The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-01
"THE PUBLIC WASH"

Only Two Free Baths in New York to
AccoInmo dnte One Hundred and Fifty
Thousand People-Dirty Water and
Dirty TOwels-Perspiring Men, Boys
and Women Waiting i'm Long Lines To
He Observation-Disclosures Rampant i'm
Public Plnces-Night Scenes ~ the Free
Baths.
"Let's go in swimmn, Jakey,'' said a little
dirty faced lad to another little dirty faced lad at
the foot of Charles street on Saturday afternoon.
Both boys were working in a tobacco factory, and
they were very dirty in body and were very anx-
iOus in mind to have "a swim.'
About two hundred lads and at least one hun.
dred grown men stood at the end OF the dock wait
Ing for "a wash" The people who wear fine
clothes and eat good meats every day cannot I'M
agine tile feeling with which the unwashed go down
to the river bank to get bath. Two or three pO
licemen govern the baths. On three days Of the
week, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from five
A. NJ. until nine p. M. the women OF New York
who have no bath tubs in their tenement
houses; who are mainly respectable women and
class are compelled to wait and stand aside while
the policemen guarding the bathing places are
are magnificent in riot they are ableboded,
healthy and ready with the club at all times; but
which poor but respectable women are treated at
the two baths which the great city OF New York
allows human beings to enter.
There are two public baths In the city of New
York. Let 1t be remembered that on this island
there are one million OF men, women and children,
eating, sleeping and doing business. 1t Is true that
Of that million great many thousands go home
to sleep In HOboken, Newark, Long Island and
WESTMINSTER county: These places are merely the
Three years ago the municipal government Of
New York, moved by shame and the experience OF
by the taxpayers to pay their travelling expenses,
for individuals who wished to improve the city, did
years ago Rome had 200 public this many OF Which
were constructed OF marble. Christianity had not
manifested ITSELF but still the people OF the empire
which governed the world for 1000 years believed
In having good clean wash. The Greeks were
fond Of the bath, and to-day the Turks. who are
supposed to be In their decadence as nation, wor-
ship the bath.
In New York city there are but two public baths,
River the other bath Is located at the dock at the
foot OF Charles street. North River A reasonable
calculation for the populat the city would pro-
duce at least one hundred and fifty thousand per-
sons who would desire to clean their bodies every
day in the week during the months Of June, July
and August. Or this number it is certain that not
more than fifteen thousand live in residences in
which bath tubs are established Here, then, are
lS5, 900 people OF both sexes who must rely from
their poverty on the municipality Of the city to
which they pay taxes, in an indirect way, for
For this great public there are only In this city
two free baths. They are under the administra-
ton Of Mr., Van Mort, the Chief Of the Department
OF Public Works. They have rules in these free
baths. The baths have dimension of about forty
feet by one hundred. There are about seventy re-
firing rooms in each bath. At the end of the dock
two men are stationed with green tickets in their
hands, The baths are frce let it be remembered.
These men who hOd the tickets will only give them
to persons whom they believe TO be respectable"
Twenty minutes are allowed for each human being
to wash himself 1t Is fact Chat no man or wO-
man can battle decently In twenty minutes III
public bath. For a bathing towel there is q charge
Of three cents 1t is necessary to have two towels
dry oneself In the bath at Charles street Saturday
afternoon at six O'Clock there were by actual count
seventy-tw0 persons OF the male sex. The water
was htdeOusly dirty, there was enough floating
straw to make bed and the filth creeping in and
out with the tide was too disgusting TO look at. If
bather remained in the water for an instant be-
yOnd the twenty minutes he was screamed at by
the police as If he were committing great crime.
And the keepers OF the baths are permitted to
shorten the time for bathing by the regulations. II
q rOWdy policeman should chose to yell at some
poor, decent, but inOfensive she must get out
Of the water whether she il ready not. The
whole system Is outrageous and needs the most
radical reformation. There IL money enough spent
In each year by the men who are allowed to rule
this city to establish twenty public and free baths.
And one other thing must be mentioned These
public baths late at night places of assgnaten.
The police, II they do not favor this Infamous prac
tice, are quite willing to wink at it. "There is
money in It," Let 1t be stopped at once. The
baths in old Rome, as Juvene tells us, were rem
dered disgraceful by the cOncourse OF the favOrtes
Of the Knights and Equestrians. Long rows Of
men and boys are turned away and driven Off by
the police, who seem to he DESTROYS OF hindering
the people who pay them their salaries from bath
ing. And, in fact, the baths not free IL poor
persons are compelled, as they are now to pay for
as they are In name. And let there be more
clvility from the servants OF tie masses. Crowds
Of boys who leave there work at six O'Clock can
not battle, and bathing Is preventative OF crime.
There are two baths In New York to-day, which
are free, and they cannot accommodate more than
ten thousand persons: What viii the extra hun
bic to think Of 1t. And to conclude, the Scripture
says that cleanliness Is next to Goodness"