The sun., 1916-12-17
sending Of Mill
Beginningto
Show in District
VIII h Even
tually Will Be
One of Ne w
York City's Gar
den Spots

7 UNKNOWN to millions of New
< Workers. a fine public park. one
- which Will compare favorably
Ef9fShc best In the world. is being laid
out and developed right u;.der their
nossss Nearly twice a. large as Central
TaJXS,it will he fifteen miles long and Of
varying width, reaching from the upper
tfi n Bronx Park and the Botanical
(,aNi6ns up to the kens'co Dam. in the
Wc,tchester foothills north of Nalhalla.
';reat progress has been made, 30 great
tlWss 1T will h. possible for the many
miles of parkway thanking the pie
tIressluc Bronx River To be made ready
for She public in IA few years. The Bronx
J parkway Commission Is now preparing
/ u take up the task of beautifying with
: fine trees OF various kinds, shrubbery,
formal gardens. shady walks. automo-
t.lr drives. recreation centres and lakes
this nfteen mile strip which will conrect
ibs iiark system Of Manhattan and The
B,vnx with the park laid out o the
kensico reservoir and the parkway
which Is to follow the city's new water
system far into the heart OF the CATS
kills,
TIE pretty and rambling Bronx River
viii rival the Thames OF England when
the work undertaken by the commission
h'o ostl hoAtbpiNA''s ~ 80 Nv u ~
rior-io the Charles River. the most pop
ulsST and attractive pleasure grounds for
Boston and Its suburbs.
Yhe conception OF "A parkway along
the. Bronx River. (which. by the way. il
thu. only river IN the greater city Of
New-York, Is ancient. 1t was born back
In 1895. Like al, improvements OF the
kind. IL met with little favor at the time.
for ahe reason that il means spending
s,,aAAs. Zoo flr from Nnu Work for those
who, held the strings Of Father Knicker-
lockers money bag. The publics
lsxltA. or the plea that the most beau
tlful stream in or near New York should
be preserved for the people and as an
0.napent q beauty spot of the great
cNy Of the Western world, made no inn
pie 3efOn on politicians. Money was
needed for more pressing improvements
Daa1sr home than the Bronx River. so
the .Iaea OF those who wanted the Bronx
River saved for posterity made little
headway.
IL was not until 1918 that the city OF
New. York and the county OF Westches-
ter rsyreed to save this stream and stop
pollution. 1t is safe TO say that few
New. Workers remember the incident.
and naturally are not aware of the work
vh6h has been done since that time.
More than two-thirds Of the fifteen
Nv w Ft't VI az l'f -
has been acquired chiefly through pur-
chase at private contract 215 dwellings
and business buildings % various types
have been removed streets have been
closed the river has been cleaned and
the bottom combel many times TO rid II
Of the dirt OF many years accumulation.
Nurseries containing more than 10000
trees are under cultivation. that when
the contour and preliminary work OF the
sFrAn unGf.rn,ntfn bnS IN haan .nnN-
p.eted there will he trees and shrubs
FOR rs Identification.
The publication Of the RIVER has been
such a success that more than 1,5OO per-
sons bathed in it last summer for the
first time since the extensive develop
ment OF The various villages and towns
-alang the Bronx River. Tn river was
nothing short OF an open sewer.
The troubles OF the commission were
not entirely physical. There were maty
LEGAL entanglements which had to be
snosthed out and adjusted before any
ptpsress was made, in fact before a step
toward retaining the stream could be
taken. adiso Grant. president OF the
Botanical Gardens William W Niles OF
~. Bronx and the late James q, Cannon,
enc OF the country's fore most financial
-tnen, who were appointed commissioners,
SMere business men and undertook their
uuticS as most business men WOuld have
done. They decided that the development
or abe park was not ~ be prolonged
more than necessary. Since some OF the
cost was to he borne by the present gem
Grafton they were going to zee that this
generation should enjoy TIE park. They
tccided that the only way to buy prop
'rty was at private contract, using their
power OF condemnation only when II was
0Nb4utely necessary. This did not suit
III the owners of the ! 200 odd properties
boruering the Bronx River wanted for
tha park, Advised by condemnation ex-
lerts, many OF them refused to part
WAN their holdings IN any WAY but Iy
condemnation. since they had been in
forvcd. no doubt. that much larger
awards would lie paid in this way than
through purchase by private contract.
twas a knotty problem. but the com.
miss'oners were aided by Il number OF
public spirited owners who wanted a
parE and the ,ronbla WAS settled. Now
tn~ commission Is able TO report that ~
Der cent. OF the .poscd park area has
Ieen acquired At private contract, for
.2,I2',s2o56. This. viii, the price paIl
.or buildings on the land and other ex,
4. nu.