CONVICT LABOR FOR ROAD WORK. 149 



about 18 inches above it and usually filled with hay or straw upon 

 which the bed covering is spread. The boxes sometimes are con- 

 structed in tiers, especially in the wooden cars. They are inexpen- 

 sive, but apt to be very insanitary, and at best can only be re- 

 garded as makeshifts. 



The pallets are made of mattresses, blankets, or quilts and are 

 laid either directly on the floor or on continuous platforms, as in the 

 Virginia camps. 



The wooden cots usually are arranged to fold up and are either 

 equipped with springs or made in the form of the Army cot, in which 

 the springs are replaced by a sheet of canvas. These, as well as all 

 forms of beds made of wood, are objectionable because it is difiicult 

 to keep them free from vermin. Metal cots were found in use in a 

 few camps, in tiers in the steel cages and as single-deck or double- 

 deck cots in the tents and wooden structures. These, as well as all 

 other forms of beds, frequently are placed contiguous to one another. 



The metal cot is by far the most desirable type from the stand- 

 points of durability, economy, and cleanliness. They may be pur- 

 chased at very reasonable prices from a number of manufacturers 

 in various parts of the United States. The most suitable for the 

 purposes of convict camps are those made of galvanized or aluminum- 

 painted steel angles with sleeping surfaces of wire-link fabric, and 

 hehcal springs at each end. In dimension they should be at least 2^ 

 feet wide and 6^^ feet long. They are manufactured in both double 

 and single deck forms, and are so constructed as to be readily and 

 quickly knocked down when the camp is moved. Desirable forms 

 of double and single deck metal bunks are shown in Plate XIII, 

 figures 1 and 2. A single-deck cot similar to the one shown can be 

 purchased for not more than $3, and the cost of the double-deck cot 

 will not be greater than S6. Bought in quantities of 25 or more it 

 wiU be found usually that the cots can be supplied at about 20 per 

 cent less than the foregoing prices. 



BEDDING AND BEDCLOTHES. 



For sanitary reasons mattresses stuffed with hay or straw are 

 preferable to those filled with cotton batting. The ticks may be 

 made very conveniently by women convicts, or in the penitentiary 

 tailor shop. About 5 yards of ticking 36 inches wide are required 

 for one tick, and the cost of the ticking is about 12 cents per yard, 

 making the cost of a mattress tick about 60 cents for material alone. 

 iSuch a tick will last about two years. 



Pillow Ticks. 



Pillow ticks made of the same material as the mattress ticks and 

 in the same way will cost about 18 cents each and last about the same 

 length of time. 



