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107
By chance Hampton was a passenger on the steamboat "Derwent••
\-lhich carried the Hall fami ly o Saltwater River , one of four stations
situated on the shore of Norfolk Bay in the north of Tasman 's Peninsula .
On arrival at the jetty he preceded the Halls ashore to make the usual
tour of inspection of the hospital, lunatic asylum and the penal station .
This meant that the Comptro ller-General saw the state of affairs at
Saltwater River exactly as Hall found them on his arrival , a fact which
the doctor did not forget .
The family's fikst impression of Saltwater River was not a
happy one. Whereas Everitt had been given the best house for his
residence, Hall was allotted the one previously occupied by the
Assistant-Superintendent who was now living in the doctor 's house.
Hall's house was so dilapidated and insecure that not only did water pour
in whenever it rained, but during the first week absconders , who had been
at large some time, entered in the night and robbed them of everything
they could carry off. In spite of Hal l's immediate and oft repeated
requests to have repairs carried out , nothing was done during the three
months of their residence .
Professionally Hall was deeply shocked by his first sight of
the hospital and lunatic asylum :
· .... the hospital, well situated, and a neat , small commodious
building, was in a most deplorable state of filth and neglect .
The wal ls , black with smoke and filth, floors dirty, bedsteads
and beds disgusting . The yard, str.ewed with bones , refuse and
rubbish of all kinds . Those who had to visit the sick there
sat in a state of nausea and misery whenever they had to
officiate at the bedside, owing to the stench and dirt , and
carri ed away with them a perfect army of vermin. The whitewash
or the scrubb ing brush had long been strangers in the bui lding .
- The barracks fur the accommodation of the unfortunate lunatics
had formed a part - of the original penal station and such a wretched
provision for the insane I had never before witnessed; nor do
I think it could be paralleled except in the age of the
philanthropic Howard. It was out of sight of the public, of a
prying press or a criticizing "Morgan", or such a state of thir.gs
could not have existed long . There was a large mess room, unce1led ,
unplastered, with flagged floor, one fireplace, windows ung azed,
but provided with shrunken shutters of wood. When wind or rain
came from the west (the prevai ling quarter) the shutters had to
be closed and the place was in obscurity. Rickety old station
forms were the only seats provided.
There was next a large dormitory of a similar character to
the mess room - perhaps I should say a doub le dormitory. as there
was a division across with a communicating door. These had been
made out of a numb er of prisoners ' dormitories into one long