New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-25
The Cup of Cold Wafer
In Spite of the City's Shortage. You Can Oe'
One at Most Fountains Now.

urer. is anxious 10 restore the one which
used 10 be In front OF the Five Points Mis-
sion. Only a little while ago the superin-
tendent OF the mission wrote TO the So
ciety asking IL they couldn't have the foun-
tain again. and telling how much the peo-
pie around there needed it.
''Of course, like so many things. II Is
question Of money" the Rev. J. II. Young
said A society similar 10 ours in Phila-
delphia is well endowed and therefore in
dependent but we in New York were in
corporated only last year, and aren't able
as vet 10 do all we'd like to do"
OF all the cold water fountains in New
York City municipal or charitable those
maintained by this society look least Ike
fountains Most OF them are big. stationary
hoxlike affairs. and probably thousands
Of persons pass the one at Brooklyn
Bridge. for instance, every day under the
impression. gained from curaory, absent
minded chances that this is one OF the
.rlaces where villanous lemonade is sold
at a cent a glass. But IL isn't This is
good fresh ice water, and II is on tap day
and night
No one" said Mrs. II. p Weidenfeld,
executive secretary OF the ice water foun-
tains committee of the WOmans Munic-
ipal League knows what these fountains
mean in poor neighborhoods unless they
have seen them. seen the people throng-
ing around them on hot days. Families
that can't afford 20 have ice draw pals
OF this water. which is ice cold. to set
the baby's milk in. and il really Will keep
the milk from spelling for some time.
nit a.
crs Just before meal time. and ! am sure
these fountains keep many Of them from
having beer with their meals Water from
the kitchen tap is mawkish stuff 10 drink
on a hot day and 1t is hardly 10 he
wondered at that they 20 to the beer
saloon for something more refreshing But
when they can 20 10 an ice water foun-
tain. that's different"
All the same. there arc times and seasons
when some Of the missions and settlement
houses. IN front OF which most Of these
league fountains are stationed. wish mild
~ that they We're away. The ubiquitous
street hoy has discovered IN these same
fountains a beautiful source % amusement.
First. he steals some paper bags from the
corner grocery Then he fills these with
water at the fountain Then Bif'
Splash" and the unsuspecting missionary
or settlement worker inside gets shower
from one of the bags which with its top
closed in a tight little twist TO keep the
water from splliug till il strikes its mark.
is deity hurled al his or her head through
the open window The Florence Crttenton
Mission has suffered most from this. but
the superintendent has never asked 20 have
the fountain taken away. The league Off
GERS call her "a long-suffering angel
II costs no small sum. by the way. 10
keep these fountains running. Seventy-fve
dollars is the cost Of maintaining one foun-
tain for a season IL Is much more eX-
pensive 10 erect a bubble" fountain than
to install the other sort. and the league
isn't as sure as ii once was. either. that
these are the most sanitary sort. They
would be II most children and some
thoughtless elders did not Invariably wipe
off the place where tho water comes out
with their grimy hands But as observa-
ton shows that they generally do this, the
league has its doubts about bubble foun-
tains