Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-07-22
CROWDED BATHING BEACHES.

While other cities not blessed with the natural
advantages that Perth Amboy boasts of are
doing everything possible to provide bathing
places for the people, in some instances invoiv-
ing the expenditure of large sums of money,
little or nothing is being done to better the
utterly inadequate bathing facilities here.
While other cities realize that municipal
bathing beaches and pools provide health
giving and refreshing relief from the heat OF
the summer, Perth Amboy stands idly by.
watching people crowded into the few available
bath houses, furnished at the two beaches here,
without taking any municipal action to i'm
! prove this means of affording recreation for the
people of the city.
The popularity Of bathing Is ever increasing.
When the suns torrid rays cause the city to
swelter as has been an almost daily occurrence
this summer, the waterfront is the coolest place
In which to seek relief, and hundreds have been
attracted daily to the local beaches during the
past two months. But unless they can enjoy
The luxury of a car or live along the waterfront
only inconvenience and discomfort greets them
when a plunge into the refreshing water is
contemplated.
Amboy:
!. AL the TWO pdthiHS pedShoS hSiS "fF-
nnately one hundred and fifty bath houses are
provided, except that there are several ad-
ditionai rooms that are pressed into service
during the rush. On extremely warm days.
two. three and even four persons are placed
into the little rooms.
On the other hand the estimated average
number Of bathers on the beach on any week.
end high tide period during the warm speels
10 over 1900 people.
Allowing that one-half Of these 800 people
i've along the water front or come from other
sections in automobiles, which is probably high,
Il can easily be seen that to house all the
bathers, at least four will have to be placed
in each room provided by the beaches here
under the present facilities.
Another distressing feature of the situation
here as it now stands is that there Is little
Room for expansion at the bathing houses, due
= the restricted area at tho present bathing
fbitea
In other words the present facilities are
wholly inadequate for the crowds that besiege
the bath houses daily. A municipal bathing
house to take care of the prodigious growth
OF the city is the only solution.
If Perth Amboy did not have such a long
stretch of beach-if, for instance, it was an
Inland town-action would have probably been
taken years ago to provide a swimming pool
or artificial lake for the use of the citizens
Like other towns, 1t would have expended
large amounts of money to furnish recreation
for the people in this way.
The New York Evening World yesterday
published a picture of a twenty-five-acre SWIM
ming pool constructed In a public park at SYRIA
( cuse, New York. Although this artificial lake
Is open to all the residents of that city during
the summer months, dressing rooms, water
chutes and spring rooms being provided ana
with care-takers on duty, the total upkeep OF
tho pool and the park surrounding 1t costs the
city of Syracuse only $4,000 q year.
Perth Amboy has plenty of available bathlne
beaches only waiting to be improved that VIII
far surpass the Syracuse bathing SITE when
attacts thousands every day. Here the renting