Evening star., 1898-08-16
Interesting Annual Report of Super
intendent Stevens.
IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED
Recommendations for the Compile
ton of the Basin.
RECEIPTS AND SALARIES

Mr. W. y. Stevens. the superintendent
of the District bathing beach, today sub
mitted his report for the year ending June
II. 1898. to the District Commissioners. 1t
is as follows:
AS the bathing season of each year ex-
tends from the middle of May to the middle
cf September. l refer to my report of last
fall for details of last bathing season. and
add this statement of details for the bal
ance of the fiscal year. The police officer
was Withdrawn from the beach in the fall.
The houses were repeatedly broken into
during the winter and some tools were
stolen. but nothing of great value was
within reach and the whole loss would not
sum up to $50. The winds. ice and tides
did some damage to the floats and baskets.
AS these floats have to be separated from
the baskets and blocked uD on shore for
recalking every year, they are compare
lively expensive, but they offer the best
means for safety outside of the basin pro-
posed and should be we'll kept until that
becomes availa BILE. By your letter of April
is. 1885, l was notified that you had APP
pointed Assistant Inspector of Buildings
Ashford, Assistant Engineer Charles A.
McKenney and DR.. W. TindaU a COM
mittee to confer with me and recommend
to the board such improvements and re-
pairs to the beach, and its apourtenances
ard methods of conducting the same, as
they shall deem advisable in order to OBJ
tain the best practicable results from the
appropriation for that purpose The first
meeting of the committee was at the beach
April 10, to look the premises over.
Recommendation of the Committee.
THE second meeting was at the Com
missioners' Office. May 26, at which DR..
Tindau as chairman, presented list of
posed which. / have been told, was ap-
proved by the Commissioners, as follows:
The superintendent to receive a salary of
500 in lieu of the income of the beach; the
new office of assistant superintendent at
$50 day; the new office of second assist
ant superintendent, who shall be the po-
liceman, under police department pay,
clerk a sl.25 day one life guard at 81 q
day. one at 81 an afternoon and one at the
colored beach who is also kneral attend
ant there, at 81 day; the new office of
ticket taker at 15c. day; two key boys at
75c. day, and the ladies maid at her old
pay of 66c. a day. The clerk and key boys
have been raised ach &c. day above last
years pay. That gives a daily pay roll of
$3.50. which multiplied by the season of
120 days, makes the item of salaries alone
sum up to S,S72. The appropriation is
ed amount of the 5000. which was APP
propriated for improvements of the inner
basin. is 81 .sO5.19, and that is reappropriat-
ed this year.
Work During Past Year.
There have been a great many days of
carpenter work done in repairing the old
houses and walks, in building a new suit
room and in changing the entrance to the
yard.
There has also been built a block of
twenty-four houses. a grand stand and a
fence along the brow of the hill parallel
with the water. A pipe has been connected
with the fish commissions supply pipe, but
it is not in use, that supply is inadequate
for the fish commission, so drinking water
has to be brought by hand from pump in
the city, seven squares away. great
many days labor have been obtained free
from tAe chain gang in grading sand,
bringing it from the inner basin, cutting
weeds and in cleaning up generally. There
have been but a few thefts reported to me
since the taking care of valuables is made
free at the office but this involves great
labor and care for the clerk. In one in
stance the wrong envelope was given out
and the beach paid the claimant So on his
statement of loss.
This risk is very great, because no note
can be made of the contents of an envelope
and the value is sometimes hundreds of
dollars and claim could be made for valu-
ables not deposited. Boys take checks for
worthless things that they would not give
one cent to insure. l think large envelopes
should be furnished, to be sealed up by the
depositor and so returned to him at a
charge of two cents. The new suit house
has been broken into and number of suits
stolen from depOsitorS, some of whom have
been settled with. The money-receiving
system Is sufficiently elaborate but the
honesty of clerk and ticket taker are still
the only check against theft in this respect.
Over 21,OOO Before July 1.
THE whole number of bathers before
July / Of this season is y ,T19 which far ex-
ceeds the number of the like period of any
previous year. The average attendance of
ladies is over fifty for each ladies' day. On
June IS Arthur E.hle was drowned within
ten feet of float. The life guard saved
Ehles companion, who was struggling with
him, but it was not known that Ehle was
in the water until his companion came to
enough TO tell of it; then ne was immedi-
ately taken out by guard, but was dead.
Unexpected deep water was the cause of
the drowning. The condition Of the water
has often been very unsatisfactory to bath
ers. Every time there is south wind at
high tide the water is covered with floating
matter, and after heavy rains the water is
yellow with mud. The inner basin is SO
large that there would be no need of chang
ing the water while the river is muddy.
floating matter would never be admitted
and the inyariable depth of water would
avoid the cause of drownngs. That basin
has been assigned by the United States
government for a bathing beach and the
bounds set by the Secretary of War.
Necessary improvements.
"A road has keen made around 1t, ex-
cepting u bridge at the inlet, fallen trees
ard wrackage have been cleared out Of 1t,
5,s54 yards of sand delivered in it toward
covering the bottom and beach, over 2,0G0
yards of earth have been placed in and
along nth street without cost, bringing 1t
nearly to grade, and over 100 cedar posts
are set to build the new houses upon.
With the experience gained in accomplish
ing this much / think we could complete
the inner basin in accordance with the
plans approved by the Secretary of War
with the details now proposed, for the
sum OF $4,000. and ! ask you to recon-
mend 10 the next Congress the early ap-
preparation of that amount TO be made
Immediately available for the improve
Dent of the inner basin for bathing
beach. For immediate action, / suggest
that the forest of weeds which now covers
the ground should be cut piled up and
burned before they go to seed, and to pre-
vent the great fires which damage the
shade trees every fall. l suggest also that
every dollar available be expended in
sand, tn be delivered in localities suited to
the present plan of filling, which l think is
much more economical than that tried last
year. 1t was the understanding at the
War Department when the inner basin was