The New York herald., 1870-02-20
A Lying Thief.
TIE GREAT GARDEN CITY.
Progress Of improvements on Mr.. Stewards
Hampstead Plains Purchase-Most Of the New
City Surveyed, Mapped and Laid
Out-Description of the Parks,
Streets and Buildings

The imprOv cments auspiciously and success
fully mauguraied upon MIR. A. 4. Stewards Hemp
stead Plains purchase being prosecuted with
energy sleepless ana untirng os the work to be
accomplished ia vast and comprehensive. Enough
Of the proposed plan OF laying out this future favored
place OF suburban abode-this Garden City, the pro-
spective given it-has been developed TO give
an idea OF its grand and unsurpassed beauty when
everything shall have been completed In ac-
cordance with the designs already matnred by Mr..
John Kellum, the architect, under whose personal
supervision the work Is being prosecuted.
The most pleasing feature OF all that this ggan-
tic work OF Improvement this conversion OF an arid
plain INTO great suburban city OF beautiful abodes
ana spacious avenues, lined with magnificent
shade trees. extensive parks, blossoming with
beautiful flowers and perpetually verdant with
emerald trees and shE8Dbery, and with winding
gravelled walks and delightful drives and dmlnutve
lakes, Is not stimulated BY the bighting spirit OF
seductive speculation, but with the high ana noble
purpose OF giving comfortable homes to thousands
IN moderate circumstances OF refined and cultivated
famiies whom the exactions OF landlords compel at
present TO exhaust nearly all their earnings nd in
come In payment of high rents.
II Is no easy matter to select starting point
OF description OF the improvements in progress.
TO the casual observer everything appears
to be In very confused and Inchoate
state. Scattered about corps OF engineers
aging out the grounds, arranging the courses
OF the avenues and streets ana marking out
the boundaries OF the parks, In temporary ONCE
erected for their accommodation are draughtsmen
busily preparing maps Tor future guidance. All
about are gangs OF workmen busy with axes, picks
and shovels, removing hedges, fences and other
distractions and laying out the streets. The maze
OF bewilderment that, ike q darby confusingl
shadow, seems 10 overhang everything, is, after a
lew words oil snort but explicit explanation by the
accomplished and skilled architect In whose minds
eye the whole map Is already majestcally complete,
slowly bnt methodically dispeed 1t Is not until
after listening to this explanation that the visitor
and curiosity attracts hundreds here daily, though
the most 20 away more bewiloered than when they
came-begins farly to appreciate the massive
grandeur OF the Undertaking and amount oil labor
necessary to It's successful accomplishment To
begin with, the entire western section from Hemp
stead village on the south to Mtneola and the Long
Island Raroad on the north, and from the track or
the branch railroad running into Hampstead on the
east to Hyde Park anu ITS surroundings the west
has been carefully surveyed, mapped and laid out
work as thus far Accomplished, has been most care.
fully ana accurately done and with the srictest ana
most seduous regard to the natural topography OF
the land The first IN order. however. OF the fmme-
| diate improvements Will be made III the section
embraced oy the village OF Hampstead on the south,
Mncoa on the north, the brancn track on the east
ana the Court House on C0wesvlc road on the west,
thence along south to and following Cherry Valley
the southern line Of the purchase. several parks
braclng from fifty 10 one hundred and 1rty acres
Will be Included IN the limits just described The
principal park VIII be about midway between Hemp
stead and Mlneola, and, being made to conform 10
the topography OF the land, VIII be nearly triangular
In shape This park, the largest to be laid out VIII
be a model OF beauty ana completeness. The
ground, which gently unduating, possesses all the
natural features requisite for tS conversion into
park OF unsurpassed beauty-rOmantic iells, high
points for a pleasing and picturesque view of the
encOmpassing city and ITS far away surroundings,
gracefully winding walks, lovely drives and CLASSY
lakes giving completeness to the picture. In fact all
the parks VIII be gems OF rural beautythe greatly
attractive feature Of this Garden City OF the iuture
From what has been written general idea can be
obtained OF how these thousands OF acres are to be
laid out. Tae avenues and streets will be all OF
good width OF Them less than eighty feet wide,
nifty feet for The roadways and fifteen feet on each
side for the sidewalks. The roads Will be well
gravelied firm solid and SUBSTANTIAL AS mapped
ont the blocks Will be from 600 TO 1900 feet IN
length and from 400 to 500 feet wde The variation
IN length ana width OF the blocks will be made to
land. To avoid tamtness and sameness o number
OF avenues win run dag0nally. The corner lots Will
be about $50 feet square and the other lots from 200
10 225 feet front with $50 feet depth
large hotel with 1000 feet front and 500
feet depth IL TO be built In the immediate vicinity OF
the depot for the railroad As regards the line OF the
railroad this has not yet been definitely settled,
the centre OF the land running north and SOUTH and
thence running eastsoutheast until 1t crosses
Cherry Valley, ut which point fine iron bridge Will
be built the present carriage road being about
twenty feet below the general level OF the land
rounding 1t. This matter OF the railroad however,
Will DE arranged go rs to give the best practicable
accommouat ons 10 the residents III coming from
and going to New York.
one 1He dwelling has already been nearly compile
ted. IL ID intended as soon as the weather Will per.
INIT to commence putting up buAdlnps, and the ex-
pccta1op now la mat during the ensalDg season ut