The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-03-14
FORT ALLEN PARK.

FORT ALLEN PARK,
TO continue the work that was begun
in 1898, and provide for the large nun
Der of citizens and tourists who visit this
park during the summer months, plans
were made to utilize and make accessible
to the public the unimproyed lower por.
ton.
In pursuance of these plans contract
to do the work, amounting to $685.. O(
was made with John Ii. Flanagan, DC.
tober gath, 1895. Work was begun at once
by building Il new or lower terrace
This terrace begins at the embankment
OF the upper terrace and drive, and slopes
toward the cliff formed by the railway
cut, near the edge of which it ends,
forming an embankment averaging about
five feet in height. By arrangement
with the. Street Department., the material
for this terrace was furnished by the sur.
plus material from the grading of Morn.
ing and Congress streets, and deposited
on the ground without cost to the Park
Department.. After the slopes of the ter
race were trimmed carefully TO sub-prade
they We're covered with six inch layer
OF loan, over which was laid turf from
the City farm, amounting to about s2(
square yards. A walk ten feet in width
was built around the top Of the embank.
ment at the railroad cut, by excavatina
IL inches below finished grade and refill
ing with about 100 cubic yardsSof clean,
coarse gravel. This gravel was sub
drained by lines Of tile laid with open
joints, and affords a suitable foundation
for the surface of cement concrete which
1T is proposed to put upon the walk The
remaining part of the terrace after being
brought to sub-grade, was covered with
loan roughly graded to six inches in
depth when cold weather necassitated
stopping the work about November 81,
1895. The contract will be completed In
the spring by raking and rolling this
loan to the true grade and sowing it with
grass-seed, and laying few square yards
of turf on the easterly slope Of the ter
| race
! On January IA, 1885, a contract
fence and place the same in position
around the sOutherly edge of the new
terrace was made with The Thomas
Laughlin Co. The fence is of upright
pickets on angle iron, with iron posts.
and is to be braoed on stone posts every
eight feet. 1t is already completed at the
| works OF the contracting company, and
will be placed in position early in the
| spring.
In the near future it is proposed to
complete this improvement by connecting
the upper and lower terraces by flight
OF stone steps at the center of the upper
| terrace, and laying concrete walk from
the foot OF the steps to the walk around
the southern embankment.
LINCOLN PARK.
The work in this Park has peen chiefly
maintenance.
The six large flower beds were planted
with hundreds of bright towering plants
and formed bright spot of color all sum-
mer, attracting great deal of attention
and admiration from visitors.
In the fall, all of the tree in Lincoln
Park were carefully prnned, and large
amount of dead wood removed; and as
the trees OF Lincoln Park give it dis
tinctive character every effort will be
made to preserve them.
WESTERN PROMENADE.
APortland gentleman while gazing on
one of the magnificent Vows for which
Switzerland is famous, exclaimed to a
fellow traveller who stood near, Is not
that the most beautiful scene your eyes
ever beheld?" "Yes,'' said the stranger,
"with one exception; the view from the
Western Promenade in Portland Maine -
The Park Commissioners in improving
this portion of the Public Grounds of this
City feel that they are doing a work that
is receiving the commentator of every
Citizen of Portland, and making it at
tractlve for our summer tourists.
The work done last year on this Prone
made was but the beginning of oontem-
plated line of Improvements of the whole
slope, which when completed, will lend
additional charms to this magnificent
outlook.
The planting of hardy low growing
shrubs will be a feature of the work on
this Promenade, and with that end in
view, the Commissioners purchased three
hundred Hardy shrubs and last spring
they were planted in the large bed next
to the band stand, and made a fine show
EASTERN PROMENADE.
The work on this Promenade has been
chiefly maintenance. The walks and
drives have had their usual care and the
lawns have been kept in their usual guod
order.
FORT SUMNER PARK.
The work of caring for Fort Sumner
Park has been much as in former years;
some repairs have been done, and the
band stand repainted; tho walks and
driveway kept in good repair, and the
lawns looked after. This Park has been
more thronged than usual with visitors.
especially in the afternoon, which shows
that this beauty spot of our Park systom
is appreciated by our citizens.
3 EASTERN CEMETERY.
This old Cemetery is especially notable
for number of eminent individuals
whose mortals remains are buried there.
A few of these have a national reputa
ton, but there will also be found a large
list of names of the dead who in life were
among our most prominent business men.
Some of the gravestones erected in the
early history of this cemetery were found
to be in poor condition, so last spring
the Commissioners had these stones
righted, and the grass cut and kent
down with lawn mowers, thereby i'm.
proving the looks of this old landmark
very much. They also had new fenoe
built around the Congress and Mount
fort street sides, expanding in all about
eight hundred dollars for improvements
in and around this cemetery.
OUR PUBLIC SHADE TREES
During the last year the Getty Govern
ment placed the shade trees of our CITY
I'll &trKNN