Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-05
TO SWIM FOR PLEASURE
PRIVATE POOL THE LATEST AD-
JUNCT oFCouNTRY PLACES
A Little Lake Lined With Marble
Water Warmed to the Proper
Temperature.
From the New York Tribune,

Now that Americans have come to take
such pride in their homes. especially their
country homes..iit Is strange that more
have not followed the example of DR.. Hor-
ace Jayne of Philadelphia, and built open
air swimming pools on their places.
When city man gets into the country
his mind turns to swimming most natural
ly but unless he lives on the seashore or
lake the difficulties attending the sport
take away much Of the pleasure. When a
barefooted boy he did not mind tramping
mile or so along dusty road crawling
through underbrush and climbing fences
IL there was prize swimming pool at the
other end. He was content to undress on
log, toss his clothes over the nearest
limb and dress without the Formally of
Crying MS body with a towel In fact.
these were the very things which made
swimming more fun than anything in the
World-unless it was eating
DR.. Jayne Is no longer a barefoot boy.
He says his spirit bucked at eel grass and
black mud and dusty roads. To him swim
ming in the country was delusion and
a snare until he thought out his SWIM
ming pool The thought cost his bank ac-
count a little less than 5000, but he con-
ever made. He describes 1t most enter
tafningly in Country Life in America"
1t Is in Wallingford, a suburb of the
Quaker city.
Size and Site Of Pool.
The site selected for his pool was 200
feet from the house. on the garden sidc.
and well removed from the entrance drive.
A brook. running between high banks.
crosses his lawn at this point and enters
wood Of tall chestnuts. oaks, hickories
and tulips. These furnished shade for the
south and east sides, and screen OF tall
shrubbery does for the other. 1t was near
enough to the house to obviate the neces-
sity of unsightly bath houses.
The excavation for the pool was made
urement of Al by q feet. which is amply
large. In a pool Of this size one can swim
indefinitely, counting forty laps to the
mile. The bottom of the pool is practically
fat, giving an average depth of little
over six feet. This permits diving from
sides and ends.
TT is customary" writes DR.. Jayne, ito
build swimming pools with sloping bot
toms, so that the depth of water gradually
increases from, say, three to ten feet. The
advantages Of such a form of construction
appear to be overbalanced by the disad-
vantages. For those who swim 1t is scarce
ly necessary, and for those who cannot
swim it is only measurably safe: moreover,
it introduces an element Of uncertainty con-
corning the depth, which is unpleasant and
ever dangerous, and 1t limits diving to a
definite part Of the pool. The great prac-
teal disadvantage. however, lies in the
fact that if the pool ia only partly filled it
reduces the swimming area too much for
real pleasure" .-
The Water Supply.
The pool is lined entirely with white mar
ble though cement and tiles were first
tried. The cement leaked and soon became
black and uninviting. The tiles loosened up
in winter and were otherwise unsausfac
tory. The coping. platform and steps of
the pool are covered with marble and
about the edge is cedar walk, which
smells delightfully."- when wet. There are
the bathers can rest and spectators make
themselves comfortable.
At first 1t was proposed to supply the
pool with water from the brook. There
was some uncertainty as to it's purity, how
ever, and 1t was finally decided to depend
on the local water works. A large alum
filter was put IN a neat little boiler house
built of brick IN the midst of the shrub
berry. After being filtered the water Is
heated by merely letting it run through a
small greenhouse hOt-water boiler. 1t is a
simple method and preferred to storage
tanks or coils Of pipes in the pool. With
small consumption Of coal the water in the
pool may be maintained at from 70 to 50
degrees, even when the temperature of the
air Is down to 90. 10 keep the water pure
1t must flow in and out continually. and
every two weeks the pool must be entirely
drained and cleaned.
DR.. Jayne furnishes an interesting bill of
particulars Of cost of this pool He believes
that others can be built for slightly less
He divides his table into the cost of the
pool itself and the cost of the accessories.
as follows: