The Portland daily press., 1886-08-30
CITY BATH HOUSES.
Facilities for Swimming Enjoyed by
the Youth of a Rhode Island City.
Providence Journal.

| Facilities for Swimming Enjoyed by
the Youth of a Rhode Island City.
Providence Journal.
A sweltering day at the city's centre, and
| in the afternoon cool front seat on the
East Providence horse car on the way to the
| city bathing houses at Fox Point. Special
permission to enter is obtained from Super
intendent Higgins, and the lively crew in
side are beheld in the midst of their wild
frolic. Sixty or seventy naked boys figures
are there some in the water, some in the
air and some on the platform sides. The
room is cool and the air thinly laden with
the invisible moisture which always exists
near the salt water. 1t is not strange that it
is cool spot on such a day The constant
movements of the bathers in the water, div
ing, jumping, striving, humping, thrashing,
hurrying, splashing, scurrying, and once in
while swimming, is sufficient to throw a
spray over everything and everybody in the
ROOM To look at the ''boy'' in the scene is
to comprehend at glance every element of
boyish goodness or roguery there ever was.
Their nude limbs are sticking out of the
water at all points The boy is choking,
rIs, .ss4I4ls. LIIe same Time, anu
the intenseness of the jollity makes the place
an intolerable bedlam every few minutes.
While the Superintendent is talking little
colored boy comes up to him and asks:
Cant we take that thing yer learn to
swim with a little while?" His lower jaw
is shaking furiously, making his teeth chat
ter in perpetual rattle.
The Superintendent takes hold of the chin,
but it will not stop. 81 guess you'd better
go out: your chin's shaking; you've been in
long enough" The dark little body edges
disappointedly away. Three. minutes later
the woodwork, and when all is silent, point
ing over a mass of forms, says:
"There you get out now. What did just
tell you?" The poor little colored boy, who
seemed doomed to not enjoy anything, began
to put on his dark calico shirt very slowly.
But he was very closely watched now, and
second chance to linger was not given him.,
oh, if some mothers and fathers could
have seen the clothing which these boys had
hung up along the sides of the room. Most
of it was not fine at all, and much was un-
clean. At many places there were no shoes,
And, too, the boys who own the clothes sug-
gest something besides anatomy. Bodies OF
all shapes are there, stumpy and round, trim
but lanky, and one hunchback with his CON
torted vertebr@. The three colored lads
look strange amid so many Caucasian skins,
but they are all happy-save their chin-shak-
ing young kinsman, who went out doors
with a wistful look backward a moment
since. Some of the boys wear the symbol of
the Order of the Scapula upon their bare
breasts, showing their love for the Romish
church. 1t was for the boys that the bath
houses were built, and one look into the
houses will prove how great blessing they
are to the boys.
Another hot afternoon, and this time the
bathhouse on the Seek0nk, just above the
new bridge, is visited for the purpose. OF in
vestigating Ladies Day." A policeman
ron within, Mrs. Worth, does not exercise an
officers powers. The door is kept shut on
this day also, and from the flagstaff flies the
signal for the benefit of the ladies. The
ladies are found bathing indeed. The first
glance shows them as active about it as boys
They are dressed in garbs of superannuated
dresses, for the most part, but a few are in
common bathing suits of dark blue color.
The seats along the sides of the basin are
filed with women and girls looking on,
though most of these show by their wet
tresses that they have been in. Those In the
water may average II years of age, but the
remark is made by Superintendent Parks,
who chances to be on hand to assist Mrs.
WORTH the matron, that this hour is quiet
one. An hour or two before the basin was
filled with splashing girls and women, while
now there are but fifteen or sixteen. But an
excellent. opportunity is given to see The the
the steps at either end are crowded with the
littler and littlest girls. These are dipping
their bare feet and legs into the water and
then timidly withdrawing them. But in the
basin are several little ones and nearly all
the larger. At the ropes along the sides they
Chamber up from time to time and then
dive.
Most Of the divers appeared to go down
rather fatty, but sometimes a figure would
vault out and pass downward like an arrow.
One girl about 16 years old swan beautifully:
Her figure was grown well, and she moved
lithely and freely, in long shooting. strokes.
Her style was after the perfection of frogs.
Another girl swan under water with great
swiftnesS and endurance. Floating was an
requirement of all the bathers apparently.
Those who could not strike out at all would
minutes at time. Another thing was the
swimming on the back. Young figures sailed
around easily on the back, arms akimbo, pre-
PEELED only by the feet But. all this time
that scene was far from quiet. Ihere was
screaming and splashing of water, and the
Superintendent said when large number
was present there was more noise than boys
could make. The girls seemed more active,
if anything, than the boys, their spirits IN
fact drawing freedom from the cooling wa
tiers. They were pictures of intense enjoy
ment, Notwithstanding the fact that those
who could swim were as sedate as Mrs.
Worth before strangers.
Superintendent Parks exhibited his meth
of the building running along beam over
the water was track of iron such as doors
or gates are hung upon. One little wheel
was resting on the track, and to this wheel
was fastened rope with a collar" The
collar" was a ring of padded rope and it IS
taken down from its place and girl asked
to try it, The ring is intended to encircle
the body beneath the arms. After long urg,,
ing the girl tries it, but her nervousness VIII
not allow her to strike out Nexta little bit
of thing tries it. She swallows consider
able salt water through not getting balanced
rightly and then gives up The third one
who tries it succeeds, and is able tt, move
along very readily. Her strokes are irregu--
lar, but the superintendent tells her she will
learn to swim alone soon. of the girls as
swimmers, Mr.. Parks said that they were
more confident of themselves than the boys.
If told how to float they always tried it and
readily learned the art, unless of nervous
temperament. When learning any part OF
swimmers actions they did not hesitate to
exercise their powers. In fact the INNER
sions some of the girls took this afternoon
were wonderfully complete, more so than OF
the bows of the same age.