Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-24

man Is bringing down from the generals
shoulders. Four bird nests, leaves-look
will you, at the filthy color of that stream
OF water tricklfng down from the generals
rugged nosei
Looking After the Fairgrounds.
It's good thing for the park peoples
peace OF mind that they've a big force of
men putting the tennis courts. lawns and
base ball diamonds In apple pie order. In
the New York parks nearly all the manure
put down on the lawns by the ton in winter,
has been raked into piles and is being
carted away. Lawn mowers and rollers
will be at work on them just soon as a
little more moisture leaves the ground in
the meantime those fellows are looking
for and filing all holes, picking up sticks
and stones and doing everything they can
to make things pleasant for the youthful
frolickers who will swarm over the cool
stretch in few brief weeks.
The diamonds are going to look fine,
aren't they-and they're adding half doz-
en- new ones. They planned to meet the
steadily increasing growth in boys clubs.
The authorities of the metropolis got all
kinds Of complaints from the boys last sum-
mer because they had TO wait so long to
be able to play ball One New York
youngSter wrote:
See here Mr. Park Commissioner I've
got father who votes and a brother who
votes, and another brother who will vote
next year. and I've told them that you
are not doing the right thing to us fell
lerS about the diamonds, and they said for
me to tell YOU that If you didn't have more
diamonds next summer they'd not vote for
your party's candidates any more"
Guess the commissioner has taken the
hint. Or, maybe, Il was the letter run
ming something like this, which caused
him 10 authorize the laying out of the new
diamonds:
Dear Mr.. Commissioner: Us fellefs,
who live way up town was not allowed
hV he on ntrt- hanf RI llo hall In, tlaa
empty lot that is not beng used for any
thing at all around the block from Johnny
Dugans house, so we come down to the
park one day to play ball and we found al
the diamonds busy and we had to wait all
morning and all afternoon, and when 1t was
our turn to play Ii was TOO dark to see the
ball. Now, Mr., Commissioner, us fellers
know that We could be champs IL we only
had a chance, but we amt, with the cop
driving US away from the empty lot and no
diamonds for in the park. So won't you
please Tx matters uD so we can be champs?
P. S.-Weve changed the name of our
club and called 1t after you"
Wiping Out Mosquito Breeding Spots.
Work on the drains is being rushed and
when it Is In use the comfort stations will
no longer drain into the park lakes but the
city sewers Queer that for SO many years
the cities, in this and other respects, failed
TO provide sanitary surroundings for the
people at play Now, however, they are
paying particular attention to this matter.
The men working along the border of the
lake are plugging up rat holes. They are
fine places for the breeding of the malarial-
carrying mosquito. AS soon as the holes are
filled and the lake cleaned, a cement border
will be laid down. The illing-in going on
in one part OF the park is evidently for the
purpose of doing away with mosquito
breeding spot, since the water there has all
the appearance of being stagnant. Last
10 it,lo lyarst Iro
sene. The entomologist treats with kero-
sene several times season all the silt
basins and other places where larvae might
breed. The first trea tment will be given in
few days.
As a further aid In destroying the larvae,
fish and aquatic insects that dote on the
larvae as steady diet have been intro
duced In the lakes and streams. A new
batch OF fish will be placed In this lake
after it has been cleaned
This will take place in a week or so.
Cleaning is now done as regularly as spring
comes around, on the housewives principle
that a stitch In time saves nine.
What a time they had giving the lakes
their initial cleaning after generation or
more Of utter neglect. First of all, there
was hustle and a hustle to secure the
had to be designed and manufactured by
the park people themselves. They proved
successful and have been in use ever s,nce.
Cleaning the Lakes.
The first indictments constructed were
great rakes. with exceedingly long handles.
They were placed On the bottom of the lake
and fastened to the stern of the boat by a
rope and crotch. Boat and rakes were then
hauled by horse power and system of pull
leys and at every draw this powerful ma
chine brought to shore a great quantity OF
weed. Indeed. the weed was pulled up by
the roots. Marking by system OF stakes
set in the water at the starting point, no
part OF the bottom was neglected the four
times 1t was necessary to drag 1t In order
to clear it.
To get rid OF the debris-fIled Egyptian
lotus that had taken possession of another
lake. steel chiseied knives, fashioned TO PEN
citrate fourteen inches In the soft mud, were
fastened to q frame of unusual strength.
When the machine was set to work by
means OF horse power the lotus growth was
speedily cut out and the logs and other de-
bris brought to shore This steel knife
dredge also cleared another body of water
of cat tails and the decayed and decaying
material collected about their roots.
A moving machine for use on the bottom
{ OF the lakes was also constructed and 1t got