The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-08


way a d vicinity TO Blocker and the ada
cent streets. and a few rich persons lad
b-gu the erection Of m6nsl rs along Four
teenth street, est Of Union square, and
aloI & Fifth avenue, just north OF Washing
ton square These squares, as they were
called, we're teginning 20 assume mewhat
the appearance Of be. Oining ! cations for
the Well-to-do; but by the mass Of Ne"
! Workers were regarded as bsing too ia up
town to be occupied b. any except the
ealthy, p no owned their carriages-the
0 IL means of transportation a. the time
/ beiAg lUm erfag stages. The house of
! refuge was then located on Madison square,
and much Of the ground of Broadway in
that vicinity and south Of it was occupied
as marble yards and flower gardens Be
/ tween " hat is now Madi on square and the
I pre- ent south end of the park we're vacant
| lots. with here and there a cottage, the res
/ erv IT at Fortieth street being easily seen
for miles around.
SPACE ALLOTTED.
When the legislature approved the plan
the space selected for the park vas tn Il Set
down on the city maps as bel z between
FIT ninth and LOG streets, and between
Fifth and I'll nth avenues. With the excep-
ton Of INA sinary lines and all ccasi1nal
clear nee, csc streets and avenues had no
ex-s ence 50 far up town. Surface no Sc
ca railroads had not been establl shed, and
the Harlem steam railway, the cars of
which were drawn BY lOc motives To the
de- then lOca ed at Twsnty-siXth street,
afterward known as Madison So iare Gar
de-. From the nights within the elected
| sp &c he rains Of tn Harlem railroad
coul be seen passing along far beneath, the
roadbed havI & been cut partwa through
the h!lis-LeIox Hill being east of the
proposed park.
OLD srRucTTTREs
Although I legi latlre had designated
che space TO be occ ped, embrace z 40 ut
| 7I6 acres, there were parts of ii reserve d
| To- other purposes. L o state arsenal,
| located near what is now Fifth avenue,
| was Sitni the prescribed limits aud occu-
pied fourteen acres. The upper Croton
| cseryoir covered thirty eight acres and it
Was opposed % build therein a still lar. er
reese voir to occupy liz acres But with
| the space thus limited forts were made to
reduce the area. On April 3, 1858, reso-
| luton as passed by tue commo council
nsmorializing the legislature to so change
the law that the proposed park s.ould only
embrace the territ ry between venty-
| second and lO6th stree S, thereby allowing
that p rt.on south to Fifty-ninth street to
be used for buiidi g purposes. The resolu-
tlOn, however, vent 10 the com nit ee on
| la IDS and places and laid dormant for d
year. vine it vas once more brought up.
FERN ANDO WOODS VETO
Again it was referred aud ON March Is,
! 1855, the committee reported in its favor
and the late Hon Fernando Wood. then
mayor, was requested to sign and send for
| ward the docu uent, which was a lengthy
report In favor of the proposed change.
| Tue mayor, howeve on Marcn 90, sent the
| rep TT back with veto, showing the wrong
which would be done to the citizens of New
| rk by thus curtailing the limits of the
proposed park, saying in one portion of the
| message:
There can be no doubt of the necessity
| of some auch park, conveniently located on
this island. In my opinion future genera
| lions, who are to pay the expense, will have
| good reason for rejecting upo us if wa
| permitted the entire islam to be taken pos
| session of by populatio without some spot
like this devoted 10 rural beauty, healthful
recreation pure atIno phere. We will
be derelict if, by any harrow or selfish feel
| ing OF present saving deprive the tenn
| ing millions yet to inhabit and toll upoA
| this island of one place not given up to
mammon, where they can, even If but for
| one day il the year, observe and wors ip
nature untarnlshed by conflict with art
To admit the necessity of great park, and
to assert that this will be too large is, in my
opinion, an exceedingly limltei view of the
que ton, and entirely unworthy of evel
say nothing of destiny now openi SO
rillia lily before us. Let US not follow our
| Dutch anc, stors In their narrow views of
| municipal ri udence.
After sho inz the justice of making
| CT ize Is trav-l a mile fur her to reac ths
park, and ais TO tnose VINO lad relnquishei
| cir real esta q haiti might be ma le iato
so desirable piece of city pr perty, the
mayor detailed the errors into which the
common cou ell had fallen in making their
calculations, and returned the resolution
without his approval
Thus as tne lower part of Central park
saved TO t. % people, and the prese It gener-
alton can well appreciate the wisdom of
Mayor Woods action. no matter what the
motive was that duced it-one of which is
said TO have cen tue near location of his
own real estate to the proposed pleasure
ground.
| THE PARK BEGUN.
In the year 1857 the first dirt of the park
was turned with appropriate ceremon les
The shanties and their occupants were not
removed without trouble or opposition, so
great being the a tagonsm OF the crock
men" that the military mad to be called out
TO assist in clearing them from their squat
ter" holdings. When the grou was free
from this obstruction the york proceeded,
and in time the wild region became a
blooming garden. 1t was a labor of time
and patience, and male necessary the ex-
penditure of large III MS of none. The
great reservoir was built, by means of
hich the city has storage of 5000 900
,, gallons of wa er, aud other improvements
followed. By tine energetic efforts Of Mr.
Andrew n. Green, one of the commissioners
Of Ce trail park. the legislature was Ia
duced 10 extead the public grounds north
ward to 10th street. thereby taking in
some natural rural woodland scenery
which would otherwise have cen DESTROYED,
as well as preserving for all time The ''old
rtr at the upp r end as a mem rial of The