New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-26
TWO PROSPECT PARK JOBS.
BAD WORK DONE UNDER COMMISSIONER
BROWER'S ADMINISTRATION.

EXPENSIVE ELECrRo-PLATING ON THE BREEZE
Hill, BRIDGE PROVES WORSE THAN USE
LESS WHY BEAUTIFUL DESIGN FOR
TIE BRIDGE WAS ABANDONED AND
THE PRESENT STRUCTURE BUILT
During the administrations OF Mayors Whitney.
Chaplin and Body all the branches OF the city gov
eminent of BROOKLYN were badly mismanaged Ir
the full history OF the evil done In the CITY WORKS
Department. the Police Department ana the flre DC
partment were written the record would " 'ons
and revolving Nor should the PARK Depai'-
ment be omitted. During this time occurred inc
fearful and wonderful Somers regime. Inc farh
Department under the control OF eight Com
mssioners and while Somers was only one OF
eight, he contrived to dominate the foaru anu
wreak his own fantastic ideas upon the uho"eh''"s
Park. Those, too. were the the days OF the s'-"t
and only Jones. and of a wonderful Engi'shmah VINO
undertook to perform the duties of park super'h'
tendent In this period also the Park Commission
was reduced to three members and finally placed on
the same footing the other city departments ny
the passage OF act authorizing the appointment
OF a single Commissioner
But this dark time was not unrelieved by inter-
walls when intelligence and public spirit reigned IN
the administration OF the Brooklyn parks. by ex-
ceptional good luck. like the Rev Dr. Storrs'
General John g. Woodward and F.. H. Kennedy
were selected AS Park Commissioners, but the inns
did not suffice to permit them 10 carry o"' ''.''
Ideas I'm FULL or ese they were prevented from oo
Ing go by the domination Of the elements against
which they were warning. When the act providing
a single head for the Park Department TOOK erect
George Is. Brewer appointed to the once py
Mayor Chaplin and ne continued there py
Mayor Body. Unfortunately he saw III 10 uhdo'
as far $ he could. some OF the work DECIDED upon
by his predecessors. with results IN some cares NJ
least that the people OF Brooklyn cannot con'em'
hi-g safiefacftOn.
A DESIGN BY WELI~KNOWN FIRM.
one Of the projects determined upon by the fark
Commission when General Woodward was Its presi'
dent was the construction Of a bridge over the mar
row mart OF the lake lying between Lookout Hiii
and Breeze HI. A fine bridge here was cohteh'
plated in the original plan OF the fark' pu' "s '"o
money needed not forthcoming only "ooae"
structure was put up. This did service lot many
wears although II was a ramshackle nna'r IL was
80 near the surface OF the water that the approacneS
to 1t on. each side were steep and as II was oh'y
.omnororv a, best no pains were taken To put these
abrupt slopes In good condition for driving. men,
too the low bridge prevented the water uh''r''i'"
from freezing over in winter, unless the weather.
was exceptionally cod and 50 at this point skaters
often were subjected to serious annoyance. 'haer
the woodward Commission. however II was de-
cide, - burd n fine handsome bridge here. ana IN
order 70 insure n satisfactory piece OF WORK the
wev-known firm OF McKim. Meade & White were
engaged to furnish design FOR the orlose' ~
noble structure OF granite was contemplated WIZ"
a stately and graceful arch connecting the I"'
MS The topography OF the region made effective
treatment comparatively easy. ana While the grah,,e
bridge proposed would have been costly uhd'', 80"
Co., :, was fel, that since this 10 be the ch'ei
,,ason-v in the Park the money would be Wisely
expended
MR.. ERowER OBJECTS TO EXTRAVAGANCE'
s, the matter stood when Mr.. Brewer beam" TO-
sronsib.e for the administration oi me fa'H ~
partment The design had been secured p"' NV
work had not been aciua,.y BEGUN NO oohTho' ""'
hoe, made Commissioner Brewer .oSi MI" '''ne
IN pronouncing the pan decided upon pre-
needless exiravagnncc. lie r"cosnize1 'he h''' ~,
h-aeo ~ course but thought thRt b" coui DUH
m. ,or less money ,hs, woui answer inc tnrpo'"'
Certainly he coud. i, the bridge was 10 oe S'np"
A means FOR vehic'es and pedestrians 70 cross "
lake at the point IN question ar"''er
structure would have served "rh"'''
ard hla associates however. thought that 'h' NJ
,,e,,c sense OF the people visiting the PARK sho
:. y,,,ined by the work. AMI n really bean'i'u'
bridge would have been reared II the Original pan
had been carried ont. But Commissioners h''"'
had other IDEAS. and he had the power 70 Carp
them into effect. In fact. there was ~ one - -,
him nav and IT IS not known that ~ ever consut"i
a,,n acknowledged experts on questions Of land
cana ,re,tuon, as 70 the wisdom Of the pan
which he adopted.
SANDSTONE AND IRON USED.
Instead Of enduring granite. he decided TO use
o,,.b,h,. sandstone and hardly less perishab.e
iron and in order 10 save expense he thought p's'
., over the bridge and III In the apiroaches' ih's
prov,-l 10 be n costly operation In lisr'' anu ",e
height and dignity Of the structure wer" mus s'''
ous,v ,npaired The abutmen,s were buii oi
hrownstone and a low and NJ, graceful arch OF
iron was thrown between them. Walks were bu't
o,, the borders OF the lake underneath the bridge
and a drive was laid out n.ons the margin OF III
.bs W.T. Drive 10, far from the southwestern en-
trance OF PARK, The ebuiments on the pf, o9
pleted until some time after that -.
Already the cost partly on account ,o OF verv far
hensve ,b estli,~d expense Of the bridge designed
by McKim Meade White 80" cones ph" IN C ra
ings OF the bridge proved 10 he ugly even IN ny
eyes. and he determined 10 give them the npp,,
ance OF massive hrvnze by means OF electro pa',ns
This was an exceedingly costly piece OF wotk, ana
the proves that thr money eApe"'e' o' "
Sir. Sauier, the present Park Commissoner. who
took charge OF the department on the II, OF rTn
ruarv last had been In Office on.y mite "h.e
when he discovered that the expensive electro,
plating was in very ead way w ,niss IN bs,srs
or sealing on In short 4 was no better h man ca., an
eyesore and created the impression on 'n e neces
Al attempts 10 save It were useless. ana OF course
there thought Of having the work dSn v. yss
s stnH pn. on al heavy cost removed. and then TO
paint the ironwork in order to give IL hs pres'"'o'
50 there this 'cheap and nasty" bridge-this
"tpower horror" as one admirer OF the beautiful
PARK terms ii~stanls to offend every educated eye.
i,eing there Il Will have remain al least lot
period. for work of this knd can
,o, he I,ndone by a wave Of the hand. Commits,
aInncr Souier has made the best OF mlserably Dau
business and visitors to the Park must we" nc
,e.,i, with as much equanimy az possible: III ~
loo late TO make use " the admirable" design o.
talned by the Woodward Commission and the
i'rnoye Jiu bridge I'm all lts hdcousness VIII re-
main as a monument TO the incompetency OF Soin-
missioner Brewer and the extravaganza whlcn ne
nrvilv or otherwise permitted 10 De prhStSeu
rhle mt the head OF the Park Department.
ANOTHER BRowER HORROR.
p,,, this ia not the only horror for which he was
resnonslb;e While In control " the Brooklyn PARKS
IIapply in the case about to be described MS pad
work can be undone and made as II II had not
been. without any large expense. As every one