The Saint Paul globe., 1904-05-29
PUBLIC BATHS OPEN
FOR SUMMER SEASON
Threat of Rain Keeps Public
Away, but Small Boys
Chance a Swim.

4 The formal opening of the st. Paul
| PUBIC baths for the season of 1904
| TOOK place yesterday. A hundred boys
Went bathing who were willing to
1 brave the low temperature of the wa
ter and the wind. A few score of boys
and girls patronized the outdoor gym
naslu1ns. The somewhat unreasonable
weather, however, and the threatened
| rain kept the public away from a re-
sort that will be crowded on the first
hot day.
/ we opened today only as precau-
/ tlon, explained DR.. Justus Ohage, city
heaith commissioners, the father of
the baths. I'VE wanted to take care
! Of the small boys that have already
begun to battle here. Now that we've
regularly started, the guards are at
their posts and the few boys here can
go in safely"
The principal improvement at FIar-
| rlet island this year is the boulevard
! ing of the approach from the Wabasha
street bridge. In place of ash heaps
and refuse, the approach now shows a
teveled surface within which broad
roadway, encircling the site. for fu-
ture fountain, traYerses what will soon
-be attractive turf The ground has
been seeded and the grass is already
| springing up. The terrace from the
river shore up to the bridge approach
was sodded last year and is now green.
! Within few weeks only the railway
tracks will remain to show how little
/ the former approach resembled the
new park
This transformation is the more
agreeable in view Of the fact that it
J was effected at the cost of few hum
| dred dollars, contributed by DR.. Ohagc,
| without expense to the park board.
Dredge Boat Hard at Work.
Another Improvement of nearly equal
| value is in progress on the lower end
| OF Harriet island. Here Capt. Fielder,
of the government dredge boat Geyser,
has agreed to deposit on Harriet island
1 all the sand that he will pump from the
/ river bed while he is enlarging the
channel of the river along the east
bank, opposite the island. About 30,-
/ 900 cubic yards of sand viii thus be
| deposited upon the end of Harriet isl
| and SO as to bring it's extreme lever
| point within 100 feet Of Raspberry ISL
| and. The work is already in progress
| and will consume two months
! A long pipe has been laid across
barges from Harriet island to the
| dredge boat Geyser, near the east bank
| of the river. Through this pipe
! stream Of sand and water is discharged
upon the island. The mechanical wa
| terfall and the bed of wet sand afford
| delight to boys, who, Wading about
| barelegged before the outlet of the
pipe, find that the stream Of sand and
water surpaSses cleansing power. a
| bath with Soap and towels.
The sand viii be covered this fall
| with "dumpings and fertilizers, so
! that grass may be planted early next
| spring.
when the additional land ID all
''mades Harriet island win possess
| about a year hence. the finest baseball
and athletic park in Or about the
| field will be 700 by 370 feet. 1T will
| be, perhaps; as large again as the
present downtown bali park at
| Twelfth and Robert streets.
Ball Club Wants the Park.
So well Is the future value Of the
new field understood that the ST. Paul
Baseball club is said to have offered
DIR. Ohage $1,000 towards the cost Of
| the improvement and $4,000 a year for
| the use of the field four days out of
| each week, not including Sunday. On
| the other days the field will be open
| ball or in any sort Of field sports.
/ Open to the river on three sides, cool,
| isolated, yet in the heart Of the city,
/ this additional attraction upon Harriet
! island will be worth not less than
| $50,000. Yet it will not interfere in the
/ least with any of the various forms of
recreation afforded by this ideal home
| for the peoples outdoor amusements.
The bathhouSes, the outdoor gym
| nasiums for boys and for girls, the
picnic grounds, the ZOO the luncheon
4 pavilion and the refres hment stand
were all ready for business yesterday.
| Additional apparatus has been in
| stalled in the girls gymnasium by Carl
| Rothfuss, gymnasium director. Three
new bicycle merry -go-roundS," much
liked by the children. are almost COM
pleted. A giants stride" will soon be
/ ready. This is a modification Of the
| May pole; fringe of ropes revolve,
| like hanging spokes, from wheel at
the top of the pole. and the girls, run
ming around the circle, cling to short
! ladders attached to the lower ends of
the ropes. The swing rings, the
climbing poles, which also swing, the
| adjustable ladders, and the elevated
| 'steeter-totter," were enjoyed yeSter-
| day by several score girls with the
same zest displayed last year for
those media Of pleasurable exertion.
Boys Brave the Cold.
| A few boys in bathing trunks defied
| the cold I'VE have only 100 boys in
the water today" said Prof. G. J.
Hermann, superintendent of the pub
| lie baths. IF the day had been warm,
we should have had several thousand.
But the water at 81 degrees is not over
comfortable and the cool breezes are
worse than the water,
| Bronze paint has restored to its origi-
nal beauty the large fountain secured
/ by DR.. Ohage last year from the
| grounds Of the dismantled residence of
1 the late Horace Thompson on Lafay-
| cite avenue. This fountain now at
| tracts admiration at it's new site near
/ the boys gymnasium.
The various animals Of the zoo ap-
| peared yesterday In excellent health.
| This list of fauna includes bears, pra-
| irie wolves, coyotes. badgers. coons,
/ gophers, white rats, guinea pigs, eagles,
owls, etc.