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 difficult 
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 
helical springs at each end. In dimension they should be at least 2£ 
feet wide and 6J 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 $6. Bought in quantities of 25 or more it 
will 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. 
Such 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. 
