Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-25
FOUNTAIN BATHING
GETS HARD BLOWS
Gradual CurtaiIment Comes
as Result of Various Citi-
zens' Complaints.

Slowly but surely the children of
the city are being robbed of their
short-time victory in which they re-
gained the use of the fountains in the
public parks, which were denied them
for bathing purposes, for now every
two or three days Maj. L. S. Grant,
3D. director of the Office of Public
Buildings and Public Parks of the
National Capital, issues an order clos
ing another fountain. The closing or
ders are based on complaints by
citizens.
Since the general order permitting
children to battle in the fountains was
issued, the following have been closed:
The fountains at Twentieth and II
streets, New Jersey avenue and New
York avenue, the Union Station, and
the last one, the one in the park at
Twelfth and p streets and Rhode Is
land avenue.
Demanded Bathing Places.
The first orders issued by the park
authorities were to close all the fouri-
tains to bathing, but when publicity
was given to this, there arose cry
for places for the children to battle,
especially in view of the failure of
the park authorities to select sites
for the two new bathing beaches, with
the result that orders were issued
opening the pools to bathing.
The children just took charge, and
the park police admitted that they
hadn't men enough to keep them out.
Besides, most of these officers were
in favor of the Childrens bathing any
way. They were only carrying out
orders of their superiors The chill
dren went everywhere that they could
find water, even to the rejecting pool
In front of the Lincoln Memorial
Then there came a flood of COM
plants from citizens, who protested
against the children's bathing, soma
alleging noises, others alleging nui.
sances, and various other things.
After deciding to file the complaints
and let the children battle, the office
again changed its policy, and now is
answering these complaints by shut
ting off the fountains.
The last complaint. that against the
use of the fountain adjacent to Iowa
Circle, contained AZ names, and it al.
legged that the children were using the
nearby alleys in which to change their
clothes and get into bathing suits
All alleys near this park are some
distance from the parkway, and are
under the jurisdiction of the city
police and not the park police. Mai.
Grant admitted that no investigation
had been made by the park police
to determine the correctness of the
reports, nor had the matter been re-
ferred to the Metropolitan Police for
investigation and action. The pool
was just closed.
An Investigation.
A little investigation made by
reporter for The Star at several of
the pools developed that the noises
made by the children splashing around
in the shallow waters could not be
heard outside the confines of the
parks, in most instances not as far
as the park borders, much less as
great a distance away as the near
est houses. Practically all the users
of the pools were little children and
their lungs did not throw their voices
very far.
The Union Station pool, it was point
ed out by those following the matter,
was perhaps the only one justifiably
ordered closed. This was for sanitary
reasons. The water in this pool is not
continuously running Potomac water.
In order to conserve water. electric
driven pumps were installed there; and
the same water is pumped over and
over again, so that 1t is not practicable
to keep it in a sanitary condition
when so many children are using it.