The northern tribune. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1847-1855, 1848-04-24
From The Yankee Blade. 49,
A Yankee in a Shower Bath,

| Kind reader, did you aevet stake a shower
BATH + mean right cold one, and in. cold
weather. If ;you have,.yo Will know how
to.appreeiate the feelings of my friend, Tom
c., upan the momentons occasion of his
frat shower bath in the: city .of Boston, and
month of March, 184--.ra -: ..: g.: b. r. 10.
Tom C.4--- halls from "a long way "Down
East or. as he used himselfs to say, he "Mas
6roaghtaVas. near to sunrise as he could get
without burning, and where the woods were
/ SO, thick the; moon couldn't rise without help"
He stands six feet two, naturalf and six feet.
six when he stretches. lis breadth is not
quite In proportion /; although his bones were
gotten UP for a. giant. Had they been fairly
covered with flesh, he would have been in
valuable to-" Barnum." The truth is, Tom
was very lean indeed, and this leanless an
noyed him, exceedingly. His clothes would
be open at the elbows and knees in half the
time of those Of his fatter fellows, and Tom
vowed to- get fat, if only for the sake of
economy. :. e. 80 .1ih +'3-' % ''' re- 90
Some kind friend recommended the Gym:
pasium as likefyt6.a lie Bone eia1, and Tom
forthwith enrolled himself at Sheridan,s. IT
was there lifts: met Him, and Z right good
fellow, with plenty. of Ffun and wit in him,
he proved to be,oindespiteiof his uncomprom-
Using exterior. @aiaard 80: '''-- = 90 81 :
|" Among the 1gymhasts, Dr.. w was con-
spicuous,. not only for his skill in all athletic
feats, but also for his beautiful, compact form,
and superabundant muscle. When he peeled >
isarms.and chest looked smooth as a woman S,
and yetas !mascular as those of d "pocket
| Hercules" &c s:1:a EG.'"1 .:3~ HAS - "
| How our friend Tom envied the DR.. Many
questions did he put to him about regimen,
exercise, SC. Sc, and their effectin producing
| flesh on the human frame. 'Fhe DR.. attribut-
ed his redundahcy to plenty Of exercise, plenty
| to eat, and above ALL to the daily use Of the
sAo,oey 6ash.:a. c:S: .s.;.z -. =" ''-'i --
nWaall," said Tom, one day, with his in
imitable drawl =" Tn sure I've skinned up
and, down these ladders and ropes long enutf !;
as for eating, faint to be expected that one
man can eat enafR to fattenF such an ALFRED
skeleton as mine. wish I'may besdarned if
I don't try that shower bath, you tell SO much
ahoat."a - =:-zz: -sr-'-- '..s ''.'~ "-"
AS Tom and were as thick as two such
thin men could be, volunteered to show him
where he could get one in short order. We
! accordingly started for the United States
Hotel then called Texas. In the basement
story of this house were large number Of
bathing rooms, fitted UP with hot, cold, and
shower baths The latter were temporary
wooden boxes standing on end, with doors
boiling on the inside, and a very capacious
showerirfg apparatus at the top.
|, Il went to take a warm bath, while Tom
| made ready for his cold one in the nextroon.
AS the partitions were very thin, overheard
him soliloquising somethingafte this fashion:
y" WALL, now, thatiupright coffin with holes
in the bottom, and d seive m the top, may
PASS for a shower bath here, but I guess II
we had it Down East twouldn't be long afore
we had it sot for cells Blast the thing
wonder how, it works y Here, you Susan,
Sally, what's your name y calling to the
servant girl, just cum Here and show me
how the oritter works. Idont see shower
/ ooh! mys!"t cried the girl, "don't you
know how Why 9; it's easy 'enuff - YOU
pull this here string, and guess you'll see a
shower, and feel it too ' ''1'' '''A
Tom, who stood outside, caught hold of the
string, and Before the girl could interfere,
gave tia tremendous pull when down came
a deluge of water, scattering them, and swim
ming the carpet.
| ri. There, now, you see!" said the girl in