The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-04
GARDENS OF WOE.
Desolation Reigns Out at
Woodward's.
ONLY GHOSTS OF THE PAST.
Where Once the Life and Joy of the
City Centered Now a MeIan-
choiy Silence Broods.
ONLY GHOSTS OF THE PAST.

II ever there was perfect realization of
the "abominatiou of desolaton" spoken OF
by The prophet its zenith is to be found
to-day in the tumbledown weed-decked
waste which was once Woodward
Gardens. CALL reporter spent three
hours there recently visiting every familiar
nook and Granny Of the once beautiful
grounds, now weighted with solitude and as
silent as a city of the dead.
The mammoth. bust of Washington is a
mockery of its: former self. being dirty,
neglected and surrounded with scaffolding
Prior to its removal.
On Wednesday last three huge drays were
engaged in removing the most valuable
trees to their future homes. Visitors will
remember the great Cocos pimosa which
stood under the dome of the conservatory.
1t is lhirty-four feet in height and was re-
moved by the new French screw invented
ID Paris. known as the Wis Andre or Wis
Gardlnier. Andre being the name OF the in
ventor. The tree was bought by Adolph
Shtro and 1t took five men a whole day to
remove it with The aid of the screw. The
roots are clamped by machinery in barrel
form and the screw has "a horsepower.
Each turn of the screw moves the tree
about two inches and by the aid of the in
Ventlon the largest trees can be moved
safely. The work was done under the sur
velllsnce of NJ. j, Abraham and Mr. Sutro's
florists.
Passing on to the waterfowl ponds and
the old emu paddock the scene is the same.
The old merry-go-round boat is being
broken up with hatchets and rests on
foundation of green slime.
1he Zoographicon and marine museum
are all dsmantlel and empty. The bright
glass tanks which once held so many
curious and lively specimens of fish, from
Dolly Warden trout 10 the minuow. are
either dry or full of stagnant water reekng
W tn decomp0sed. vpgetabl matter.
i ne old seal pond has perhaps a foot of
water In the center. and on the mud near
the Sides lie broken lumber, old ladders and
rubbish which has been pitched in. The
pnnderous pile OF rocks IN the centar, with
the hollow arch, in 1t, through which tue
seals used TO dive, stands up like mockery
OF Pompeii in its foul bed of mud.
Near the seal pond were two other large
drays carting away rare and valuable
palms, safely boxed in round barrels
strongly hooped with zinc and iron bands.
The avlary. once so full Of feathered life
and song. Is now untenanted, save by a
stray sparrow who impudenty flies into
the old eagles cage in perfect security after
stray wisp of straw.
The bandstand, restaurant and dance
hall, where all was noise and merriment are
a hollow mockery of the past and the long
with lager and was Tedoent of Swiss
cheese, extends its gaunt length along tue
building without even an empty saltwater
bottle to give it.an air of quasi-respecta-
b ty.
The entrance tothe tunnel, under the road
which used 10 lead to the meuagerie, has
been boarded up securely and the ground
cut away from its mouth. So amid q rank
growth of unknown grass, which would be
q banquet for band Of cattle and among
towering trees which hOWaVnr Nafu,hIa
are too large 10 be moved, the visitor gropes
his way back TO the entrance.
Here The CALI. reporter, feeling as,if he
had just been to the funerals of nature and
art, met Mr. Cushing. the gentleman in
charge OF the gardens, and from whom con-
siderable information was obtained. He
denies positively thenewspaper reports that
lie put ten bullets into the lion and asserts
with emphasis that he only shot him twice
He stated further that only two shots were
fred at The old bear.
The little black bear was shot few DAYS
ago by acolored man named Burnley. One
shot with revolver finished the
poor little fellow. The hyena was taken
away last Monday by Professor Nolte. and
can now be seen in the window of q
kearDy-street bird aud animal store. The
coyote left three weeks ago with his owner
for parts unknown.
The great space where the camels and
llamas used to meander around is now over
grown with grass and looks like 4 second
class baseball ground, with tumble-down
beachsrs TO the right
Where the lion was shot sand has been
strewn over the blood-stained floor. 1t is
wonder that the wounded beast did not
break out, for the woodwork Of the left
hand side of the den is completely rotten.
The empty den of the once happy fam
lily recalls recollectons of dogs cats,
monkeys. parrots, goats and pigs twenty
years ago, but 1t is only n memQry, and the
old inhabitsnt who win take the trouble to
mako the tour Of the deserted and woe
BECOME grounds, once the pride of the city,
Will return pOndering over the changes
which Time keeps making in ourselves. onr
neiGhbors and our surrnnndinrs