New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-06-22
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
RATHNG IN THE CITY.

RATHING IN THE CITY.
cleanliness is next TO gOdliness" is an old
axiom and that Is very generally understood ioF ne
who keeps himself pure In body is somewhat more apt to
No little purer spirit The lack Of free public bathing
p,aces in this city Of one million Inhabitants has often
been felt more especially by these who obliged to
travel on the river and witness tho antics and gambofgs
Of tho gas and children OF larger growth, who noekeu
Ia the various piers 10 peferm their additions Uhmo
Tested except occadsns by the presence oil uie
u,nion Of law and order known az ponce
man gp,e time selected for this purpose was RON
She beginning Of daylight until II O'Clock NJ mgh anu
aU aspour the picrs revealed the condition OF thOSe
whose regard for prOp-iety was lest sigh OF III 'n
sire 10 be comfortable All ages were represehte"' anu
NO matter what the condition OF the WAFER III Aho un'
whether Il received the corporation boats WIN toH
,oad cleaned from The streets and avenues OF
"a, ,,bct,er il was the receptacle OF the aechinuaeu
alth NJ fhe sewess IL was TO have its quota oil
afrots in the shape OF tOw-headed urchihs ana "oo
bodied men, whose delight as they dved ron Tue "
heads and the boats was unnhStakaOle' ana Iouu9
proclaimed The necessity for some place where 'Ne
'creat ashed might cleanse itself unseen by mos
whose ideas of decercy concted with such unseemy
exposire The favorite places OF resort however W.
the lumber yards ny the river, and snch piers ~ u
small boats or barce fastened to Them whele' aI'c m
aressnr the bow would leave companion TO g"Hlu
their II Their scani amount of clothing (geneiany consist
inc NJ tottered pautaoons and s more dilapidateu
shirt che color Of the latter rarely having AZ IeS0
nm rppearance as cOGcc) aud watch Tor stray poiOe
man. OF whose rattan they had "hoie-
some ftar The pier foot OF beehnlaiS''
and adjoining the fish market had always been
tho ravo,Fte haunt Of the urchins residing III
the east eide wards, for the reason that The sh
ears afforded the easiest communication 10 'ne "a'oi'
and when hard pressed by an officer they cOud more
easily - axe their escape. Another reason was that
line wifi piece Of ha and hook attached 10 IT, dioppeu
into l-box or car was pretty sure to bring forth
fariy fish, with which they would either regale them
selves or sell half It's value. AT pm on Monday
there so re- no less than so boys on these cars 10 OF WHO'LL
s,fr,i9 naked ana p9dding about i'm the water, the
single exception rejoicing IN par OF dlity, IaFEru
drawers that excited the del'lol OF ms colpaI9 9
Frequently the boys win remain in the water or SIT naked
ON the wharf for hours at time ana as theI aie mos
ferryb their presence was most enbaTassg TO he
ladies Who were obliged 90 witness it, an inquiry OF an
officer ON duy elected the information that the Police
bearing with them in The hope That the pnbe Daths
where Tie hathcr was an adult. hut the boys were
generally treated 70 liberal application OF 6fch wren
ever caught Al the Battery, where new land II making,
there is @ small laudlockcd bay that contained a
dozen boys from 10 TO IS years Of age while 20
T|iT e56 GSS T6e 6vST we side Of the city was gem
orally visited after o'clock hut the npper ha1 ~ p
second and T,yeHty-sxth. Twenty -seycuth. Tirtieh
and IN, FI OF SIX Oi mildred youg ' mem and
boys principally from the factories TO congrgate at the
Of bathing, and although no arrests had Deen mace as
yet IL the intention of the police to prevent Datmng
Tor the use of the Inhc The East River side Of
lined viii bathcrs and the piers Four
tecntt 20 the end of Corcars Hook were very oilen
Of naked humanity Al the loot "l Fllll-sI AT
nm ON Monday there were more than 200 men aud boy
SWIM and at . p M, OH the loot OF Ro0seyelSt neIe
were boys from six TO TO years 80 OF whom were
there ranged from six 10 CO. and when pursued by an
officer they would dive under the piers into holes where
~ rsed for corporation boats, and the
nao from be-
was positively frightul and yet among dead dogs, cats
and an cmptyug sewer these boys, with few exceptions
the picture health dsp0rtng, apparently uncOn-
soiols that anything better could be done for them
houses that the Boa nd Public Works determined to do
something remedy the deficiency and, with this view
entered into contract with Mr. Bernard Kelly OF NO 2l7
Westst, for the erection OF two bathing hOuseS-one
other ON the North River ahout Thirteenth Fourteenth
st The work of these bathing houses was commenced
M i4 our s ct f tbe ON ire length of the stIc
irc are placed two sticks. each fourteen inches square
and between these are placed tWeEench thDeIs we've
feet apart cener Between these twelve by twelve
pieces placed tmhers twelve feet by SIX securely
boted and spiked together and ON TOP OF me frame
work is placed the floor which Is OF threelnch whte
pine plank, placed and ehalt inches apart to
Kermit the water TO enter On Ourteennch timbers are
placed twelve by twelye-ineh stanebions and between
these stanchOns fixed SiauChlOns I'VE by seven
chions and on top the stanchons aud subSanchons
placed tnbes twelve inches square running parallel
ichs viGe hv 1--WE feet long which leaves rlatfdrm
wide for bathers To walk upon each bath will
be h0ated by eight pontOons, 30 constructed as u be
lowered more water is desired the bath flooded by
valve h handle OF which runs TO the top of the non
The inside Of the structure placed Stats three
by six inches, and onehuf inch apart, TO allow the
water 10 enter
u will have four and one half feet Of water and
will he liz with 5bUruers, the conveyed from the
dock by OF India rubber pipe suite Of three
roOns in tie upper story for keeper and his wife.
TIE whole structure 80 feet long by 90 feet wide Is built
sOdly and reflects much credit upon the architect. But
a. each bath VII not bold than 100 persUs, the
OF the city certainly require 20 baths Of such
dimensions and the Board Of Public Works shOl9d
that soy are erected before the close Of the year.