The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-26
HARD TO BATTLE IN PARIS.
Means Much Ceremony and Many
Buckets of Water.

Buckets of Water.
From the Philadelphia Record.
Paris. July 10.-When a Partisan
takes a bath all Paris knows it. That
plenty of water in Paris, to be sure,
bath Of the average Partisan is func-
ton which is performed with cere-
mcny.
The Partisan has a hard time keep
ing clean. That he succeeds so we'll
is very much to his credit. He labors
under the disadvantage OF having no
adequate supply OF water. There is
Is, when he takes a hot bath The hot
on the streets. All day long men with
lines OF hose, which are made in me-
tallic sections with flexible joints, each
section mounted on wheels. go up and
down the principal streets and boule-
wards distributing water with a free
hand.
and an enormous quantity of IL is used
The difficulty Is not to get water on
: the street level, but to get il above
that level. and after that, the great
difficulty is to get 1t hot. All but the
very newest of modern houses in Paris
have water only on the street level.
This water is carried to the upper
floors of houses in buckets as needed
This is true not alone of private
houses, but OF hotels of the older type.
These abound in Paris. and the COM
forts they offer to the traveller are al
most confined to the table. 7a
Delivers n Bath In "A Cart.
Moreover, though water may be
drawn In any quantity on the ground
hoor, there are no facilities for heat
ing water. A hotelkeeper may put a
Kettle on the range ard send up a
quart of hot water to your room, but
when IL comes to filling tub he would
admit that IL was beyond the capacity
of his establishment.
Many Parisians use the big bath
houses along the Seine. In places these
houses occupy greater part of the
river. But II a Partisan wants a hot
bath at home, he must turn to that
time-honored institution the perambu-
lating bath tub.
To the American who sees this in
stitution for the first time traversing
the principal streets OF this great city,
Ii is very mirth- provoking And he
will see II in almost any part OF the
city II he stays here long enough and
moves about the streets, for the bath
mans houses are distributed all over
Paris.
Bath Man I'm Harness.
From the bathing establishment the
bath men goes forth in harness. This
is nothing unusual in Paris, where
well dressed men are seen drawing
small wagons Of all kinds The bath
man has two straps over his should
ers, and he stands between the shafts
of two-wheeled cart. On this cart
is mounted a tank On the tank
structure is balanced a substantial
bath tub, which is provided with cas-
tors. In front OF the tank are two
large metal buckets and a yoke. The
bath man draws this apparatus
through the streets to your house.
Carries Water Upstairs.
When you want hot tub you order
one for a particular hour of particu-
lar day. The bath man comes around
with his apparatus at the hour named
He stops in front of your house. and
lifting the tub from the top OF the
tank. he puts it over his head like a
hood and carries II upstairs to your
room. Then he returns TO the street
and draws off the hot water from the
tank into the buckets.
These he hangs at each end OF the
yoke. which he carries across his
shoulder, and in this fashion he con-
veys the water TO the tub. When the
tub is full he retires and waits for a
reasonable time for you TO remove the
Surface ulft. lnen ne comes upstairs
and empties the tub by means of his
buckets and carries the tub and buck
cts away. His passage through the
streets is an everyday sight 70 the
Partisan and arouses no comment
When | asked the bath man to let
me photograph him In one act of full
filling his functions he shrugged his
shoulders and looked at me VS. though
he thought ! was crazy. Then he
made remarks about the wild Amerl-
cans and their strange ways 20 the
old women who had charge OF the
Office OF the bath establishment Paris
II not only reconciied 10 the tub man.
but seems 10 prefer this method OF
getting clean, for even many OF the
new buildings are not provided with
the comforts which are considered es-
sentiai IN our plainest apartment
houses. Grant Hamilton.
Mother am surprised. my dear.
that YOU suffer . man 20 kiss your'
Daughter--"B But mamma. / don't call