The New York herald., 1922-03-18
DAYY WANTS A BATH
/ LIKE The MAYORS
Thinks He's Entitled to Ills
Own Atlantic City to Match
Hylan's Palm Beach,
HIS HONOR is AGITATED
Secret Stairway Must Not Give
Impression of Secret Plum
derland Parleys.

When Davy Hirshfieid. Commissioner
OF Accounts and Smeiler out OF Iniquity
for the Mayor. came up for air yester-
day morning his favorite newspaper In
formed him right in the face that the
Mayor was installing a private shower
bath in the City Hall basement Right
away Davy Hirshfield made up his
mind to have one OF his own In his own
suite of offices.
You know how ii is." said the Com
missioner. "A busy man hasn't got al
ways the time he ought to have Now
on Saturday nights, instead OF waiting
until got home. could take bath
1t 10 good idea, yes7"
Everybody agreed that II was a per-
fect bear of an idea and the request
therefore will be laid before the Sink
ing Fund Commission or the Depart
ment of Water Supply. Gas and Eiec-
tiicity, or whatever bureau has author
ity. to dig up the funds to provide a
private Atlantic City for Davy Hirsh-
field to match the Mayors private Palm
Beach. Comptroller Craig was one OF
the few city officials who did not hail
the suggestion with enthusiasm. He
looked darkly upon the project. more
than limiting that when the city Off
Gals let their minds run on baths and
luxury then civilization Is wabbling
upon her pins. Speaking of Mr.. Hirsh-
fields little notion, the Comptroller was
heard to say something which sounded
like "Oh. hell!' but one might have been
mistaken.
A-S~<xA>~ ~
Now IT comes out, through Davy, that
the little Palm Beach in the basement
OF the City Hall wasn't ordered by the
Mayor at all, and that Aristides Con-
stantinopouius. manicure of the City
Hall tulip beds. had the thing all wrong
when he talked to a reporter for THE
NEW YORK HERALD on Thursday - the
first time, really. that the usually re-
liable Constantinopoulos ever msrepre-
sented to this newspaper.
Davy Hirshfield let 1t out that the
private Palm Beach, shower baths,
palms, electric fans and all the rest,
was ordered by the Mayors official
family while he was still sojourning at
tho real Palm Beach and that nobody
was more surprised than the Mayor
himself when he learned what was GO
ing on Tears came to his, eyes, Davy
Hirshfield said. and it was a long time
before he could overcome his emotion
sufficiently to be able to utter a. few
words of thanks.
The big idea. Davy said. was that in
the summer time. when the Mayor felt
like a bath. he wouldn't have to go all
the way, home for refreshment. and,
again, when he was invited out to speak,
he wouldn't ,have-to GO home to dress
He could keep his SOUP and fish. Davy
said, in a locker and when II came time
to head for the banquet or whatever it
was he could slip down the secret stair
way and take q dive into the pool and
then back right into the black and
whites. a NE
Hist, a Trap Door! es
The matter OF the secret stairway ap-
peared to agitate the Mayor yesterday
He seemed to have the idea that publi-
cation OF the truth that there Is very
private stairway from his official rooms
down to the little Palm Beach in the
basement would carry a suggestion OF
secret conferences and possible dicker-
Ing with the Money Devil and the Pred
atory Plunderbund. 1t appeared to be
the Mayors notion that there was some
evil, per sc. about secret stairway,
and that the public ought not to get the
wrong idea about such things. There
lure ne invited ID newspaper reporter
into his office yesterday and asked him
10 locate the secret stairway. The re-
porter poked and probed. but gave 1t up
possibly because the Mayor didn't let
him pry everywhere. a.
Il will admit" said the Mayor, that
there Is stairway between this floor
and the basement. Suppose there is a
shower bath at the foot of the stairs?
Summer is coming. Mayors need baths
like other people. Besides there Is SO
much telephoning and so much coming
and going In my present offices that at
times / am distracted. I have got to
have a refuge where at times can work
in absolute quiet and seclusion. There
will be no politics, or back stairs stuff
connected with the stairway. Others
than myself viii have the privilege OF
using 1t. 1t is, in fact, no different from
tho stairway used in. duplex apart
ments."
The secret OF the Mayors secret stair
way Is in the telephone booth. A trap
door in the sizabe booth gives access
10 the spiral stairway. none too sub
stanial or solid. IL would seem, for one
of the Mayors considerable bulk Davy
Hirshfield said he had volunteered to
precede the Mayor always down the
spiral stairway, so that IL the Mayor fell
he would land on him. Davy. Such Is
tho esprit dc corps OF this administra-