The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-10-25
VIII Be Sent Free Thirty Days May Experience
the Wonderful Sensation Of Restored

The committee appointed by the Commits
sioners to take charge of the bathing
beach submitted its annual report today,
covering the Operators of the beach for
/ the season of 1900. This committee is
composed of Snowden Ashford Assistant
Inspector of Buildings; William Tindall
! Secretary e the Board of Commissioners,
and w. G. Douglass, Assistant Engineer in
! the Sewer Department.
In their report the committee informs
/ the Commissioners that the beach was
/ opened to bathers on May 80 and was clos
/ ed on September 16; that the number Of
! bathers availing themselves of the priv
i Ieges offered was 81, $40, and that the re-
ceipts were So, 154.S1. and the expenditures
were 81 S3140 leaving a balance of S323.41
on October l, 1900 The statement of re
ceipts shows that 81, 600 was appropriated
! by Congress for the support of the bathing
beach. that $500.79 was received from the
rental of bathing suits and other charges
on account of 1899. and that SS54.G2 was
received from the same sources for the
| season Of 1860.
The committee says that as the balance
thus shown Will not be sufficient to pro-
vide for the compensation of the superin-
tendent and OF the Waterman which viii
accrue before any further revenues vii be
derived from the renting Of suits and 9TH
eT charges al the bathing beach the ep
preparation for the fiscal year should con-
tain clause making Immediately available
so much of the appropriation as viii be
necessary 10 meet such deficiency and also
10 provide for the expenses necessary to
put the beach in order for the next bath
in yrhf ch boat
May 80.
| 1t is therefore, recommended by the
| committee that a proViso be inserted in
! the appropriation law which will make
| S500 of the amount Immediately avail
/ able. as was done in the appropriation
for the bathing beach for the fiscal year
| begun June 80. 1900.
In speaking of the condition of the
/ lighthouses and other appurtenances of
j the beach the committee says that they
| Will, on their present plan. with liberal
| repairs. suffice for the mere purpose of
| preventing exposure while dressing, but
are almost uninhabitable very hst
! days, because Of deficient ventilation. In
/ the opinion of the committee they should
! be so remodeled as to permit an air cur
rent to traverse the rows longituiiualiy
| over the partitions between the bath
rooms, which might be done by raising
! the present roofs or by removing them
and placing a single roof over them all.
/ They are agreed that this would add
much to the usefulness of the beach, and
! greatly enhance its popularity, If some
! such arrangement as proposed could be
! made, whereby bathers might retain the
| cooling effect OF the bath, which is now
| lost through the necessity of dressing
! in bathrooms in which there is no pro-
! vision for a circulation of air.
Reference is made TO the statement of
/ he on n fna
Der of rescues of bathers by the life guard
during the past season, which is regard
/ ed as further vindication OF the judg-
ment of the committee that open 1oats
| attached 10 the shore, where they might
De readily reached by unskflIful swimmers
or persons unable TO swim, are sources
Of exceptional danger. During the swim
ming season of 1897, 1t is stated, when the
basket floats were first used, the SUPER
intendent reported that the number OF
batheTs was little over SO, 000," and that
about 100 lives were saved by the direct
assistance of the lifeguards." 1t is es-
timated that about the same proportion
of bathers was assisted during the bathing
season Of 1898. The floating baskets, the
report says, were disused during the bath
Ing season of 1899, only one float being at
tached TO the shore, and the reported
number of persons assisted during that
season was only ffty-six among 54,91Q
bathers- During the season of 1900. it is
stated, the float referred to was also re-
moved, and no floating attachments to the
shore retained. The number of bathers
reported as assisted during the bathing
season was only thirty-nine in a total of
1875 bathars.
The committee repeats its recommends
ton of last year with reference to floating
bath houses accessible for those living in
the vicinity of Rock Greek ana the East
ern Branch. Such houses. they assert,
could be provided for about 50, 0e0 each
Swimmers known to be expert, and prop
erly appareled, 1t Is claimed, might be
permitted to swim in the water outside
and contiguous to the bath houses, and
thus leave more RI ON in the house for
non-swimmers and the less skiflful.
1t is stated in the report that there is
falling of in the attendance as compared
with the three Immediately preceding sea-
sons. This is assigned to the cold weather
in the early part of the season, and later
to the unfortunate drowning of two of the
bathers, which led many who were IN
aware of the circumstances under which
the casualties occurred. to regard them
as chargeable to some defect in the char
acter OF the beach or in its method of
management.
The committee informs the Commission
ers that in the first of these cases the
young man who was drowned was swim
ming IN a contest with a large number of
others, and was so suddenly taken with
some form of illness that his disappearance
under the water was not noticed by the
person Who was swimming beside him.
From the statements made by his com
rades the committee believes that he had
freely partaken Of pies and soda water
shortly before entering the water. and the
unusual eXertion in racing led to a de-
rangement of his stomach, and a conse-
quent interference with his respiration. as
was strikingly showed by the INSTRUCTED
condition of the nostrils when the body
was first discovered
The { owning of the other young man
is thought to be one of those accidents
which cannot be explained other than on