THE CITY BATHS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 46, 18 November 1907, Page 8

THE CITY BATHS.

AN EXPENSIVE LUXURY. SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS. Wellington has two municipal baths—ono atJEkorndon and tho other at Clydo Quay. Tho baths at Thorndon Esplanade are capitally situated as far as tho prevailing winds and weather arc concorncd, but boing close under the Tinakori hills they recoivo a minimum of afternoon snnshino and aro not popular ' with tho bathing public. In the caso of tho Te Aro, or Clydo Quay baths, the very opposite conditions obtain, and, as far as the public.aro concerned,: tho baths could hardly be in a better position, and they receive tho maximum sunshine at all seasons of the year. In another respect, however, tho baths are a mistake, for they are situated exa'ctly at that point of tho harbour that receives the lush of the prevailing north-westerlies. On six out of every seven days throughout tho year what wind there is comes from that point of the compass marked "N.W.," so that for six-sevenths of timo the wooden bathing structure at. Clyde Quay has a strain to bear, be tho wind over so light. But when a gale shrieks across the'bay and tears the face of the harbour into white' shreds that race violently for the shore,'the baths groan and shudder like a badly-strained barque without control. Structure Badly Damaged. During the last two or three winters the nor'-westerlics have been thumping away at the outer wall with great effect. This wall or fence, is built of stout uprights of jarrah bolted on to horizontal girders, which are held in position by heavy copper-sheathed piles, stayed agninst other piles driven some six or eight feet within the baths. Ordinarily one would imagine that' such work would stand firm against the effect of the waves within a land-locked -harbour, but tho engineer who fixed the Clyde Quay baths did not sufficiently appreciate local conditions, and the result has been an economic loss to Wellington city. Mrs. Meech's Baths. There wero baths in existence at Clyde Quay over thirty years before tho municipal baths wero erected — baths wcll-kopt and managed profitably by the late Mrs. Ale'ech. During the whole tenure of that lady the baths never suffered what tho municipal baths have suffered during the last three or four years, and one wonders why. The reason is not very difficult to locate. In tho case of the late Mrs. Meech's baths tho rectangular area of fenced-in water was made at right angles to Clydo Quay, so that the narrowest of tho four sides was exposed to tho butt of tho north-west, and additional aid was given by tho free wash there was for the waves to the south of the structure. In the caso of the municipal baths, tho broadest faco of the structure is turned to that quarter from whence most of our meteorological turmoil comes, and, to make matters worse, the concrete wall of tho boat-harbour creates a constant backwash just at the comer whore tho baths aro located, and it is.in that angle formed by the wall and tho baths that the surface filth of tho harbour accumulates, and gradually washes through the flapping boards ol the baths into the bathing area.. This is sometimes positively reeking with scum— cinders, soot, rotton fruit, chips, and other flotsam from tho steamers—which is made more obnoxious, if possible, by tho smell that is given off during tho warm weather. Tho 5*" ff 11,I 1 ,- 8 , te be skin ™cd off by tho custodian (Mr. Wilton) with tho aid of a not when the weather serves, and is a steady job throughout the season. A Dominion reporter, who visited tho baths, found a scum of harbour filth covering fully one-half of tho ladies' bathing-place', and outsido, in tho corner created by the wall of the boat-harbour, was a floating aggregation of rubbish only awaiting'the will of the waves to bo swished through tho fence. '

In a State of Wreck. . . . The Clyde Quay baths are at presentin'a state of wreck. With every wave the stout uprights that form the boards of the fenco can bo seen wobbling about, and there is a continual " chunk, chunk " of moving timbers that should bo stationary. Saturday's gale did tho structure no good, for when visited yesterday one of tho partitioning fences was all adrift beneath tho surface of tho water. The cost to the city already, apart from what is to come, has been very heavy. New Baths to be Erected. In deciding to erect a concrete wall round tho To Aro baths the Citv Council practically elected to provide new baths at Clyde Quay. It is. intended to enclose an area of harbour (80ft. by 260 ft.) further out with a stout concrete wall, which, it is hoped, will, prove adamant to tho battering seas. This wall, which will project, at right angles to the northern wall of the boat harbour, will be 7ft. 9in. in breadth at tho baso, narrowing to 18 inches at tho top—about 18 inches above the level of tho water at high-tide. The north-eastern wall which connects tho long wall .with the present wooden . wall of the baths .on that .side will hardly ho so substantial in character, but quite strong enough, it is estimated, to stand tho wind and waves. One thing should bo provided against in the plans of the new structure. One of tho most objectionable: features.about the city baths is the filth which is allowed to enter, and, having entered, does-not readily disappear. This must be attended to, and Mr. Wilton has an idea which ho thinks would prove effective, and which ho discussed quite rocoritly with Mr. Biisb, City Engineer at Auckland. Mr. Wilton, who was a relative of the late Mrs. Mecch, and who has been connected with baths nearly tin whole of his life, says that provision should bo made for the free ingress • and egress of water, which could bo done by leaving openings in the concrete here and there that could ho criss-crossed with bariron. Assuming that it was only, at those places that the floating debris of the harbour would find admittance, a strong shutter could bo fitted into the opening (which would rise and fall with the tide), the bottom of which would be always 18 inches or two feet under tho water. But if jjio top of the wall is only to be 18 inches above the water at high tide, there should be a stout iron fence, two or three feet higher, erected on the wall, if the refuse is to be kent out of the bathing area. From the foregoing, citizens will be able to gather that between the baths at Thermion that, are sound, but do not pay, and those at To Aro, that might pay, hut are lamentably unsound, the City has a rather expensive proposition in its bathing-places.