Evening star., 1925-10-25
BALTIMORE MODEL
FORBATH|NC POOLS
City, by Careful Planning,
Has Ample Swimming FaCiI-
tiles at Modest Cost.
BY WILLIAM j. WHEATLEY.

b1 w w
Systematic planning, aided by the
knowledge that each yeaf Il certain
sum would be available TO carry
out the plans, has placed Baltimore
in the lead in the matter of swim
ming places for it's population.
Every section of the city now is well
taken care of in the matter of artl-
ficial pools, and now the park board
has sent firm of architects down
on the Chesapeake Bay to find a
watering place which the board may
have designed as public beach.
Six pools are in daily use for
about 100 days during the Summer
months, one of which is for colored
people. They are heavily patronized,
use city water without chlorination,
and, like Washington, the health
authorities point to the dangers, al
though no one vet has been able to
trace any epidemic of ear. eye or
throat diseases to any of the pools,
according to ]. C. Kelly, secretary
of the board.
Open Every Day.
In all the pools during the sum-
mer there is night bathing until 10
o'clock each day, and mixed bathing
every day and during all hours, eN-
cept on Sunday. when the pools are
reserved exclusively for the men on
the theory that this is day when
most men have a chance to use the
pools. However. il was pointed out
that this will be changed by the
time of opening next Summer to
allow mixed bathing on all days.
All the pools except one, that in
Patterson Park in southeast Balti-
more, have concrete basins, graded
from shallow, wading depth to
II Do ln,-l- h., col
was made out of a natural lake.
Low lands and ravines were used
as far as possible in constructing
the pools, and the effect has been
to preserve the natural contour of
the land and the beauties of the
parks in which they are located.
Hourly Fee Charges.
Those in Washington VINO are look
Ing after the interests of bathers are
studying these Baltimore pools with
a view to following their design and
structure in the building of pools
here, provided Congress can be pre-
vailed upon to provide the necessary
funds.
Several of the Baltimore pools have
a greater water area than is neces-
sary for the number OF bathers al
lowed in at a time, as the limit is
fixed by the bathhouse facilities.
BatherS are allowed in only for an
hour each time, or rather, they pay
for an hours use of the pools, but
may stay in by paying another fee
each hour. The prices are so low that
bather may stay in for a whole
eight-hour day for from s to 40
cents, depending upon age. And this
fee includes a locker, dressing room,
towel and soap.
1t was not possible to obtain from
the park commission detailed figures
on the cost of the various pools, but
the one in Druid Hill Park, according
to Mr.. Kelly, cost very close TO
100000. An old pumping station
building was remodeled and a wing
added to make a most attractive bath
house. The pool itself is of concrete
and is located in natural ravine,
which was damned at one end. Lights
are placed around the edge of the pool
and at various places in it. 1t will
accommodate $500 bdthers an hour.
The pool itself cost about S100, 900. A
private bid for remodeling the pump
Ing station was for S27S, 900, but it
was decided to do the work with park
employees and the cost was kept down
to 100000 This pool is in northwest
Baltimore.
The Clifton Park pool in the north
east section of the city is elliptical in
shape, $50 feet long by $40 feet wide,
and has water surface area of 8 7-10
acres. 1t is located in lowlands, along
side railroad tracks, and it was de-
cided to be ideally suited for the con-
struction of a pool. Here, a large
bathhouse was designed, with the
basement to be used for locker rooms
and the top floor for a recreation cen
ter, where dances and other forms of
public recreation could be held. How
ever, the top floor has not yet been
erected.
All Use City Water.
The pools all use filtered water from
the city system, and the water changes
completely in each about every 48
hours. Everything possible is done to
keep the water at as high a state of
purity as possible, and so far the
board has ignored the health authori-
ties in their recommendations for chic
rination, principally on account of the
cost of about SIS, 900 for each pool,
and further because there is no def
mite indication that any diseases can
be traced to the use of the pools, al
though every once in a while some
physicians will try to fix tho h, ne
for epidemics on the pools. But every
precaution is taken TO see ,..;;. -..e
people are clean and healthy when
they go in. BatherS are watched as
they pass out of the bath houses for
any semblance of skin disease, and if
found they are turned back Every
bather is required to take a shower
bath before entering, but many of
them try to escape this because Of the
chilled water coming direct from the
pipes. Some of them do escape the
guards and go in without the required
shower. But those in charge are put
ting in commission a new system of
showers, which will force all bathers
TO take them. Turnstiles are being
built at the end of long serpentine pas
Sageways. Needle sprays throw their
streams into this passageway, and
they are long enough to insure a good
body cleansing before the bather
reaches the pool. Each one must now
run the gantlet of these sprays be-
fore reaching the pools. There is no
other way out.
Pools Scrubbed Often.
The pools are emptied and scrubbed
thoroughly once every two weeks dur
ing the bathing season, but it is inter-
eSting on this point to learn that for
two or three days following the refill
ing of the pool there is a noticeable
falling off in their use. 1t takes a
couple of days of aeration and expo
sure to the suns rays to make the
water just right for the bathers'
tastes.
There is sufficient water area in
pools in Baltimore now to meet the de-
mandS, according to those in charge.
and as the demand increases the
board looks around and establishes a
new pool.