The evening times., 1900-10-02

W. X Stevens, Superintendent of the
Bathing Beach, today submitted to the
Commissioners his report of the opera
tions OF the Bathing Beach for the season
OF 1900. He says:
The beach was opened to the public
May 80 and was kept open until September
Is, in all 10 days. The entries registered
number 1884 white males, and 400 col
ored, and 1,O2o ladies, in all 51,575. The
receipts from rental OF bathing suits and
the refreshment stand amount to $S54.02.
The appropriation was $1,000. For the
first time in the history OF the oeaeh an
itemized account has been kept by the
superintendent of all expenditures and the
sum falls a little short of the appropr1a-
ton The only current expenses from
now to June /, 1901, are the salaries OF
the suDerintendent and the watchman,
which amount to $3.50, to be paid out of
the above named receipts. This will leave
about $500 to prepare for next seasons
opening, unless the committee On the
bathing beach has expended money not
reported to the superintendent
The sum of 1915 was received for entry
fees to the swimming contest that closed
the season and was turned over 70 the
chairman of a special committee appointed
to take charge Of the contest The Life
Saving Service rescued thirty-nine persons
and could not have been more efficient
even though two lives were lost. The un~
fortunate ones were William L. Gaskins,
who had resided with his parents at S424
Rock Creek Road. and John Fitzgerald, OF
$50 Florida Avenue,
Though there were hundreds in the wa
ter at each time, yet no one knew "hen
either went down. and there was no call
for help II took about twenty minutes
hard diving TO find the body of Gaskins
after he was missed but the body OF Fitz>
gerald was recovered within six minutes
after the guards knew he was missed and
! yet the only guide for search in either
! case was the general location where eaeh
was last seen by his acquaintances. The
| beach was repaired early in the season by
| adding $685. cubic yards of sand at a cost
! of SI55. so, besides unloading. During the
| bathing season the beach was IN hrst-
| class condition, the bottom being very
/ even with no place where anyone could
wade to the edge of the grade The sys-
! fem of handling the entries is now as good
| as can be had with the present eonVen-
/ fences.
The substitution of a reliable man in
| place of boys in charge OF the dressing
houses has greatly improved the service,
! the nAGfnESS, ana EQtu OiutIs S4HlEe 6tA
eral satisfaction. New locks should be
! provided for the ladies' rooms to bring
| them into keeping with the general sys-
TEN and relieve the laundress from unlock
ing doors The towels and bathing suits
are we'll preserved, but wear OF the latter
requires addition. Much OF the plank
walking is old and dangerous and should
be repaired. Though a great many boys
and some men have been sent out OF the
water for loud yelling and other misde-
meanors, the order has been unusually good
| and no arrest has been made Police ON
Ger W. j. Keuney has been at the beach for
, over year, and, though disabled for gen.
eral patrol duty, he has given entire sat
isfaction TO myself and 10 the public. SO
far as l know
The boathouse, from which small boats
were rented TO the public, at the south end
of the beach, has been removed by order OF
court from the beach premises. 1t was
| kept in q manner greatly to the SCanal OF
the beach, and as its proprietor defed the
constituted authorities to remove him the
matter was taken to the Police Court, with
! the above-stated result. I am very sorry
, that the place vas not better kept, because
. there is considerable demand to hire row
boats, and if some reliable person should
apply to the Commiss- -oners for d permit
10 rent boats from that place it would
: meet with my approval as a public con-
venience.
2 The greatest number of bathers en-
3 tered at the beach in any one season was
S 5S, 49, in 1898. Last year there was q
| falling off of 3.271. and this year there
was the still greater falling off of 6.60t
e | from the record of 1898. From what
hear people say, it seems that this fall
d | ing off in the patronage of the beacf
s | may be attributed TO a lack OF confidence
t | in the safety of the beach, which has beer
engendered in the public mind from tive
| causes. First. for the past three year:
= some OF the daily papers have recklessi!
: | pubIissed drowning as at the bathing
S beach that did not take place there mel
5 in any connection Herewith. One pa
G per has made two such statements this
S season Secondly, 1898 was the secon'
: year of the basket pools. and they wer,
s highly appreciated as furnishing bathin
room, though very limited in size. wher
e the novice could learn to swim withou
: any possibility of getting into deep wat
e er Unexpectedly, and their removal las
n season was much regretted. Yet, nov
a | that bathers have become accustome
! to present conditions l would not recon
II mend rebuilding the baskets at thi
d | beach but I cannot too forcibly expires
my opinion as rejecting public desir
E. that the inner basin should be immedi
"a | ately completed. whereby swimmin
II room will be furnished to all corners
where the novice and the stranger wi
= | be safe, because no one can get into dee
water at any tide without climbing owe
q a wharf beyond which 1t is known to b
81 deep, telephone is very much neede
q at the beach, The very long days re
81 quired during the bathing season, ard th
3 jncidentaI demands during the rest
81 the year, consume more of the Superir
q tendents time than is required for tn
g regular hours of a years service at th
s. District Office, and if the present systel
- | fo pontinup his aiarV ShOuId he Yne
s. terially increased
g In respect to current expenses,
q seems proper that I should remind or il
g form the present Commissioners that
81 the early struggle of the beach for exist
g ence there was no appropriation made fl
3 its maintenance for several years. an
g tat during these years / carried it,
8 my own expense, with the aid of publ
g donations. All this time l was Iookir
8 forward TO years when the popularity
81 the beach should be established and II
81 income for rental of bathing suits, etc
s. would not only pay a fair salary bl
s would reimburse me for the past years
M struggle and priyation without cost to tt
81 District. The first year that the receip
b covered expenses I had a balance of 5
d | eft for my years salary. The next ye;
N it was SEQ; the next $780, and the ne
b $3.50. The next year the COMMISSIONS
& appointed a committee to manage Il
"a beach. They established a fixed salary
81 5000 for the superintendent and took Il