Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-23
THE LOCAL BATHING BEACH
Revised Report of Operations Filed by the
Superintendent.
The Advantages Afforded by the In
ner Basin-RecOmmenda as
to Its Improvement.

| District bathing beach, today submitted to
the Commissioners, in response to their re-
| quest, a revised report of the operations of
the beach during the season of 1899.
The report shows that the total number
| of bathers for the season of 1899 was
| 54.910, although the season was cool, rainy
and unpropitious for bathing. The largest
| days attendance was 1,1SO, July %. The
| total receipts We're $685.. SO. One drown
ing occurred, that Of Louis Herzog, boy
| eleven years old, who lived at No. All E
| street northeast His body discovered
the morning of July q by a man on shore,
| and was taken from the water by Mr.
| Stevens.
The ticket deposited showed that he went
| into a dressing room between and 3
| o'clock the day before, but no further in
| formation has come to light concerning
his death, though diligent inquiries have
been made.
The records show f1fty-three lives saved
| this year. Mr.. Stevens thinks the record
of only eighteen lives saved last year is
very Incomplete; also that his report of
| over a hundred saved the year before dS9O
was based on the statement of the life
guards that the rescues averaged more
than one day. There was no record
| kept in 1897 of lives saved.
Merits of the Key System.
| Since the new key system was establish
| ed theft of % cents has been reported.
Pilfering from dressing rooms has always
| been a source of very great annoyance,
| but when this key system can be perfect
ed Mr.. Stevens thinks that will be impos-
| sible. Five arrests were made, one of them
| including six boys in gang taken for
| housebreaking and theft. The amount of
| fines imposed in those cases by the Police
Court is $50.
| The doors of many of the dressing houses
| have been pried and broken open and
patched until there is nothing whole In
| the room fronts strong enough to hold
lock. Considerable carpentering will be
required on them next year.
The open cracks in all the board walks
and in most of the floors are source of
great annoyance. Many times a day per-
sons drop something that disappears in a
crack, and then some attendant is called
on and must waste time that belongs to
| regular duties to help find it or there is
complaint The lumber of the walks is
| old scrap, attached in many places to rot
| ten supports, and these walks are likely
| to be found after every winter in the con-
| dition that the bathing beach committee
termed dangerous to life and limb in its
| first report.
| The south wharf has been wholly built
| three times, and three times it has been de-
stroyed by the ice, tides and storms of win
| ter, and for two years past no attempt has
been made to maintain wharf for the col
ored bathers. The north wharf has also
| been built on its present site three times.
| Being in a less exposed position, some of its
Ii.
| may stand another winters wrecking.
| The patronage of colored bathers was
| very limited and irregular.
The condition of the bottom is not good
| where wading may be done at low tide.
| Mr.. Stevens thinks that 300 yards of sand
| should be so distributed before the next
| season opens as to level up the holes and
even the line of front.
In view of the fact that he strongly rec
| ommends the completion of the inner basin
| for use in 1901, Mr.. Stevens does not rec
| ommend any expenditure for increasing the
| present plant, which must, he says be
moved to the new locality.
| Ihe appropriation now called for is not
| avatlible until July, 1900, which is the
| height of the bathing season, SO he feels
| that any material change cannot be made
| until after the season is over without in
| terfering with the use of the beach, and if
| made after that it would never be available
| here, as it would have to be removed to the
| new locality before 1901.
Management of the Beach.
| In relation to the management of the
beach, 1t seems to Mr.. Stevens imperative
that all orders and all suggestions emanating
| from any higher source should be given
| directly to the superintendent, and not to
any person under him. Even If the super
intendent is to have an assistant appointed
| for him, which he has never felt the need
/ of. still he thinks all matters for which the
superintendent is to be held responsible
| should be intrusted to him to execute.
Concerning the inner basin, Mr.. Stevens
says safety demands
First-There must be element of
certainty to the depth of the water.
| Second-The place for beginners should be
deep enough to swim in, but not overhead
anywhere.
| Third-The surface water Of the Potomac
| river is often unfit for bathing when below
| it may be clear and healthy.
| Fourth-Wharves, springboards and some
gymnastic appliances conduce very largely
| to the enjoyment and healthy development
| of the beach patrons.
Fifth-Bathfng in open water with friends
and others as spectators eXcites ambition
| to excel and insures propriety, While giving
| mutual enjoyment to the bathers and spec
Speaking further of the inner basin, Mr..
Stevens says:
Safer Bathing Place Needed.
THAT fifty-three lives have been i'm
periled at the beach this past season, many
more last year and over hundred the year
before would seem to be argument SUM-
Gent to demand safer bathing place i'm
mediately.
1.-The inner basin offers every facility for
an ideal swimming lake, more commodiouS,
more beautiful and better in every respect
than can be had by any other large city,
and the full cost to Washington would be
only small percentage of the value of the
land so centrally located in any large city.
Il estimate the cost of completing 1t with
commodious offices, 400 new dre soa rooms
wharves around the diving pool, as per
plans submitted, to be $4,000, with sand
and lumber at present prices, and to back
up my estimate, offer to do it for that
After referring to the advantages of the
inner basin and to the improvements which
should, in his opinion, be made thereon, Mr..
Stevens says that If he adds the oft-repeat-
ed statement that this basin has no con-
nection with any sewer or other water sup
ply except the Potomac river, and through
that it is over mile and a half to the
mouth of the nearest sewer, and that sew
er is now cut off from nearly all its former
connections in the city, it may be seen that
any objections to the purity of the water
of the inner basin for bathing purposes are
fanciful and based on prejudice.
Contents of Basin.
"The inner basin or lake. states Mr..
Stevens, contains 100000 gallons of
water. This gives 1850 gallons for each
one of thousand bathers a day, or over
$50 average bathtubs full to each bather
The communicating effect of a person SWIM
mir in, Jalx ha OH