New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-24
JONESS WOOD FOR 4 PARh
". WATTS SHERMAN POINTS OFT ITS
MANY ADVANTAGES.

THE NEED on SUCH BREATHING PLACES \ CRY
IHG oSE 4 BELIEF THAT IT CAS- BE Sc
CURED FOR a REASONABLE PRICE
Tho idea that city parks should be laid oui Tor
those VINO mos; need them that is. the children
Of the tenement O. house districts has an earnest
advocate III ". Watts sherman. Of ~. SIS Fifth
ave. Mr. sherman believes that. II possible. every
public school should have It's park in which the
children could play In speaking OF the matter
yesterday MI sherman said: Flower beds and
Landscape gardening all very well in their
places. 50 are great parks in the annexed district
But the parks which will do the most good To the
greatest number. and have their greatest effect
on the health and morals II our future citizens,
are Fairgrounds and breathing places for the
thousands OF children who crowded into the
tenemcnt-housc districts. Ilots where they will
not be compelled to content themselves with lo,k-
ing at the turf and shrubbery from behind keep
off the grass signs. but roll on the green
sward. arc mos, needed. Even II their little feet
XII out the grass. it il better that they should
play games on the gravel than be padding
around the street cutters or compelled To grow
up in alleys and cellars
"Thc city should secure some Of the unim-
proved lots st remaining in sections like that
Fifty before they are built upon. After
that the will be greatly Increased and build
ings must be bought and torn down. as at Cor
lears HOOK and Mulberry Bend, before the land
can be converted to park uses. The property
known as J0ncs's Wood seems To be most
suitable one for this purpose. 1t is on the river
bank and has some natural features which III II
for "a park playground while they unfit il for
building purposes. There II nothing To tear down,
for even the picnic buildings that were on II nave
been burned down recently. The river Is 50 swift
and so narrow at that point that the water front
Is Of little value for wharfage. The surrounding
reghborhpod IL half filed now with tenement
houses and cheap ,iathOi.ses. and more are going
up al the time Soon there Will be no breathing
places except the streets. OF course Central Park
IL not far or but promenadng dcmurcly over It's
asphalt walks Is no great satisfaction To growing
youngsters who want to run and shout and pay
ieapfrog and one-old-cat to develop their muscles
and rcdden their blood.
81 have no definite Information. but am OF the
impression that the property could BE- secured at
quite reasonable terms, partly for the reasons
given before and partly because the owners have
always had the idea that II ought To be "A park.
In 1854 the city decided 10 purchase II for that
purpose A commission was appointed and II was
appraised. But before the transfer was COM
p'e.ed. the project II laying out Central Park
was formed and all subordinate park schemes
were dropped. | have absolutely no interest in
the property merely insist that for the sake
If the people the city should have az many small
parks or Fairgrounds as possible. and that for
the sake Of the taxpayers cheap and unimproved
uropertics having any natural adaptation to the
nurpose should be acquired before they are built
upor. and trcbled In value