Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-21

HOW HE PROPOSES TO MAKE THE BEACH ENTIRELY
sAFE-rHREE ENCLOSED FOOLS OF AMPLE SIZE
PRoPosED-REsULrs OF HIS STUDY OF THE
sITuArIoS-rHE PROBLEMS Considered.
Mr. ". x. Stevens, superintendent of the
bathing beach. today submitted to the Com
missioners the following interesting report
concerning the bathing beach:
Acting rs superintendent of the free public
bathing beach have the honor to call your
attention to the following facts and arguments
in favor Of your recommending Congress to
make a liberal appropriation for the compile
ton and maintenance Of the beach.
The sum Of $4,000 appropriated by the last
Congress to test the practicability and utility
of a free public bathing place proved made
Quate to a fair test for several reasons:
First the natural slant Of the bottom at the
spot selected had been changed by dredging
close up to shore and putting the earth on the
bank in the process Of retaining the Potomac
flats. This dredging was done after the bill
creating the beach was passed and caused I'M
expected expense to return the earth.
Second, the grading contractor left his work
SO badly done under water that it could not be
fully corrected with the amount Of money re-
naming Of the appropriation, and the work was
finally directed to obtaining the greatest prac-
ticable degree OF safety, SO that test of the
utility of free bathing beach might be had
this season, these delays having consumed
nearly the whole summer.
From the day when the first boat load of sand
was spread the enthusiasm Of the bathers knew
no bounds Over 5000 bathers nndressed in
the tall weeds and used the beach before the
dressing houses we're permitted to be used, and
before there were any keepers, excepting one
policeman to keep order. and there were two
boys drowned in deep water beyond the north
end of the beach without any outcry and unac-
countably.
The houses were opened very late in the sea-
son and kept open only ten days. yet in that
time about !, 500 bathers were registered on the
keepers book, and no complaint has been made
to me by any person using the beach of any
dangerous spot on it.
One boy swan out into deep water in front
of the beach and disappeared unnoticed among
the crowd, and with no friend to call attention
to his absence was drowned.
That these accidents have influenced the
minds Of some unreasonably against the beach
project is shown by a remark made to me.
was relating how many We had accommodated
position replied: And how many have you
drowned?'
This l consider to be positive injustice. Let
me draw a parallel. The public grounds of our
city contain many beautiful parks, which are
the pride of the city. and they serve as its very
Nisho tuch CNpaSitN Us iuuBs luz
the air. and yet somebody was so inconsderate
as to publish a request that the shrubbery be
removed because it could be used to conceal
improper conduct. But shall we lose our
splendid parks because they occasionally
chance to conceal what any house in the city
might conceal?
Another: Our smoothly concerted streets are
great temptation to reckless driving and
coasting, and many accidents occur thereby,
but shall we return to eobblestones and mud
wallow on that account?
Sharp knives cut many fingers yet every boy
must have knife AL the same"
Like the parks. the bathing beach is health
giving and invigorating and it may be made a
place of beauty. Like the smoothly paved
streets the beach is attractive and excites i'm
petuous acts, and like the jackknife danger
turks beneath the careless use of it.
Now, repeat it is not only unfair. but abso-
lutely unjust to discredit the beach for drown
ings which took place In deep water beyond it
and not caused by any fault of it. In this re-
spect let me define what we have thus far
called safe beach.
1t is bottom under water. with no slant SO
steep but that any person or child when they
find themselves going down 1t into deep water
can stop snd walk back The only defect OF
any Importance in the grade as 1t now remains
Is that the I'LL has not been carried out evenly,
and the front line is irregular and sometimes
too steep but even on that front line at eighty
i've feet from shore there 10 not a stepping-off
place.
/ supposed that when bathing place and
dressing houses with keepers were provided for