CONVICT LABOR FOR ROAD WORK. 109 
matched boards. There were two windows 1 foot wide by 1J feet 
long on both sides of the cage and four such windows on one end. 
Every window was tightly shut and some were firmly fastened by 
strips of wood nailed across on the outside. The only permanent 
openings were the ones in the floor under the toilet seat and the one 
in the roof for the stovepipe. Add to the details already presented 
a dark and dirty interior alive with vermin, blankets indescribably 
foul and filthy, and a hole underneath rilled with uncovered, unpro- 
tected human filth, and the picture is complete. 
While this condition is the worst which the investigation revealed, 
many other overcrowded, dirty, vermin-ridden wooden cages were 
found in use. The steel cages can be kept free from vermin, but, as 
seen in actual use, they are badly overcrowded and tightly closed on 
all sides at night by the canvas curtains with which they are provided. 
Proper Space Allowance. 
The question of the exact number of persons which may properly 
be assigned to a given space is one which is difficult to answer. It is 
reasonable to assume, however, that the space in the sleeping quarters 
of any camp should be sufficiently large to permit a healthful separation 
of the occupants and to allow the body all necessary freedom of mo- 
tion. As the result of observations of many convict camps and with 
a knowledge of the economic problems with which they are con- 
fronted, the conclusion has been reached that an allowance of 20 
square feet of floor space for each man and a distance of 2 feet be- 
tween beds or bunks (which should be single) is the least that can be 
provided without serious overcrowding. The separation of the beds 
and economy of floor space may be obtained by the use of double- 
deck bunks. The bunks should be set out a foot or more from the 
walls of the building, in order to allow a free circulation of air on 
all sides. 
Ventilation. 
When human beings are inclosed in a space not provided with 
adequate means for the entrance of fresh air and the escape of stale 
air, the atmosphere may become overheated, overmoist, and stag- 
nant, and experience has shown that this is an extremely unhealthful 
condition in which to five. Not only is the working power diminished, 
but the vitality of the body and its ability to resist disease also are 
impaired. 
In the winter persons who live in overheated rooms filled with 
stagnant air made moist by the breath and excretions of the skin are 
especially susceptible to coughs, colds, pneumonia, and other dis- 
eases of respiration which could be avoided to a great extent by good 
ventilation. In summer, when even the outdoor air is often hot and 
