The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-21
The Central Park-The Plan ~ developed
by the Engineers Report.


by the Engineers Report.
The report Of Mr.. viele, the Engineer of the
Central Park, which we yesterday laid before our
readers, has called forth general commentator
from all who have perused it. 1t not only EN-.
braces the leading points Of information which
we should expect to find in such document, but
it supplies us with vast mass of scientific data
which, though intimately connected with, are not
necessarily called for in report of this kind. In
giving us the typographical and geological fea-
lures of the park, it dscloses some curious facts
in reference to our city sewerage which, although
they have been suspected, have never before been
substantated by investigation. In stating it as
his opinion that before any improvement of the
site OF the park can be attempted, its whole area
must be thoroughly drained, Mr.. Viele proceeds
to show that the plan on which the sewerage Of
the city has been constructed has been an entire
mistake. The Commissioners who laid it out
seemed not to have been aware that drainage
was an indispensable preliminary to proper
system of sewerage, and the consequence is that
our sewers fail to carry off large amount ofstag-
nant water which is continually breeding infection
in our midst The rectangular plan of the city
he explains has no reference either to the topo-
graphy or geology of the ground, and proper drain
age being dependent upon both, the existing sewers
which are based upon that plan are incompatible
with perfect drainage. How satisfactory to iud
that in this, as in other matters connected with
the city administration, we have been working in
the dark and expanding vast sums of the public
money on system that little preliminary in
quiry would have shown to be erroneous.
On the geological data furnished by the report
it is not necessary for us to make any comment.
However useful they may prove in the different
engineering operations connected with the laying
out of the grounds, the information which they
convey is of too general character to call for
observation Not so with the details given under
the botanical head. From a survey made Of the
park to ascertain how far the existing vegetation
can be made available for the projected improve
ments it appears tina. of trees shrubs and para
sites of this character there have been found forty
two different kinds, comprising in all about
100000 specimens The remainder of the
plants are either unfit to remain or are SO few in
number as to render any reference to them uu-
necessary. The kinds of which the largest num-
Der of specimens have been found are the silver
leafed maple, the common alder, the water birch,
the wild filhert, the beech, the sassafras, the
sweet gum, the bay berry, the red oak, the CON-
mon locust tree, the maple leafed arrow wood,
the choke cherry and the buttonwood sycamore.
These are all trees to which the soil seems admit
rably suited, and which can be employed to the
greatest advantage in laying out the grounds.
The most interesting part of the report is, of
course, that which relates to the details of the
plan. We have already had occasion to express
our approval of the leading idea on which the
latter is based. 1t is intended that it shall fol-
low strictly the natural coniguration Of the
ground. This is the only true principle of art as
applied TO landscape gardening, and the only one
likely to give permanent satisfaction. Those
who desire to introduce amongst us the geome-
trical systems of the French and Dutch would soon
turn in disgust from the realization of their
pet ideas. Rectangular alleys and lockwood
monsters may do very well for the gardens of
Versailles or Rotterdam, but they are unsuited
to the simple and natural tastes of our people
II is therefore with satisfaction that we watch the
Development of the ideas which induced us to
give to Mr.. Viele's first plan our warm approval.
He appears to appreciate thoroughly the artistic
requirements which are necessary to give it CON-
pleteness and to view its details with the eye OF
man schooled to the creation of effects upon q
large and picturesque scale. Such being the
case we have no fear that the Central Park VII
fulfil the expectations of those who first con-
ceived and struggled to carry out this magnificent
project Unless corruption and Encouragement
should step in to distort and spoil the concep-
tons Of Mr.. yiele, we are not going too far to
say that they promise to give us one OF the
noblest and most beautifully laid out gardens In
the world.