The daily gazette., 1880-01-13
bathing In Tienna.

THE TRIALS OF A MODEST MAN NOT
ACCUSTOMED TO THE WAYS OF GER.
MANY.
Mr.. Prentice Mulford thus writes to
the San Francisco Chronicle from Vien-
ma: After awhile discovered that the
Viennese who didwash themselves wash
ed themselves all over atpublic baths, and
not 10 the little pint pitchers of water
they kept In their bedrooms. So went
TO public BATH. l did not know what
to ask for, but knew German enough
for water. / went in and said, "Was-
s'r." They took my meaning immedi-
a,ely, or they might have seen that /
needed washing. l declare the ridicu-
lous amount of water they furnish one
leads to dreadful results.
There are two passages leading into
the great five-storied bath barrack-one
for males, the other for females. OF
course took the wrong one, and was
showed back by woman with towel.
didn't see that IL made much difference,
for the attendants on both sides were
females Marie showed me my bath
room. Marie was big, brown, black
eyed Austrian maid, in round short
skirts. She went ahead of me with an
armful of towels. She opened my bath
room door. 1 went in. She came In
after me. l was quite unprepared for
this But she wasn't. She seemed
used TO 1t, and went to work. She
spread sheet on the bottom Of the
bath tub. don't know what it was for
but they always do At all events it
takes off the rough edge of the zinc for
ones skin. Then she turned on hot
water and waited. | waited also. Out
of regard for the proprietes removed
only my hat. / would not even take
of my collar before Marie. The water
seemed long time running in. 1t gen.
Grated cloud of steam, which gradual
ly filled the small bathroom, and
through which vaporish atmosphere
Marie and L saw each other dimly. FL
nally she gave me all the hot water |
was entitled TO and left. Relieved, /
sprang to the door. There was no lock
upon it. 1 hunted in vain for some
kind of fastening. l sat down uneasy.
Then / removed my coat and collar.
Then Marie bust In again with another
towel. Then she went out. How was
| to bathe in peace with that confound-
ed ghl continually intruding on me?
Then [ tried to turn on some cold
water and couldn't. BY this time had
removed many of my garments and bar
ricaded the door with my jackknife. In
stead Of having sensible faucets, by
which a man could regulate his own flow
of water, these require the usc of a
wrench TO turn them. The wrench,
suppose, was kept by the attendant out
side. did not know any German for
wrench, and if l had, dared not call for
one with the prospect Of the young lady's
bringing it. so sat down on the chair,
which had backed up against the door
as an additional security against Marie,
and waited for the water to cool. 1t
takes hot water long time to cool in
Austria. Finally got into the tub. l
think it could not have been much below
boiling temperature. got out again
pretty quickly, blushIng all over, and
sympathizing more heartily than ever
with boiled lobster. 1t was an uncom-
Portable bath. l suffered externally
from the water, and internally from fear
of that possible Marie. But she never
came again. She left large pile of
linen for me. / examined it. There
was one towel about as large as a nap
kin, and two large aprons, which reached
from my head to my heels. The
aprons puzzled me. l utilized them for
towels. A friend afterwards told me
their use. They are to put on, the one
before and the other behind, on getting
out Of the hot bath, and you sit in them
and ring the bell for the attendant to
enter, turn of. the hot water and let on
the cold. Marie all this time was waiting
for my bell to come in and turn on cold
water. She never heard that bell. |
put on but one of these aprons, the for
ward one. 1t fitted me perfectly. 1t
would nt anybody. 1t was q splendid
dress for hot weather; so easy to put on
and off; so loose, cool and comfortable
so easy to slip out of and, If need be,
fan yourself with the skirt.