Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-13
School Children Will be Given Plenty
of Ground to ROmp aud Sport at
Will in Schenley Park.
IT WOULD KEEP THEM OFF STEETS.
The Chief of the Department of Public
Works Will Not Allow Pittsburg to
be Behind New York.
TENNIS COURTS AND CROQUET GROUNDS.
Schemes to Make the Second Avenue Park and the
Bedford Basin Useful Places.

A playground for school children is the
latest, and the probabilities are that within
the next year or two the youngsters will
have place to romp and play without run
ming any risk of being run down by vehicles
on the streets, or having to secure the serV-
ices of the specter cable car to enable them
to get pair of custom-made wings after a
hurried Eight from this earth to heaven.
One of the places will be at Schenley Park,
but it is not every child that can get a nickel
for car fare every time it wants to play, so 1t
will be necessary to secure play grounds
nearer the heart of the city. As general
rule the children who live in the vicinity OF
the park have big yards to romp in, and 90
not need a playground as badly as those
living in the city.
In New York City, Buffalo. Baltimore
and several other cities there are play
grounds for the use of children. In New
York the grounds are located along the
North and East rivers and on the slips" or
walks between the landing places of the
boats. The "slips" are fenced in, and each
oDe is in charge of member of "the finest, !"
who
KEEPS A wATCHFUL EYE
on the children to prevent them from getting
into each others hair. The grounds are
favorite places of resort of grandpapas and
other old gentlemen who delight to see the
children gambol and play, as the thoughts
of the old codgers wander back 60 years or
more when they were children.
Chief Bigelow, of the Department of
Public Works on his ''stopover" in New
York while coming home from Europe, hap
pened to learn of the children's play ground,
and was much interested in the manner the
metropolis looked after the pleasure and
health of the coming men and women. The
Chief also visited the meadow" play
ground in Central Park, and the thought
suggested itself to him to have such place
in Schenley Park. lie saw thousands of
children running, playing at tag, tumbling
on the ground and scrambling up again,
and says he never enjoyed anything better.
While coming home he began to think of
devoting a big space in Schenley Park
where the children could run and tumble at
VIII. Keep off the grass" will not stare
them in the face, and they will not stand in
awe of one of Chief Browns blue-coated
minions. In speaking of the matter yester-
day. Chief Bigelow said:
"We will give considerable attention to
the children in Schenley Park, and the
latter will not only be an ornament, but it
will be useful to the city. We intend to
have lots of room for them to jump around
and roll on the grass if they wish to. We
will have lawn tennis courts, croquet
grounds, swings, sand piles-where mud
pies can be made-and everything conducive
to the comfort of children. OF course, it
will be little far for some children to go
TO- but after we get our main entrance built
there will be no trouble about getting
there"
THE SECOND AVENUE PARK.
'How about the Second avenue park?
Can't it be given to the children for play
ground?''
''No L would not like thai, for the reason
that they would not be away from the
streets. The Second avenue electric cars
run along both sides and ends of the park
and it would be the hardest work imagin-
able to keep the children from climbing
over the fence and getting out on the car
tracks Yes, the lower Bedford basin,
which will be vacated shortly, could be
filed in and an excellent play ground made
of ii. The air up there is good and several
hours of romping would do poor children a
wonderful amount of good"
Mayor Gourlev was asked what he thought
of the scheme. He said: "It would be a
glorious thing five could get play grounds
for the children in the lower part of the city,
where they are needed. 1t is only matter
of time until the downtown schools can be
Ill i l.
out of the space the closed ones occupy
In other cities they have places where the
children can jump around and tear their
clothes as much as they please, and it is sell
dom that you hear of children being run
over while playing in the streets. A great
many of the cable and horse car accidents
are caused by the little lads being out in |
the street and running from one side to an
other. / would like to see Schenley Park |
always open to the children to run about in,
except, of course, where the flowers are |
planted. The Second Avenue Park would |
be good place if there was a high board |
fence around it, but not otherwise. The |
best place is the Bedford basin, |
which could be filed in at little cost and |
made attractive for children. 1 believe in |
giving the youngsters chance to play here
instead of in heaven"
MATTER OF MONEY.
Sheriff McCandless, member of the Gen.
tral Board of Education. 81 do not know
anything 1 would like to see in the city
better than public play grounds. where the
youngsters could run at will and enjoy
themselves, but the only objection against
it is the enormous values of real estate in
the lower part of the city. The price of
property is so high that it would be riGicu-
lous TO think of purchasing ground. OF
course, if the city has space all right, it
could not be used to better advantage. In
the case of the Bedford basin do not think
it could be put to better use, after it is dis
continued ior the purposes for which it was
built Schenley Park is a good place, and
the Second Avenue Park would be better,
although it is small. 1 do not
think there would be much danger
from the electric cars if a high board fence
was built around it. What good is it doing
anybody, anyhow? The angels have been
taken away, and even grass won't grow in
5he park. 1t is not a beautiful spot by anv
means, and for one would be willing to
turn it over to the children.
Superintendent of Schools Luckey-I be-
lieve every man in the city would be in ia
vor of such scheme if it could be DONE but
do not think we have the room here.
am in favor of play ground around each
schoolhouse, but the price of property has
made this impossible. Some of the schools
have big yards, Tor instance. the Forbes, and
the children should be allowed to play inside
the Enclosures at all times.