The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1899-09-09
DRUID HILL PARK.

Beautiful Natural Park-It's the
Grandest and Most Picturesque
Spot in Maryland-The Acme of
Picknicking Grounds for Our West
ern Maryland People With Liberal
Excursion Fares.
EDITORS DEMOCRATIC ADVOCATE In
the midst of the summer, with the papers
crammed with the political aspirations of
the various candidates for office, and the
heating and exciting efforts of this, that or
the other fellow Tor place, in addition to
the Dreyfus scandal and Filipino confu-
sion, not to speak of the continuous COM
in Trusts, &c, &C., one becomes tired and
wearied of the conglomerated confusion of
the times, and wants "a rest, or a resort,
wherein to rest both the body and the
mind, and there is no place like our beau
tiful and delightful Druid Hill for such
recreation.
1t contains over 900 acres of variety
of original forest trees, coupled with various
ornamental and novel trees foreign to our
people The drives, bride paths, bicycle
roads and pedestrian walks are its principal
artificial features, since nature has been
most lavish in its Identification otherwise
There are two large lakes that are used as
reservoirs of our Water Department, be-
sides several others that are both useful
and ornamental for boating purposes, &C.
The sod of the vacant spots are like rich
green velvet carpet, while throughout the
grounds are delightful spring water, con-
veyed through artificial fountains, giving
forth cool and sparkling water, most graft
flying to thirst and all local option orators
\ special attraction to our farming and
country friends will be found in the two
great fiocks of Southdown sheep, an i'm
mense herd of deer, while heretofore the
trees have been alive with squirrels that
are SO tame that it is not unusual to see
them eating out of the hands of their
friends. There are also two eamels, two
sea lions, two bears. and other animals
Throughout the Park are scattered large
aud pretty oriental sheds for shelter of Wis
itors in the event of sudden storms, and
number Of large double seated swings for
children, while almost everywhere can be
found comfortable benches, with backs. for
seats There are three statues also of
great men, viz George Washington and
Christopher Columbus, in marble, and
Wallace the Scotch patriot, in bronze
had an interesting conversation the
other evening with one of the oldest en-
ployecs Of the Park, and ,'he talked like
book listened attentively and
learned some things that might be interest
Ing 20 Your readers to know. In speaking of
the attempt to catch the fish in Druid Hin
Lake some time since, and doubtless you
remember, he said They had a boat
aud net; the latter wouldn' reach half
TO the bottom of the lake, nor 20 half
across it, They accidentally caught sol
itary sun fish. That lake, sir, abounds in
fish There arc carp from two to three
feet long, and bass that will weigh at least
ten pounds, lie said it is absolutely
full of the very finest kind Of fish, and they
can be seen in schools. suggested that
good way to catch them would be to
place the sea lions in the lake and save the
expense Of feeding them. To my aston
ishment he replied ''the sea lions would
kill and destroy them, but would not eat
them, as they never were known to eat
fresh water fish. They viii only eat salt
water fish, and they have to be purchased
Why, at first, sir, they bought and fed
them on fresh Spanish mackeral, thinking
that they must have the best Now, how
ever, they feed them yellow perch and find
il satisfies their taste He also said that
during the term of one Of our Elk Mayors
that late at night and early mornings he
would come to the Park frequently and
catch a number of fine bass and perch for
his breakfast, This, | reckon, will be
news, and hereafter make fshermen's
mouths water after the mayorality
asked him how he accounted for the
small number of squirrels in the Park this
year, in comparison with last and former
| years, aud he said Thousands of them
were destroyed by freezing and starvation
during the blizzard last February, and that
/ the reason the Park did not abound in grey
/ rabbits and song birds was because their
Young and the eggs of the latter were de-
stroyed by the hundreds of thousands of
crows that invested the Park in the winter
and early spring. | have myself seen at
these seasons, when stripped of their
/ foliage, the trees almost black with these
thieves, who seek the garbage dumps of
our city and roost in the Park. My in
formant remarked that he thought it
4 strange that the Park Board, in order to
protect the rabbits and birds, did not in
struct their employees to shoot these crows,
as he alone could kill thousands if allowed
10, or authorized. He further told me
that in his opinion the new order to pen up
the deer would result in a short time in their
utter extinction, as those that did not kill
themselves would die of confinement or else
from the loss of certain grasses and roots
impossible 10 obtain in their contemplated
enclosure
This brief sketch of Baltimore cele-
brated park will give your readers a faint
idea Of its advantages as an excursion point,
and | hope President Hood, of the West
ern Maryland, viii be liberal in his round
trip tickets to Western Marylanders, who
would like to spend a more enjoyable day
at the Park than they could at either Pen
Mar or down the bay. G. c. w.