The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-22
HAVOC IN The
CITY'S FOLIAGE.
Loring Park, Experts Say, Not
Damaged So Seriously as It
Appears.
Superintendent Will Not Attempt
to Save Uprooted Trees
Cannot Help Residents.

III
Several of the city parks present
particularly true of Loring park,
where trees and shrubbery are tangled
into a mass of twisted and shattered
foliage. The big fowerbeds, beaten
into the earth by the terrific rain, are
ruined beyond all hope Of repair for
this season.
In view of the most discouraging
outlook at Loring park, it is cheering
to have superintendent w. M. Berry
announce that the damage is not near
ly as serious as it appears to be. He
says that when the uprooted trees and
broken branches have been taken
away, the shrubbery trimmed and the
grounds cleaned, hardly anyone will
know q fortnight hence that the park
had ever presented the desolate ap-
pearance it does now
The explanation of this lies in the
fact that Loring park contains great
| many trees, is rather heavily timbered,
to use a forester's expression, and
there are enough trees left uninjured
to make the park presentable when
the signs Of the storms ravages have
| been removed. For park purposes
there were really too many trees in
the enclosure and the thinning out, it
is believed, will add to the scenic
! beauty.
! Considerable damage was done to
the trees at Elliot park, Franklin
| Steele square and Van Cleve park as
we'll as to trees on Hennepin and
! Kenwood boulevards and the East
and West river bank parkway.
In Elliot park a large section Of
the roof of the new Asbury hospital,
now under construction, has lodged
among the trees. The removal of the
wreck is causing the park authorities
some concern. Many fine trees are
ruined or partly damaged.
/ The damage along KenWOod and
| Hennepin boulevard is extensive and
some sections will present a rather
bare appearance when the debris has
been removed.
Park Boards Hands Full.
There has been great damage to
lawns and groves on private grounds
! and the park board has been asked
to send help to save something. There
is nothing that Mr.. Berry can do in
answer to these requests. He started
4 crews out yesterday morning, supple
l nnenting the regular park men with
laborers from the road work, to cut
down broken trees and branches and
mend other damages to the parks,
Everything that is broken is ruth
trying to save it.
Il 1T is, Of course, possible to pull
! back the trees which are wholly OF
partly uprooted,' said Superintendent,
Berry of the park board this morning
"but it is doubtful if the people who
their pains. If it were later in the
year, I would advise that every tree
which has been partly uprootec
should be pulled back into place, bu
at this time Of the year the expedien
is of doubtful value.
| a
from trying to save their trees, bu
when any one asks me what I will d.
with the twisted and uprooted trees il
the parks and boulevards, I say tina
I have ordered them all to be Gu
down at once. I will not try to pull
single tree into place, as I believe
that it is time wasted at this season
of the year."
| Patriarchal Tree Gone.
, Among the thousands that fell be
fore the fury of the storm, no on
tree in Minneapolis will be NOR
| mourned than a huge cottonwood tina
) stood at the corner Of Portland av
: enue and Eighteenth street, near tn
! residence of Rev. e. r. Pope. Thi
l is said to have been the oldest trans
3 planted tree on the West Side of tn
! river.
The tree stood for twenty-five years
! a landmark of itself. The old-fash
; toned dwellings that surrounded
years ago have given away to NOR
!. pretentious structures and 1t has see
Minneapolis grow from a village to
! city.
: When the storm struck Portlan
avenue, the old tree which had with
\ stood the ravages of the elements {
!, years bowed it's head and acknow
q edged defeat. When the win
;. stopped blowing the old tree was
: ruin.
: Hundreds of persons in Minneapol
j. owe their lives to the fact that fol-
i mer generations planted many tree
e All thru the storm-swept district, tn
Y trees protected the dwellings,, an
: many a house that otherwise mus
have fallen before the storms fur.