Griggs courier., 1888-04-20
LUXURIOUS BATHS.
Cleanliness, Neatness and Chiropody for
the Nations Law.AIakers.

visions of Oriental grandeur Away
Town in the depths of the capitol, down
.till yet below the basement, the marble
,anks of tempered water into which the
members plunge are located. When
the elevator bumps against the bottom
and can go down no further there are
:hree steps with a brass rail on each
side, and then you are in little square
'oom almost us warm as a steam
bakery. A door leads into short pas
sage between the heavy foundations.
Here the air is warmer than in the
room Suddenly it turns at right angles
into another short passage. where the
thermometer registers still higher.
Another turn and another thermomctric
lump, and there are the bathrooms.
The plural applies to the big walnut
cabinets with blind doors which stand
~ a row along the wall There are
aine Of these, and in each is a large
5ank or bath-tub which can be filled
with hot or cold or tepid water in
very few minutes. These are all in u
narrow al shaped room, which is
presided over by Il big colorcd man and
MS assistant. The cabinets, or baths,
are about the size of an ordinary hotel
bed room, and the tubs are big enough
tor the largest sized statesmen to wall
low about in with ease and comfort.
Iom Reed, and Barnes, of Georgia. test
heir capacity more than any other
members. but they even can roll over
and founder about in one of the marble
tanks with as much ease as they could
perform the same evolutions anywhere.
Some of the tubs are simply iron,
aicely painted. but the newer ones are
made of marble and each looks like Il
great sarcophagus. Three ordinary
men might get in one of them without
much crowding. The marble sides are
as slippery as glass and as warm us tho
flesh that touches them. Thermometers
are hungin each bath and on the walls
in the passage. The temperature is
Kept always the same, and the member
might promenade for three hours in
nothing but his epilcrmis without
Danger of cold. 1t was here that Mr..
Reagan struggled with tight under-
shirt on the occasion of his famous bath
while the vote on the Morrison bill wa,
being taken.
The temperature is just at a point
where the least exertion would bring
on profuse perspiration, and but lit
Tie rubbing in the bath is sullicient to
bring q ruddy glow. Members come
up in the elevator from these regions
with the hair curling about their tenn
pies and their cheeks as pink as a
baby's.
Some of the older members take a
bath rs the last step in their prepar.-
ton for making a speech. They write
the speech, commit it to memory, take
bath and then deliver it. If member
has the rheumatism or 4 cold, or for
any other reason feels the necessitv of
being parboiled, there is Russian
Steam bath at the end of the bathroom
to which he resorts. 1t is a little close
room furnished with u wooden bench
and a coil of steam pipes that cover the
walls of the compartment. When the
door shuts there can't much heat get
out. and the thermometer naturally
runs up into the big combinations. a
member lies on the bench, the door is
shut and the steam is turned on. He is
then in about rs hot place as he is
likely to enter in this life. He gets
enough of this in a little while, and he
has to be cooled off gradually by being
plunged first into a tub OF hot water,
next into cooler water, then cooler and
cooler, until he gets back to the tenn
peratllt'e of ordinary morta!s. 1t takes
about an hour or an hour and halfs
cooling before he ventures out into the
colder atmosphere of the House; and it
is best for him to walk rapidly on his
way home.
Members of Congress can bathe here
any day. provided not more than a
hundred select the same day; but on
Saturday none but members can enter.
On other days employees of the House.
or men who have been given tickets by
members, may bathe. On Friday bu>i-
is most brisk, and the swas.ng of the
water may be heard from early morn
ing until the place is closed in the cvcn-
ing. 1t is hard to tell how many pco-
pie are bathed on this day, but ordna-
rilv a hundred is as many rs can be
handled ''in hours" After an all
night session the capacity OF the rooms
is strained. Members have al! their
toilet made here except their barbering.
The air smells moist with steam, and is
fragrant with perfume and scented
soaps. The very finest toilet furnish
ings are used. The 'blach man Of the
bath will rub You down and perform
all the services of the bath.
Besides this he has proper instru-
ments for the purpose, and he will trim
off the corns and keep the feet in order.
When !, new member is elected from Il
country district it generally takes "a
right smart while" to get his feet in
condition. They require much care
and attention. But this man keeps all
the Com grcssional feet in order without
regard to size or previous condition. =