The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-07-25

D. Ihc stony Kun tract, called commencing a
rymans lane, apd extending alone the Charles street
avenue to Lake avenue and across the valley of Stony
Run to the dividing ridge between the waters of the lat
Ter and Jones' Falls This site offered, either by it.
self in connection with property south of it. be
longing to the Hampden Association, George u GraT
Esq, and General Mankin. The whole containing 7eS
acres offered for S664 $50 and averaging SS2 per
Leaving out the between Cold Spring lane and Lake
avenue but including the property south of Merryman
lane would make the Park $50 acres costing $3.50 $50
with the ability tc add the former at future time
Deductng from the 79S offered to the Commission
the Stony Run route for $50 the land lying
of Cold Spring ne and there would remain $50
cost of $4S9 $50 including the lands of the amden As
soctOn estimated at 81 COO per acre and those of
eral Mankin and Mr. Graft and adding this the prom
ery OF Mr. Wyman at SO 500 per for one hun
ded acres or $3.50 600, and the Stony site in its
available shape in the opinion of the Commission would
contain G33 acres at cost Of S39 $50, about 63
per
6. oxford the York road, with adjacent property
supposed to be obtainable.
7, Several tracts of land adjacent to and including the
farm Of George NJ Weer, Esq, the side Of the
city and south of the Philadelphia road containing 500
acres and offered for Sl50,0O0.
s. site of 2O5 acres was offered byA. s DUNCAN Esq.,
at $3.50 per This far from Mr. Wetters and
could be increased to the desired size by purchases from
neighboring proprietors.
Looking the direction in which Baltimore was grow
ing, and the impossbility of controlling tendency
to causes independent wholly of a Public Park-no
matter how attractive-the Commission felt obliged at
once to reduce their list of sites by striking from Nos
and s. notwithstanding the comparatively small sum
for which they were offered and in spite of the adyan
tages which each of these sites, considered by ITSELF
might fairly claim in view of its capabilities of improve.
ment.
The site of which Oxford no 6) was the nucleus was
withdrawn after the Committee had visited it. 1t did
not, therefore, enter into the competition.
The next site dropped by the Commission No. 4,
adjoining the Northern avenue aud lying between the
Falls road and the Green Spring avenue fell short
of the required number of acres and the suggestion
widening it by including the Hampden reservoir by a
viaduct across the Falls did meet the difficulty grow
ing out of its defect Of quantity 1t had the
daton of being the nearest TO the CITY, but
count was the most costly, and although susceptible
hgh Improvement did not become thereby of paramount
excellence.
The four remaining sites Hunting Ridge the
Almshouse property, Stony Run and Druid Hill Either
OF these would have made admirable Park. The Com
mission dropped Hunting Ridge from their list with much
regret. The views from it were unequalled. Its soil
was eXcellent-its surface agreeably unduating-its
woods ample and the proximity of Dead Run made
water obainable for all purposes and any reasonable
extent 1t was the cheapest too of all the available sites
offered to the Commission 1t was remote however
comparatively, and as it possessed advantages sui.
cent to counterva this objection when it came into
petition with sites nearer to the city, it dropped from
the list.
The Almshouse site then dropped 1t stood verv
high in the estimation of the Commission especially af
changing for that purpose the location of the Windsor
Mill road 1t the only site which was within the
city limits in part and certainly possessed valuable ca
paoies Its great want trees when compared with
other ocatiesnor the supply of water as large as
the Commission desired without relying the city re.
scvors for assistance Its average cost per acre ex
ceeded too what the Commission were willing to rive
without an absolute necessity.
The choice the Commission was thus reduced to the
Druid Hill and Stony Run SITES When latter was
hrst offered 1t was supposed that the proprietor of Home
wood which seemed to be the key to the site would
sent to dispose of when the entrance Charles street
avenue would not have been farther from the centre of
the city than the entrance to Druid Hill. Homewood
however, was not to be obtained. This once very
materially affected the value of the site in the opinion
the Commission. 1t deprived it of near one hundred
acres of improved grounds and excellent woodland that
could have been made at available for the
OF the Park and which the public could have been in the
enjoyment of while the work of improvement was going
on elsewhere. This which was one of the recommends
became Run
site. ~
1t entrance to the Park from Charles
street avenue to Merymans lane and placed it much
farther from the centre of the entrance
Druid Fill, matter not to be lost sight of on close
comparison of the two 1t is true that entrance might
be had by descending the lane south of Homewood or by
one of the projected avenues from Decker Cathedral
sreets and opening on the property of Mr. Graf the
Hampden Association. But these desirable en-
frances when compared with that by the Charles street
avenue and the Commission would have adopted them
win regret 1t is also true that leaving out Homewood
for the present, the Commission might have relied upon
obtaining it at some future day, when the proprietor
might be disposed to sell it. have looked forward to
legislative aid with view to its condemnation.
But these were alternatives which did not commend
themselves 1avoraby to the Commission. They felt
disposition to place the city in the absolute power either
of the propretors of jury after the of the
surrounding lands Park had given to Homewood a
greatly enhanced market value, evenhad the Commission
believed, which they did not that HOmewood placed Sto-
ny Kun at the head of the list The Commission admit
ted, when discussing the matter, that there
cumsances which would justify them in making the par
a purchase here referred to- trusting the chapter
accidents for completing it satisfactorily, somehow or
another at future day. But not recognizing anv
public exgency Of the sort they regarded Stony Run
site as though Homewood were out of the question
had it been otherwise however the that could have
been said of it regarded accessibility that it
w. the latter had the advantage in two railroads which
were already within few minutes walk of its entrances
and which had found their natural termini consid
erations irrespective of the Park in Madison street and
Pennsylvania avenue respectively.
But independent of Homewood. Stony Run possessed
important advantages either with without the
Mr. Graf, General Mankn and the Hampden Association
The first thing that had struck the Commission Druid
Hill was the parkike appearance of all that part of it
in the vicinity of the mansion. Taste in the arrange
ment of the woods originally, and time in rounding them
into of great beauty evidently been at work
for long years. and had left an area of many acres
little to be done at time hereafter in the way of i'm
provement or alteration. The comparative smapess Of
the expenditure required to put the public at once into
possession OF resort OF great oveliness the smua
neous comment of the members of the Commission as
they drove from the entrance to the mansion from
the pOrtico looked down upon the lawns; and while in
remoter parts Of the estate they found careful
ture and ruder forest they nothing which was be
yond the limit OF moderate means, judciousy applied
to bring up to the proper standard On the other hand
while they admired and appreciated the capabilities of
Stony Rum it was most apparent that hundreds of thou
sands would have to be spent to put it on par with
Druid Hill within any reasonable time. When the Com
mission recoected the means at their command and how
desirable it every considerations that the rail-
ways should take of the Park without involving the
city for than the purchase site the difference
between the TWO places in this particular not with
out its effect.
Again pushing the comparison still further the superi
Run site was very striking 1t is disparagement
latter to say 1t is doubted indeed whether short of
southwestern valleys specimens of American forest
trees, singy in groups and in masses found sur
passing those at Druid Hill; and the only wonder is that
such spot should exist in such close proximity to
great city, and yet be as unknown to nine hundred and
nnetynine in the thousand of its inhabitants as the
Southwestern valleys themselves
The point in the comparison, however, to which the
Commission addressed themselves with the greatest in
terest was the supply ofwaer. Druid Hill possesses
running streams except such as rise within it's limits
he l9tt are
sufficient to give it the character of welwatered farm
yet they are far inferior in volume to Stony Rum which
through the entire extent of the site to which gives
name in this report So far such is essential
70 FarR the advantage is clearly in favor of the Stony
Run site
But this advantage lost weight greatly with Com
mission, when the whole subject discussed
carefully considered 1t then became very doubtful
whether such stream Stony Run the best form in
which water supply could be obtained, draining it
dld, large surface liable to rapid rises and bringing
down with every freshet the auyion washed from the
cultivated lands that border it, or the quality of this al
luvon the Commission could Judge for themselves as
they saw the accumulations of it the beds of Mr.
Graft ice pond and of the violence of the no bet
ter evidence was wanting that the ruins of the heavy
dams which this years rains had rent and washed away
from crest to foundation.
But admitting the fact that the preservation the
dams by making them reshet proof was merely cues
on OF expense, the Commission not satisfied that
lakes and ponds that could be kept at all times trans
parent were not preferable elements the picturesque
oIhose which were liable to be mudded by every rain
The lake in the Bois de Boulogne Paris, of
the celebrated Parks in the world is supplied by
pumped up at Neuy and the lake in the Central Park
at New York is supplied from reservoir which, al
though filled by the natural flow The Croton river
nevertheless only used when its supply is translucent
Even at Stony Run, water must be pumped that it's
higher grounds may have those drinking fountains,
which it forms part of the plan of the Commission to
have placed at convenient distances along every
and walk.
Weighing carefully all that could be said for and
against the means of supplying water for the purposes
the Park, useful well picturesque, the Commission
were strongly inclined to obtain the requisite quantity
by pumping 1t into common reservoir from whence it
could De taken wherever wanted-provded this could
be accomplished with unuuestionabe certainty and
sonabie economy. Pursuing their inquiries in this d
rectlon they ascertained that by removing, when no
longer used, the pumps that fill the Chase Reser
Yor, from the present pump house North street to
the first dam below the mouth of Stony Run they could
force supply to the summit behind the mansion of
Druid Hill 1866 feet above tide) amply sufficient to fur
nish lakes and fountains wherever wanted through the
grounds One of these lakes would an area of 2
acres being the site Of the reservoir contemplated in
the water survey in the event of Gwynns Falls being
used to supply the city.
The bottom of this lake will 2s5 feet above tide and
its surplus water may be easily carried into the Hamp
den reservoir which sixty nine feet below it. Shoud
additional supply for the higher portion
the Druid Hill Park may still be appropriated as sug-
gesed in the water survey of Mr. Sade The entire eX
pense OF running the pumps will not exceed three hun
dred dollars per annum They belong the city When
Roland's lake furnishes supply by the natural flow
they will be useless The expense of removing
lying down the pipes connecting them with Druid hill lake
will consume but small portion of the fund in the hands
of the Commission to begin with and the use of them AS
suggested will make the Druid Hill Park as regards its
water supply, everything that could be desired
In ADDITION to the supply thus obtained smaller coec
tons OF water may be had from the springs which are
found the property and the preservation and orna
mentahon of which will form a part of the duty of the
commission In charge of the Park hereafter.