Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-02

THOUSANDS VISIT
REDONDO PLUNGE
BIG CROWD ATTENDS OPENING
OF BATHH0USE
RAILROAD OFFICERS PLEASED
WITH STRUCTURE
New Pleasure Resort Fitted With
Every Convenience and Safety
recaution-Program of
Sports Rendered

REDONDO BEACH, July 1.-The
doors of the great $250,000 Abathhouse
and plunge were thrown open to the
public today with music and appro-
pirate ceremonies. Several thousand
persons took advantage of the facili-
ties offered by this newest of the show
places of the Pacific, and the galleries
were crowded by spectators, while the
three immense tanks were fairly alive
with bathers.
In the baby pool with its slight
depth of water children rolled and
tossed their heels, emitting little
shrieks of glee, and splashing nurses
and guardians to their hearts con-
tent.
The main pool was occupied almost
to its capacity, happy girls, sedate
matrons, brawny men and lively lads
all vying with each other in perform
ing stunts on the chutes and spring
boards, taking underwater dashes and
floating lazily on the surface.
The more expert of the swimmers
took to the deep water pool. with its its
conveniences for high diving and its
larger range for the experienced
bather. Two fountains at either end
of the building simultaneously dis
charged 500 gallons of pure, clear water
into the pools every minute, while the
ever irrepressible small boy perched
on the basins and took flying plunges
under their boiling water falls.
Attendants Everywhere
White clothed attendants were
everywhere, while life guards in vivid
red suits perched on the rails and kept
watchful eyes over the unwary. Pretty
girls with careful attention to patrons
passed out spick and span bathing
suits and supplied towels from snowy
heaps piled roof high.
Everywhere was life and joyousness,
everybody getting a full share Of the
general satisfaction which reigned.
Officials of the Redondo railroad
stood around with gratified smiles,
resting after a strenuous week of prep
aration, realizing that their dreams and
labors had at last borne fruit. The
superintendent of the road, with eye
ever alert, pointed with satisfaction to
some feature that was giving better
results than he had anticipated, or
fixed on some weak point for Which
he quickly offered a remedy.
H. E. Huntington, with his assist
ant, was present during the afternoon
and evening and made tour of in
spection.
The water of the plunges changed
constantly and the clearness of the
poo4s was amazing. Ed Thomas, pub
licity man of the company said: I'm
agine your family bath tub with every
member of the family bathing before
the water is changed. Multiply the
size of your tub by one thousand, and
your bathers by five thousand and you
have the condition of the average still
water bathhouse. That's the kind of
place Which we haven't got. Every
bath is a fresh one"
Aquatic Program
The establishment itself is under
the management of Fred H. Klllick
for ten years manager of the Sutro
baths at San Francisco, and later su
perintendent of the Bimini baths at
Los Angeles.
In the afternoon at 3 o'clock an anna
teur aquatic program took place.
In the boys races Clifford Bowles,
the youthful athlete of Venice, nearly
made clean sweep of all events, win
ming the fiftyyard dash, hurdle race
and obstacle race. In the first and
last Raymond Finn, also of Venice,
took second.
An underwater contest between
Lawson and Crum resulted in bad
start, Crum swimming f1fty-seven
yards before coming to the surface and
the Swede going to within twelve feet
of the opposite end of the plunge be-
fore being called back by the starter.
The boys were so fatigued that the
race was called off until some future
date.
DougalI Grey, the thirty-pound
midget of the Venice plunge, gave an
exhibition of high diving, taking the
drop from the thirty-foOt board like a
veteran.
With the approach of darkness the !
full splendor of the plunge was made |
manifest Seven thousand incandescentI |
lapms threw their radiance over the
water, which gave back reflected bril- |
lance many fold. The colored lights |
set among the streams from the fount |
aims made a fairy scene which harmon |
lied we'll with the general color scheme. |
A water polo game between profess
sonal teams Of Redondo Beach and
Venice excited much interest, as did |
the program of aquatic sports by pro- |
fessional swimmers.
Water Polo Played
In the water polo game short halves
were played. The ball was secured by |
Redondo at the start and carried to the |
Venice goal, where after a long scrim-
mage, during which three men were |
under water for forty-five seconds, |
Crum touched goal.
Another scrimmage resulted in a goal |
by F'reeth, who made one of his sensa- |
tional across -the-tank swims, partly |
under water, in order to get through
the line.
In the second half Christie who took
the place of one of the Lechners, made
a goal after a hard fought mixup, after
which George Wild captured the sphere
for Venice and touched goal
Score to 1 in favor of Redondo
Beach. The teams lined up as follows:
VENICE. REDONDO
Lawson. Guard ......... ..... Crum
Kinney. Guard L. Lechner, Christie
George Sprint...... ....... Barton
Tom Wild....,.!....F .Forward....... A. Lechner
Toenges. Goal....,... ....... Walton
Mull....,,.........F Forward. ......,. Freeth
-s-S-1---
DATES EIXFD FIR HEARING