The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-06-04
NE WARK PUBLIC
BATHS BREEDING
HOLES FOR DISEASE
President Denman, of Board of
Public Works, Severely
DenOunces System.
CITIZENS AND OFFICIALS
PROTEST TO COUNCIL MEN
No Means of Keeping Water Com
stantIy Running and Free
from Pollution.

''The Newark public baths are the
worst In existence. 1 have seen
great many baths here and abroad, but
those in our city are the worst. The
pools are nothing more than mudholes.
The water is filthy and is bound to be
contaminated, no matter how many
times it is changed. They are breeding
places for disease.
I'VE all believe in mud baths, the
mud baths OF our boyhood That is
good for us all, it's good clean mud,
but our bath houses are different The
only solution is the Shower BATH
Statement made by Commissioner Ar
thur Denman, of the Board Of Works,
to an EVENING STAR reporter today
When the finance committee of the
Common Council takes up its budget in
a few days it probably viii award a
neat appropriation for the maintenance
of the three local public baths, and per-
haps enough for the erection of at least
another on the crowded Hill section,
perhaps in the Third Ward.
When the committee met last night
representatives of the Board of Health,
Bureau of Associated Charities Play
ground Commission, Public Bath Asso-
! ~
citation and others pronounced the pres
ent baths unsanitary and a menace to
public mealth. The places referred to
were the Summer avenue bath, Is Sum-
mer avenue: Walnut street bath. 211
Walnut street. and the Morris avenue
bath, 2S5 Morris avenue.
Protest for Women.
Mrs. f. c. jacobson acted as the
principal speaker for the women. She
said that the aim of the Public Bath
Association was to get as many and as
good public baths as the city could
afford. She urged that the Board Of
Works be given the $4,000 asked for
for that purpose, and more, If possible.
Rabbi Solomon Foster, DR.. Laban
Dennis and William j. McKiernan
spoke in similar strain. Mr.. McKier-
nan said that showers We're necessary.
He said that children did not go into
the pools for a bath, but for a swim,
and so the bath house purpose was
lost. He said that in several of the
public Fairgrounds shower baths have
been provided and are doing immense
good. Mrs Edward E. Gray and Mrs.
Alexander Grant accompanied Mrs.
jacobson All are members of Women's
clubs.
Frank j. McTague headed the Hill
delegation, and made a stirring appeal
to the committee to purchase a site
Immediately and erect a bathhouse in
the Third Ward, "It would be money
well spent" he said. I'VE represent
citizens and taxpayers of that section
west of High street known as the Hill,
and If a public bath is needed any
where it is there. In our district,
which comprises four wards. we have
a dozen or more public schools, and in
each there are more than thousand
children.
Children Must walk Mile.
AT present the little ones are COM
palled TO walk d mile to one of the
three public baths in this immense city
and when they return home, being too
poor to ride perhaps, fhey are worse
off than when they went in. We ap-
peal to this committee to grant us this
necessity which would be a godsend."
There are practically only two public
baths in this city, for the Summer
avenue house has not, vet been opened,
and it is rot known when it will It is
the oldest, having been erected about
fifteen years ago. orders We're issued
for it to open April l, but they were
changed as the painting of the interior
had not been done and apparently es-
Inmates arc not yet all in, for several
painters were seen about the place
yesterday.
The custom at present is to compel
the bathers to take a shower bath be-
fore plunging into the pool. The
water in the later is changed each day.
At the Summer avenue place the resi-
dents of the Fifteenth Ward and 9TH
ers flock to the place during the hot
spells. and, like I'M the other places,
about 200 are let in at one time. Dur
ing the day only boys are admitted,
and Tuesdays and Thursdays are set
aside for women and girls Men are
permitted to bathe evenings and on
Sunday mornings.
A policeman is detailed at each place
and no diseased persons are permitted
to enjoy the baths.
The dimensions of the local public
baths, capacities and depths are as
follows:
Summer Avenue-Seventy- feet
long, 171s feet wide 21ax5 feet in depth,
25 shower baths; capacity of pool S6,5O0
gallons.
Walnut Street Fifty feet long, 271a
feet wide, 3x6 feet in depth, s showers;
capacity of pool 1890 gallons
Morris Avenue-F'ifty feet long. 2S1k
feet wide, 41sx5 feet in depth, 10 snow
ers; capacity Of pool 5O,sso gallons.