The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-07-24
PUBLIC BATHS DO
GOOD, BUT ARE
OLD AND SMALL
Sought to Be All Torn Down."
Says General Superintendent
of Works SElipnan.

Newark can boast of its City Hall
its police and fire departments, its
parks and its Public Library, but II
cannot be proud of its public bath
houses. They are old, ll-ventilatec
buildings. ard some people claim thai
they are u%nsanitary.
General Superintendent of Work,
Charles M. Shipman, who has charge
OF the baths, said today concerning
them:
If l had my way l would tear them
all down and put up baths that would
be a credit to the city. We are shame
fully behind all other cities in the
bath-house line. Even cities much
smaller than we boast and are able to
show up~-to-date, sanitary bath
houses"
Mr.. Shipman, when asked If the
bath-houses, with their cement floors,
were a good place for germs, said:
1.-The cement floors are a fine place
for the germs, and no amount of sani-
tation will eliminate them. They get
into the crevices of the cement, and.
once there, you will never be able to
get them out"
Charles, I. Williams, superintendent
OF the Summer avenue bath-house, the
best in the city, for the past thirteen
years, said:
This talk about lighthouses being
unsanitary is all talk. There is no pos
sible chance for germs to breed, as we
are too careful and take all pre-
cautions in keeping the place in the
best possible condition. The water Is
changed often. l will admit hat we
ought to have new buildings"
Mrs. Mary C. Jacobson, who has for
the past year taken a special interest,
said: THE baths are %unsanitary, and a
disgrace to a fourishing city like
Newark"
She has called the attention of the
Board of Health to the condition. and
has had experts visit the three bath
houses, and from their opinions she
has made the damaging statements.
There are three public lighthouses in
this city. One is in Summer avenue,
near the Second Precinct police sta
ton; another in Morris avenue and the
third in Walnut street. OF these the
largest Is the Morris avenue bath, but
the one in the best condition Is
that at Summer avenue. The baths
are all equipped with showers and
swimming pools. The pool In Summer
avenue is IS by 17h feet, has a depth
of 2 to s feet, and has twenty-five
shower baths. The Morris avenue pool
is "a by 2S feet, with about the same
depth. and has twelve showers. The
Walnut street pool is 20 by 40 feet, and
has the same depth, but has only eight
showers.
~,
The attendance is the largest at the
Summer avenue house. Here during
the month of June it was used by 7.054
males and 1,09S. females. At Morris ave.
nue. the attendance was $3.50 males
and 442 females. At the Walnut street
house it was used by $3.50 males and
270 females. For the month of July
the attendance will be doubled in al
of the lighthouses. The women battle
but two days a week, Tuesday and
Thursday, n in each house there are
two matrons.
The methods used at the lighthouses
are about all the same, but at the
Summer avenue institution a strict ban
is put on all who do not care to make
use of the plunge. Every person on en-
tering is compelled first to thoroughly
wash themselves and lake q shower
bath before they are allowed to use
the plunge. In some cases force is re-
sorted to to have the boys get under
the shower. This keeps the condition
of the pool in quite good shape and
minimizes the amount of dirt that gets
into the water, SO Superintendent Will
Jams claims. Soap is supplied free, but
those who care to have a room anC
towel can get n by paying five cents
The cost to run the three bath
houses to the city is about 81, 900 q
month. This includes the payroll, fuel
towels and every other incidental, Thu
water in the plunge is kept at tht
same temperature, so degrees, winter
and summer. The water Is changed
every day and at the Summer avenue
bath about 300, 900 gallons of water ar,
used. Superintendent Williams stated
that at his bath-house the water wa,
changed to an extent twice a day, al
at noon the reserve amount of no
water from the boiler is allowed t,
flow into the tank and an equal amour
is turned off.
A plot of, ground has been purchased
In Clayton street by the city for tn,
erection of a new bath-house. An ap
preparation of $50, 1000 is needed to com.
plete the work. This money was no
Forthcoming in this years a%ppropria
ton.
At Jersey City a new bath-house ha'
just been completed at a cost of 500,
900 and at Boston they have a hous
that cost 5000, 900.
Mr.. Shipman said that it would b
a capital idea to take the care of tn
lighthouses out of the hands of TIT
Board of Works and place them in TIL
care of either the Board of Education
or the Playground Commission.