Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-12-05
TEE PARK RoADwAY.
what =, l.. OInistead q CO., Land-
scapo ArchiIeCts, Bhink About az.

Ths LStk commissioners met in the |
Bonrd Of Health office, Tuesday after
nuuu, Preeidpnt William NJ Candy in the
chair Tie other members present were
Wl.llaia Oanbs, Willism r. Bancroft, d.
Mention, Presidsut of Council John o.
Faua, Chairman OF Finauo9 Committee
j. Il. She's and City Eogineer George d.
BoIghDlan.
necratary and Treasurer j. A. Richard
son reported balance in bank to the
credit of The commissioners OF $ll,-
236 9J.
There was but little buEinesa to trans
act. Prtslisnt Danby, On behalf OF the
Committee Rpp9intet to visit the parks
in Boston Al Other cities, reported tina.
n mob intoredtug and valuable iniorms.
ton hGi % II obtained. Ha also reported
tuat a commission had been paGed rpnn
Bmaii eSiJ IF land sdj nning tine X k,
wond Park palonginR to the Pussy estate,
whiuh was needed for the park and hi
3olLmi5 l1i hal awarded the own rs $l5.
Win respect 10 no proposed road or
driveway along the BrGur ywine Park
Air. CANDY said be had written to Fred
erick Law OlmsteaA x Company, the
weil-k1uwn Ian iscdpe architects Ut Bos-
4 ton, and received from them the follow
inn ruply;
Dear Sir: We have been much Interested
III Our leiter describing the state OF pubic
| opinion ia gard 20 II drive from Market
| atest to the nav EFauigwlne Park.
| IL iSh question oil very great Importance,
/ ami Que whcu s'ou!1 rot h1 hastily de-
cldvd. tne nattar u cost ought not to be
| given as ruu"n weight, compared with the
ultimate value OF tho Improvement, as Is
customary lu street building.
| Without having made any detailed plans
| or estimates we are OF optllGn that the bal
auoe OF advantages viii bA found 10 be very
| decidedly IN favor OF having the new drive
Hnov5 Inc tns long south race instead OF
! upon the site of the old sdort south race.
l. There will necessarily be. as you sug-
! gast an almost entire destruction OF ths
| present. trees and other natural verdure
along the bank Of the river, the value OF
which, iormiug AS It does an extension OF
the landscape value OF the river from the
park land into the denselv populated part
u the city, 1t would be difficult TO 0veresti-
mate. The restoration OF the bank OF the
river where II would have to be changed
would bc difficult, slow and costly work,
and one which would not be apt to be
allowed In any engineers calculation OF
the cost of building the road.
2. The WHO'S cost OF the road on the
snort race location and Of restoring the
bank of the river would be cnargesDle
essentially 10 the park scheme (whatevec
the technical source OF the money might
bel because 1t would be solely for access to
the PARK drive, II would not give access
10 private lands nor afford a desirable line
OF traffic for business purposes. We do
not mean to say that Its cost would not be
justii4ble even II this were the case, but
simply that where there are other good
reasons for placing the drive OH the uphill
side of the long race the fact that 1t would
there serve us access to series OF most de-
sirable building sites is very strong reason
Tor that location OF 1t. We do not snow
whether the local IL W allow of an assess-
mont for betterments In such q case, but,
even II they do not, there would almost In
evitably be rise In the value OF tue land
benefited which the assessoEs would take
notice Of, and in all probability the In
creased taxes would In Il few years, more
than pay the interest on the whole cost OF
the road.
.. The cost OF construction of the road
would III all probability BIS very much
greater on the b ort raee location (next the
river bank) than along the hillsile above
the long race. In the former Ease there
would Iavs TO be large amount OF filling
done both in the race Itself, In the slopes
next the river and In the approach to the
bridge, all OF which would have to be
brought az more than usual expense from
distance. Costly retaining walls would
be required. for considerable distances, to
protect the road from destruction by Hoods.
An expensive, because diagonal, bridge
would be required to bring the road back
over the long RAGS at the foot OF Jefferson
street.
4. All existing and future sewers, II the
proposed street Is run along the line of the
short race between the long race and the
river, as well AS tho existing foul surface
water courses, would have to be taken
under the city water supply race by an eX-
rensiye and not easily cleaned serlos o..
inverted iron siphons to empty into the
proposed interuepting sewer. II the new
street Is made above lhe long or city water
supply race, on the other hand, not only
the cost OF these iron siphons and consld-
CRADLE pieces OF connecting sewers would
BIZ saved, but Ill hillside water, whether
positively foul and unhealthy or simply
nluddy, would be diverted by the cutters
Of the next street and TUNED into the In
tercepting saver, through catch basins in
tho most efficient ana economical way,
and the city water supply thus ABSOLUTELY
kuRrded from this source OF contamination.
5, rhe policing, lighting, watering,
cleaning and repHirtug OF the proposed
street can all be done more easily and eco
fnomlcally, II II Is connected at every block
WITH the regular street system o. the clty
than II It Is separated from 1t by the long
race.
6. The proposed street will be more
direct, shorter and on easier grades, II
located above the long race than II built on
the Has Of the short race.
2. The driveway can be- INSIDE wider and
tho river walk or promenade. whenever
iuuruHsinE population makes 1t desirable,
more spacious II the now street is put
through south OF the long rHcs. II Ia very
, important that there should be this oppor-
! tunity OF widening or relocating tbs due
river promenade connecting the city Mt
Market street with the pack proper. The
exciting walk IL evidently entirely inade-
quatr. II 1t wee made IL feet Wide 1t
would serve lis purpOae well for many
years. but tue time Will come when 30 feet
, will be none too great Width considering
the space occupied BY people on seats.
, For the above reatons Wa strongly advise
, thar the proposed street be carried along
the uphill side of tue long racs. In that
case We should recommend 10-foot side
walk next TO the private land, then six
,, DOT turf strip for shades trees to grow In
hetwapn the waik aud driveway, then a
u foot driveway (wtlhont an adjoining
walk), making in ali a 50-foot street,
/, strip OF irregular width should separate
, tho road from the race Ia order to give
room for slopes, aud his strip may be
planted with trees. There would be a
public foot path between the race and the
river, which would ba practically q park
walk. Yours truly,
+. l.. 0LMsrEAD & Co.
FirsI Train on the New ROnd.
! An Esgton Md, BueCial SAWS: The