New-York tribune., 1907-10-20
ARE NEW YORKERS DIRTY
Physicians Declare Citi@cns 1re Not
Vel flashed.

Seven hundred Thousand bathtubs it is esti-
mated, are used daily by New Workers in their
morning ablutions If they were placed together
end to end they would make water wagon OF
tin, enamel, china marble lined cars 795 miles
long. If each of these tubs is filled 10 a depth
of one foot by each bather, and on the average
each tub is used four times a day, it takes
stream of water one foot deep, two feet wide
and 3,0S0 miles long. a sort OF narrow Missis-
sippi of pure water. to satisfy the New Workers.
desire for cleanliness
And yet the doctors are saving that New
York is not clean Fer it Is estimated also tina,
there are probably one million persons who have
no bathtubs in their homes. who do not use
them for bathing if they have them To help
these tubless persons Father Knickerbocker
operates twenty public bathing places with
summer capacity of probably fifteen thousand
every hour. scrubs IN a year in twelve eler1en-
tary schools over four hundred and thirteen
thousand children, and also sees that bathin;
facilities are provided in sixteen high schools
Many of New Yorks seven hundred thousand
tubs are of the public sort-that is. in hotels
clubs or gymnasiurns, where they are used by
many different persons. The hotel district is
probably the most tubbed part Of New York. as
a single hotel building may have from one hun
dred TO two hundred and fifty tubs under its
roof Many Of these semi-pubHc tubs are com
ing to be regarded by physicians with a good
deal of suspicion as a possible source Of con-
tagion. As they point out, bather in a hotel
tub cannot be certain TO its previous OccL-
pant So strong has this feeling become that in
Cne place which had eight public tubs for its
members-the West Side Young Mems Chris
tian Assoc iation, in West 5Ith street.-the r1eGi-
cal director and a physician the board Of
management caused eight tubs worth $500 -o be
put the scrapheap and twenty-five shower
baths. costing $500, 20 be installed Many
hotels and apartment houses are now putting in
showers we'll as tubs. and there are some
persons who are beginning to wonder if New
York, in the interests Of hygiene, viii eventually
become a tubesS town
NJ the West Side Young Mems Christian AsSo-
citation. Dr Louis +. WeIzmiIler, the director 0f
the gymnasium. said, 1t has COST US s. l,1
70 be absolutely sure on the hysienic side and
W. are glad TO get rid Of the tubs, They e--
possible source of cCutasion where used pub
licIy but al any rate tub bath is uo- clean.
The tub bather really continues 90 wash In
water which he himself has made dirty. Every
tub bather ought to take e shower 20 clean him
sell after tub bath For in The shower the
hather gets clean water al The time. ana rhe
used water flows away. Moreover. tle shower
bath does not cool the whole body 40 once. ana
the drops of water act sort of massage"
The New York Health Department. has NOT as
yst condemn the public tuh. Eur ,he DEPART
ment has found it necessary to make II a mis-
dcmedo"- 10 use any bath tuh for bed. In
ONE Of the three sections of The Sanitary Cele
which deal with bathing al all one section. No.
II. so!emnly declares that it Is an offence under
the laws OF The state of New YORK. tC sleep I'm o.
hathtub, or bathroom, and tha- it is equally
Illegal 10 rent a b'throom FOR 81 b-d-ou" The
SANITARY code also requires that bath-ch r'.ua-
~ be all right and thIt seaside baarl..- house
keepers provide tWO-IUch SCUM. ~--r ..-.. .Ia
and strong ropes for the safety ot lttrrr- 81,
any sea tub they may COItroL The law against
tuh beds lS BY no means jck-. For VI,I
New Horks high rents and large families the
dwellerS on the East Side find an extra he'd
room far more necessary than a bathing F.a-a-
An owner of a tenement block once uut bath