that whatever expense is for the benefit of the State Farm, and not absolutely necessary for the use of the prison, should be charged to the appropriations for the State Farm, and not to that for building the prison.

4. The tenth item named, is "the grading of the grounds in front of the prison, and in the prison yard, and the construction of driveways." That portion of this work within the prison yard will be left to be done by the prisoners themselves. But the State Prison Commission, as already stated, has made a contract with the Board of State