The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-02
GOSSIP FROM NEW YORK.
Public Patronage of the Big Bridge
and the Bathing Houses.
Editor Hurlberts Bric-a-Brac - President
Arthur's Rug-The Townsend Tragedy
Closing Theatrical Gossip.


sight-seers being over, we can form some idea
of how it will be patronized. On Friday last,
the first day of its use by the public, it was
crowded with foot-passengers and vehicles
all day long, 1t was estimated that 25O,OO
persons crossed it. Much of the time large
crowds formed at various points on 1t, par
ticularly in the center and at the towers, and
almost entirely stopped travel by obstructing
the way. The police arrangements were not
yet working efficiently to prevent this. All
day long there were terrible jams at the en-
frances at each end, occasioned by the neces-
sity of people passing in single file between
the toll-takers; and the toll-takers were very
inexpert and slow in making change On
Saturday the crowd was still greater, and the
police were obliged to throw open the vehicle
roads to pedestrians. In the afternoon, L
crossed the bridge. 1t took me half an hour
to get on it, so great was the crowd at the en-
trance, and it took me an hour and quar-
ter to get across, so great was the
throng and so frequent the blockades. But
Sunday was the great day, when 1926, 900 foot
passengers crossed the bridge. At one time
in the afternoon there were estimated to be
$4,000 at the New York entrance waiting for
chance to get on.
Since then the throngs have somewhat de-
creased. Probably the average daily travel,
on foot, has been this week about 10000.
A very large proportion of those who now
cross are business people who will use it per-
manently. Doubtless many others will pat
ronize it as soon as the car lines in Brooklyn
are altered so as to take them direct to it in
stead of to the ferries. Engineer Martin told
me yesterday that he thought the travel
would settle down to permanent average
of rather more than 100, 900 foot passengers a
day, giving revenue of 81, 900 day as long
as the penny toll is charged. If the bridge
is made free to pedestrians, a larger number
still would use it; and when passenger cars
are run on 1T, as they will be after July l, he
thinks nearly 100000 persons a day will
travel on them. giving revenue Of $1,000
day. Thus far the tolls on vehicles have
amounted to 50, 500 per day, so that the in
come from all sources is about 81, 900 per day,
or one-third more than is required to pay all
expenses including interest on construction
bonds. So the revenue of So 200 day from
car passengers will be far more than is
needed, with all the rest of the bridge made
free.
WHOLESALE BATH-TUBs
Tomorrow the eleven free public baths
will be towed to their places in the river and
thrown open for use. They will have a capac-
ity for $4,000 bathers a day, and last season
they were at times patronized by 100, 900 daily.
In all, 2,560, 900 persons bathed in them last
season. At certain hours they are used by
women and girls, at others by men and boys
For the most part the public baths are used
by the poorer classes, who have neither time
nor money to go to Coney Island or Rock
away to the private bathing establish
ments in this city. Saleswomen, shop-girs,
factory hands, from the tenement-house dis
tricts, come to them by thousands. Boot
blacks and newsboys besiege them in swarms
Lots of boys. am told, make regular bust
ness of it. They take bath at one house.
staying in as long as the law allows, then lie
in the sun till their hair is dry, rub dust on
their hands and faces so as to look dirty, and
go on to the next bath, and SO on.
Last summer went one day to the big
bath at the battery the best patronized in the
city 1t was the time for women to be ad-
mtted. l went in and watched them. Pretty
shop-girls came in by hundreds. Comely
factory hands, out for a half holiday
X.
dimpled schoolgirls were there. The law re-
qures them to wear some sort of bathing
suits. They did. But the majority of them
were of the most primitive sort. l
think that some of them could have given
Mother Eve and her fig-eaves few
points on the score of simplicity and scanti-
ness. Most of them were accustomed to the
place, and came quickly out of the dressing
rooms with jumps and kicks of cornless toes,
and popped into the water like so many
frogs. Others, novices, fingered long in the
dressing-rooms and came out blushing and
trying With dimpled arms to cover up the
swelling bosoms and other parts of the anat-
omy neglected by the bathing suit
But when dozen of them were all in the
water together; plump busts, slender waists,
sloping shoulders. dimpled arms, clad
only in the native pink and white
like so many mermaids, or rather, Venuses
rising from the sea. 1t was a sight for the
gods For almost the first time in my life
l realized the beauty of the female form
Invested of corsets and paniers, and all the
other denominations of fashion.
Montague says he went there one day
when the bath was full of boys; and they
hadn't a thread of bathing suit on 'em;
and two or three hundred of 'em were
squirming and wiggling around in the water
like so many cells and tadpoles. 1t must
be an awful funny sight And he tells me-
Out OOn DeleNe Hiill-tndb tne democratic
city government is thinking OF abolishng all
the free baths. / asked him why. Because,
he said, every year the more the baths are
used, the more the Democratic vote falls off.
But don't believe it; do yon2
EDITOR HURLBERT's SALE
Tomorrow, Mr.. William Henry Hurlbert,
lately editor Of the World, will sell at public
auction his celebrated collection of pictures
stafVarv pahinste hric-a-hrac r1oc md q
thousand and one other objects. Probably
greater interest has been excited over this
collection than over any other in this city,
principally because of the manner in which
It has hitherto been secluded from the pub
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