Evening star., 1901-03-28
Its Strong Advocacy by the Board
of Trade.
PRESIDENTSNOYESA RESPONSIVENESS
Report of the Committee on
Parks.
RESOLUTIONS s


comprehensive park system for the Dis
trict of Columbia renders the course of
the Washington Board of Trade in this
matter of especial interest. As in many
other local improvements that have been
accomplished, the Board Of Trade played
a leading part in promoting the work Of
securing plan by which the parks of the
District should be brought under a system
that when once established, will give In
teligent and harmonious direction to future
effort for beautifying the nations capital.
Secretary W. V. Cox of the committee on
parks and parking of the Board of Trade
has submitted to the Senate committee on
the District of Columbia brief review of
the record of the board on this important
subject.
In his annual report of 1890 President
Theodore W. Noyes of the Board of Trade
dwelt upon the necessity for a park sys-
TEN.
President NOyes ON the Park System.
Next years campaign of the Board of
Trade" said MIR. Noyes in his report of
that year. will deal with matters OF sur
passing Importance Especial attention
should and doubtless will be given to de-
termined effort to develop on broad. ertis-
tic and practical lines the park system of
the city and District.
1.-The parking system of the future WASH
ington will clearly be of wonderful attrac-
tivenesS.' he continued. THE attention to
be given to the reservations within the
present city limits will make them health
giving breathing places for the benefit or
that portion of the people who must rely
for fresh air and natural scenery upon
parks close at hand. The thousands OF
trees connecting these reservations with
bands of shade and making Washington
forest city will be multiplied. The reserva-
tiOns themselves will be adorned with all
the resources of the landscape gardeners
art, with Towering shrubs and plants, also
with Statuary and with fountains. nclud-
ing the exceedingly effective electric foun-
tains for which Col. Bingham pleads. I he
system of parklets of the original city VIII
be extended to the suburbs, so that the
aspirations in this direction OF Eckington,
Columbia Heights and Anacostfa Heights
may be gratified, and no enterprising out
lying tributary of the capital may have
cause to complain.
The mall of the original city will be con-
nected with the new Potomac Park and
form an integral and important part of an
extensive park area. The blemishes upon
the appearance of the mall through dis
figuring railroad tracks Will not, however,
be permitted by the public to be duplicated
In the case of the new reservation. The
latter will. in pursuance of the declaration
Of the law, be forever held and used as
public park for the recreation and pleasure
of the people Both Colonel Bingham and
Colonel Allen have taken lively and in
telligent interest in the subject Of the de-
velopment and adornment of Potomac
Park. If a fraction of the proposed uses of
this area is realized the public welfare will
be wonderfully promoted. The park will
be transformed into thing of beauty by
the landscape gardeners art; an improved
and enlarged bathing beach and bathing
pool will contribute to the public health;
for the recreation of the people there will
be provided base bali diamonds. polo
grounds. tennis courts, golf links and spe-
cial areas, including piles of sand for the
little ones; upon water basins will be row.
boats and naphtha launches: here will be
laid out in ellipse shape a sidewalk. a car
riage drive, a bride path, bicycle path
and a speedway, and inclosed within the
ellipse will be an area suitable for races
and field sports. Tree-lined roads and bride
paths will afford attractive yistas Of land
and water.
The Future boulevard.
Continuing this system will be the fu-
ture boulevard along urban Rock creek
connecting the river reservations with the
Geological and Rock Creek parks. Thence
the proposed Fort drive, or some other
great avenue across the northern part Of
| the District. will lead to Soldiers Home
| and the Anacostia Park that Is to be-
"Anacostia Park is capable of developing,
| and doubtless will develop, along the lines
| laid down for Potomac Park.
LAS a natural result of the recent Su-
preme Court decision, the river front, not
| only of the Potomac Park. but of the city
| itself, will be developed in usefulness and
attractiyenesS. In place Of the unsghtly
| and discreditable conditions which now Of
| fend the eye along the Potomac 'front.' the
| natural results of the uncertainty concern
| ing title which has prevailed. will be sub
| stituted handsome river wall of granite,
| broad entertainments, stone piers, asphalted
streets, bits of parking, fountains, shade
| trees and suitable flower beds
| Water street must conform in attractive
| appearance to Potomac Park on the oppo-
| site side of the channel with it's shade
| trees pfcturesquely oyerhanging the water.
/ The capitals water front lends itself as
| readily to and is worthy of adornment
| as those of London, Paris and Berlin.
| with the completion of the full project
| of the reclamation of the Potomac flats
| the railroad will cross the deepened Poto-
| mac on an elevated structure clearing the
| new park from railroad obstruction, as
well as relieving the city from the menace
| of Long Bridge dam, and both by the re-
! constructed Long bridge and by the Memo
! rial bridge that is to be the park system
| on the Maryland side Of the Potomac will
| be connected with the great government
| reservation at Arlington, rounded out by a
| boulevard to Mount Vernon, the survey for
which was authorized by Congress in 1889,
! and which would assume distinctly ma
| tional and patriotic character as the road
| way from the capital of the nation to the
! tomb of its great founder.
mo other labor of the centennial year is
more inspiring or more promising OF
notable results in increasing the attractive
| ness of the capital than that OF developing
| Washington as the city Of park and the
| forest city by vigorous campaign for the
| series of connected reservations above out
| lined, utilizing at every step Washington's $
| diversified natural advantages, the urban
| circles and triangles, the larger reserva-
| tions which furnish an emerald setting for
| public buildings. the heights to the north
| and west and the beautiful rivers to the
| south and east, whose banks are changing
| and should be quickly and thoroughly
| transformed from marshes and malarious
/ wastes into beautiful landscapes with
| shaded driveways and with lawn surfaces,
diversified by attractive lakes.
No Grander in the World.
There would not be- In Vienna or Buda-
| pest, or anywhere in the world, a grander
| ring street or boulevard than that which
| should take its start on the westward
| grassy slopes of the Capitol grounds, sweep
I through the mall and Potomac Park and
| up Rock creek to the Zoo and Rock Creek
| National Park; thence by boulevard to
| the Soldiers Home and finally by bou-
| levards and Anacostia Park back to the
| CT rd and shade treeS and fvpprooS