Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-19
OPENS POTOMAC PARK
First Section Riverside Gar
dens Nearing Completion.
A PUBLIC PLAYGROUND
WORK DONE BY GOVERNMENT
employees ENTIRELY.
Beginning of What Will Be Most EX-
tensive Parking Systems
in the City.
A PUBLIC PLAYGROUND

The first portion or the maSnllceIt
scheme for the identifying of the wide area
south of the city which twenty years ago
was under water, a malaria breeding swamp,
but which was reclaimed and raised above
the tide level and is now known as the Po-
tomac Park, is now rapidly approa ching
completion. and early in the coming sum
mer will be blooming like a rose; place OF
beauty and of pleasure for the people of
Washington About the 1st of July last
when Col. Bromwell, the superintendent OF
public buildings and grounds, started
force of men at work cleaning up part or
the ground of the Potomac Park lying to
the west of the railway track TO the new
bridge over the Potomac and bounded on
it's other sides by the river and the tdal
basin it was Il wilderness of willows and
bull rushes growing in almost impenetrable
masses Today a magnificent driveway
nearly three-quarters of a mile long and
beautifully ornamental grounds have taken
the place of the wilderness,
The scheme for the improvement of this
tract which contains about fifty acres. is
an elaborate one and calls for a big play
ground for the children of Washington, a
large nursery, in which will be raised the
trees for the beautifying of the city, an
ornamental plot filed with bright flowers
and the new driveway. the remainder of
the park to be converted into beautiful
lawns and walks along the edge of the tidal
basin and the river. The driveway is nearly
completed and Col. BrOmWell states 1t will
Between the. driveway and the approach to
the new Highway bridge is the playground,
an oval-shaped park, with its greatest
length north and south. 1t is 1,o2o feet
long and $50 feet wide and gives ample
space for base ball, foot ball and tennis,
and still leaves room for other sports. AS
yet these grounds have not been laid off,
but they have been Ieveled and only need
a little cleaning up and smoothing in spots
to make them ready for use.
The Nursery.
At the southern end of the park, between
the approach TO the Highway bridge and
the railway embankment to the new rail-
way bridge over the Potomac, is the nurs
ery. Here a large force of men are work
ing laying out the grounds In geometrical
designs, both ornamental and pleasing to
the eye. AS stated, here will be grown all
the shade trees to be used by the city, but
the entire space is not. given up TO the
growing trees, for at the corners, where
the walks intersect, big clumps of orna-
mental evergreens have been placed, and
three large ponds, in which will be grown
water lilies and other ornamental aquatic
plants. now being built. On the center
walk, at the opposite side of the park, where
the tidal basin and the river join, the big
flower plot is to be located. AS yet nothing
has been done in this section of the park.
as the offices and material used in the
struction of~the new Highway bridge still
occupy the spot where the flower bed is to
be placed. This bed will be a large one,
possibly acre or more in extent, and is
to be filled with masses of bright-hued flow
ers. not growing in any prim regular beds,
but in riotous masses of color, and in the
center of the flowers a fountain will be
placed. 1t is Col. Bromwell's plan to place
bright colored flowers wherever one can be
placed and this spot will be one of the
most attractive In the entire park.
The new driveway is not to be a speed
way, as 1t is not constructed for fast driv-
Ing, being too hard, but is one of the chief
49, he tr,nr,r
1t is continuation of the driveway that
now runs from the foot of 18th street and
along the tidal basin back OF the Washing
ton monument to the foot of 14th street.
Here it will cross the tidal basin outlet on
a new steel bridge which is to be built be-
tween the railway bridge and the tidal
gates. but until this bridge is built the old
bridge, from the Long bridge driveway,
will be used The new park driveway starts
at point about hundred feet from the
tidal basin bridge and, following the curves
of the tidal basin on its south side, ii sweeps
along to the Potomac. There the roadway
takes curve to the east and following
the river, runs along its edge, under the
new Highway bridge to the present road
from the old Long bridge to the city. The
length of the new road is $500 feet, not
quite three-quarters of mile, but with the
portion on the north bank of the tidal basin
and the road from the Long bridge the
drive can be made about mile and a half.
Built by Government
The new road was Du1lt after tho most
approved engineering methods and was
not done by contract, but by employees of
Col. Bromwells office, under his personal
supervision. He was thus able to save the
contractors profit on the job and give the
public road that is the equal of any in
the country. In the construction of the
roadway the ground was first dug out to
a depth of about two feet, a layer of
rubble stone, broken granite about six
inches square. was laid. On top of this a
smaller stone was placed to fill In the
crevices below the large stone. A third
layer of stone about the size of grape was
next put down. and on the top of all is
dressing of stone ground into small pieces
that run through the entire mass and So
idtfy It. making roadway of stone two
feet thick, but at the same time springy
under the feet of the horses. When all
the material was in place heavy steam
rollers ran over the road to press the stone
down and to make 1t firm and hard. This
road will not become heavy even in the
wettest of weather. and always presents
smooth surface for the wheels of the We
hicles passing over It.
Alongside the carriage way cinder
bride path has been constructed for the
Of a1ac oh rid To- n