Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-29

| with several other facilities that can now be
! seen are quite necessary.
| JIMMIE JONES AND HIS LIFE PRESENTER.
| So far there has not been the least accident.
! One or two small boys sitting on the wharves
watching the fun have tumbled OFF into the
water but they have been quickly hauled out
and set on shore again toy the swimmers. The
| nearest approach to a tragedy occurred on
| Tuesday evening" whe1. after all of the other
| bathers had gone. a small colored boy, perhaps
! ten years Old arrived to take a bath. lie could
| not swim, and SO he brought along a life pre-
! server. Of those intricate affairs that river
excursionists notified will be found under
| the seats or III other impossible places. This
one was all right except that it had no straps
at the shoulders to keep it in place and 1t was
! built for much larger individual than JIM
ME Jones' which the name of the young
ster who tried to it, He was warned by
Mr.. Cotter that he had better stay around the
| end of the wharf and the officer kept an eye to
his welfare. The lad padded along very
well for time, but when he hoated
| out beyond his depth he. lost control OF
his arms and legs, and they began to nip aDou
| IN such way that the life preseryer slid down
from his waist toward his ankles. He was in a
sad predicament, and he yelled Justify AS his
choking mouth would allow. The policeman
heard him at once and showed him plank from
the end of the wharf, but the lad was too badly
handicapped with his footgear TO get hold Of it.
He was giving an excellent imitation Of boy
realized that Jimmy must be hauled out at any
cost, SO he DOTTED his coat and laid aside his
hat, and then, just as the young man was about
to sink for the second time, he jumped In and
In q few minutes James was shiyerlng and cry
ing shore, while the lite preserver tloatcd OF
toward the outlet oil the reservoir. All night
long the policeman sat Al the cool air aud shiv-
cred, wondering between the onrushes Of the
mosquitoes why folks should be reyer-
sible.
THE HEALTHY MOSQUITOES.
These mosquitoes form a large and healthy
part Of the population of the river front They
come not only in swarms, but in armies. They
are large, well-developed animals, with the
longest of probes and the sharpest of appetites.
They form a sort of insect Malta and they have
their signals and calls and when particularly
rotund specimen of humanity heayes III sight,
| such as the reporter who visited the
beach, they come forth in an array that re-
minds one of the stories told OF the lOman
phalanx. A man engaged i'll conversation on
the beach has little dignity OF repose.
He cannot depend upon quiet force to e1npha-
size his remarks He must abandon all his
Delsartian methods and protect himself. He
talks to the accompaniment OF waving arms
and resounding slaps and he blinks as mosque
toes heave In sight right i'll front of his eyes.
looking like buzZards. Conversation. nay,
even lire. is bore on the bathing beach after
dark, but yet Mr.. Cotter survives. The re-
porter asked MIN now ne ana lie
brought forth his armOr. 1t conslsted OF q pair
of wristlets and another of white gloves The
officer drew these out of his pocket with a
curious smile and remarked:
USE FOR MAI. WAIVERS WHITE GLOVES.
There's one Use that have been able to put
Maj. Walkers white gloves to. / used them
once while the order about them was on and
then kept them for emergencies. l should
| call this one, ana SO draw these on and put
drop or two of pennyrOyal on each of them
| that the bloody beasts are frightened OF they
| do not know what TO make OF so much splendor.
| l tried the plan of rigging up "a screen over the
| door Of one of the bath houses and then shut
| ting myself inside when wanted TO get my
\ breath without chewing the hends like SO much
| oatmeal. put they are too smart for me and they
get IN somehow. l don't know how they man
.ge it, but they get there and the screen is nuts
| for them.
The mosquitoes do not appear on the beach
| until the shades of evening are well drawn and
| then they come with u rush that can be heard
for some distance. They seem to wait for a
| signal and then all advance together.
| USPoILUTED WATER.
| 1t has been said by some that the water of the
basin is polluted by that OF a sewer that pties
| into it, but this is not so, for the 17th-street
| sewer goes straight into the river. some hun
| dred yards to the north. There is little gut
| running up from the reservoir toward the
north that many think il the sewer, but this is
| but q sort of harbo: for the sand boats and
| scows that have been in use on the flats. The
| water of the reservoir is clear and good ut all
| times, much more SO than that OF the river.
GOOD BOTTOM.
There is a good coating Of gravelly sand on
! the beach for about two-thirds of the way the
| lower part being unfinished. 1t is expected
| that the contractor will have everything done
| by another fortnight, and then the houses will
| be opened and the regular system begun.
| There will have 10 he two keepers, one for each
| set of houses, who will attend to the wants of
| the boys and see that their clothes locked
| from reach. There will be no keys issued, but
| when boy wants to go in bathing he will ap-
| ply to the keeper for house and the door will
| be opened and a check given to him with a
| number on 1t corresponding to that on the
| door. When he comes out OF the water lie will
hunt up the keeper and show his check as a
guarantee that he has u right to go into house
/ numbered so-and-so.
| BRIGHT FUTURE.
The beach is yet crude and unartistic, but it
is good place for swimming and there is no
danger from shore holes, where boys apt
to lose their lives. The houses are few and
! future plant that will be credit to the city
and a boon to the poor. Every boy who takes
| his plunge should so into the water thanking
Mr.. Stevens for his WORK, for without it there
| would he no beach today. lie not only secured
| the appropriation for il. but gave his services
| as superintendent OF construction free. and is
| now working every day to perfect the arrange
| spirit that Is worthy of emulation.
| NEW PUBLICATIONS.