The evening times., 1898-11-19
SAYS II REFLECTS ON
His MANAGEMENT
w. X. Stevens on Report of
Bathing Beach Committee.
EXPENDITURES COMPARED
What Has Been Accomplished by
the Originator.
The Superintendent willing to As
sumo the Responsibility for Con-
structing the New Beach.

structing the New Beach.
w. Y. Stevens, the superintendent of
the bathing beach, takes exception to the
report of the committee on the bathing
beach, which he claims reflects on his
management. and today made the follow
ing statement to Times reporter:
The committe says: The supports 10
some of the lighthouses and walks be-
tween them had decayed. so that it was
hazardous to life and limb to permit them
TO be used without repairs Have I been
ten years trying to save life in the water
while inviting people to deathtrap on
land? No; the houses are only step
from the ground, and there could not be
any such danger. A portion of the walks
made of old scrap lumber, without cost ID
the District, when we had no money, was
repaired, and il needed it. The floats that
the committee had repaired and calked
already require as much repairing and
caIking as they did then.
The floors made by the committee un-
der the supervision of Officer S. L,
Browne, to hold sand, held only the big
gravelstones and did not improve il 10
walk upon with bare feet. The fences
they made on the floats are diapidated
and almost gone. The sand along the
wave line Is washed away every winter
and we have to put it back. With great
difficulty some sand had been put into
the inner basin for its permanent i'm
provement. BY the aid of many Gays
labor of the chain gang the committee
took a great deal of that sand to waste
on the old beach Tall cedar posts that
had been set to build the office upon at
the inner basin were dug up, brought
away and sawed in two to make a dog
fence. Long ago | had given the matter
OF shade 10 spectators careful study and
found that with the beach looking direct
iy toward the declining sun. such protec-
ton cannot be had. even by means of
shade trees.
THE tank purchased and the water
closets proposed to be flushed thereby,
would be great Improvement over the
meaGer facilities which former sCaHty
means could furnish. but ! doubt whether
the great cesspool that the committee
propose TO dig within LOO feet of the Mon
ument engine house, will be agreeable TO
the officer in charge Of public grounds.
The committees expenditures for this
year will amount TO over 5000. / made
the whole beach and built 100 houses and
two large wharves for 5000. Since then
81 go is the largest amount appropriated
any year for repairs and maintenance.
and some years there was no appropria-
ton, yet | have added ll2 new houses, and
. in al
Now, the grandstand and fences built
this year the robbing Of The inner basin
and the sanding, grassing, trees. setting
and water plant proposed by the commit
tee. all look toward the permanent occu-
pancy Of this old beach, and as the con-
mittee states their ideal of bathing IA
cilities. and that the present location is
admirably adapted for such a beach. and
they ask for 81 600 to carry out their plan,
they show their determination TO oppose
my design and crowd me out of the en-
terprise which | originated and supported
in its infancy About $500 bathers and
10000 spectators this season are items
of encouragement. and before now. when
beach prospects looked gloomy. l have
had many other eneouragements. Here is
what one mother said: Before the beach
was established my boys would steal
away TO far-off dangerous places to swim
and l had not an hour Of peace all sum-
mer when they were out of sight. But
now they come here and | know they are
in good care. Mr.. Stevens, for Gods
sake. don't give it up" And I win not.
This beach has served the purpose of
proving the value and demand for such
an institution. but serious objections
have also developed.
First. a boy may wade at low tide
HI i II
tide. Even the lifeguards who are there
all summer cannot tell without careful
calculation what time 1t will be high tid4
on any day. This is the cause of nearly
every drowning.
Second, the beach faces southwest It's
principal patronage is late in the after
neon at which time there can be no
shade for spectators from the direct rays
of the sun nor from its glare reflected
from the water.
Third there is thirteen-inch sewer
opening through the wall directly bas de
the ladies' portion OF the beach and less
than thirty feet away. There is at least
one privy connected with that sewer for
the accommodation of the employees of
the Monument grounds, and the usual
outflow is frequently met by bathers.
Fourth, floating matter of the most
hiSS SuSlIilS description OIten comes into
the waters of the beach from the fara-
way Seventeenth Street sewer. Dead ami
maiS from mouse 10 a horse float onto
the beach and somebody mas to get them
away. Dead fishes float ashore and some
times render the atmosphere unbearable
This is not my ideal of a bathing place.
Ought | to keep quiet because of the
high position of those who recommend
this beach, or is the public welfare a
higher command? | state facts that can
be proven by great many mature wit
nesses. l wish to complete a better place
for Washington.
The inner basin which has been grant
ed by Congress and assigned by the Sec
retary of War for a swimming lake. has
tall shade trees all round it The work
is partly done. 1t is beautiful place for
swimming in summer and skating in
winter and overcomes every objection.
The uncertainty as to the cost of
pumping out the water so that the whole
work of grading and wharf making may
be done in open sight, involves great risk
when the margin is minus, but / hope to
meet all doubts of the Commissioners by
offering to do the whole at my own risk
for the $4,000 stated, and have II done
for dedication and use in 1900, If the ap-
preparation asked for is allowed by the
coming Congress and made available on
the passage of the BILL