The sun., 1918-10-25
BOWLING GREEN FENCE.
si1 ~ the Removed Panels Have Not
Been Found.


To TIE Boron or TEE suN-str: The
loss Of the historic Bowling Green fsncs
is not as great a. has been reported.
but IL greater than Il should be. Tne
fence consists Of iron palings constructed
In sections or panels six feet long. hxed
between iron posts about three inches
IN diameter. set In q stone coping ana
with diagonal iron braces on the inside.
There are ffty-three Of these panels
now standing. or the twenty-five which
were removed In 1914 nineteen have been
located ana six are missing.
As to the responsibility for this loss.
tho historical societies referred TO In
THE SUNS editorial article of October
81 are hardly to blame. The American
Scenic and Historic Preservation Society
was on the alert at that time. but had
confidence In the assurance then given
and repeated IN the press that the fence
would properly be cared for The So
cieties couldn't sit on the fence and
hold II down.
A, The situation 10 briefly this: The Pub
lic Service Commission on June 10. 1914.
authorized Booth & Finn. Ltd. con-
tractors. TO proceed with the construc-
ton OF the section Of the subway which
involved Bowling Green. Section $b2
Of the contract with Booth Finn made
them responsible for the fence Before
July arrangements had been made
with the Park Department for the treat
ment Of Bowling Green. and whom. on
July 9, 1914. the Park Department To-
sued permit 70 tne Pubic S~vice
Commission Tor the FIST Oistr,ct iot
Nassau street. Mr.. John =. Hourke
representing bootn-flinn' Lto', con
tractor" to erect Fences around the site
OF the work. the permit saio Speeial
ATTENTION is called to the fact that the
Iron renee now In place IN Sowing Sreen
Park within the enclosure must % cafo-
fully preserved.
The contractors then removed tWen.y-
i've sections OF the fence, wnich. WIN
twenty-three posts. twenty-five diagonal
braces ana the orownstone coping Were
delivered on July ID ano 10. 1913. al
the Park Departments Nne'y-uA.h
, street yard In Central Farx' where theS
were piled outside OF the fenced yard.
On July 80. 1914. c. A. Hunt. assis-
tant division engineer. notined DIVISION
Service Commission 10 that erect ana
added: I understand that the spoVe
disposition OF renee Is IN aceoruanoe
With agreement between the farK De-
partment and Booth d Finn' L'o. fer-
haps this matter should De orousht 10
| the attention OF the FeFk art'ie"''
| as In case any part OF the renee oecarne
lest It could not be replaced oia-
gram drawn oy the engineer SHOWS
| actiy where the fence was stored.
On August ~. lsi4' MI. ShIp'ns"
wrote to Park Commissioner "aro car
Ing his attention 70 the oehvery OF uis
material IN central ParS ana asAeo e'a'
due care be taken 10 prevent !osS VI
injury. Mr.. Shipman adoed As you
arc aware this renee Ia OF historic naiue'
and have no DOUBT that VIII Do
properly taken care OF ana returned 10
the subway contractor In CONDITION TOT
| replacement or In as good cohoiuor'
as when delivered to the Department
| Of Parks"
The subway work having been hnisheo'
the Public Service Commission on mar
20. 1918. directed Booth q rlinn 10 COM
plete the restoration OF the park as re-
nuired by their contract On Aprh -
Booth & Finn wrote about the renee
| Upon investigation We ma tha' VI
twenty-five panels there are only twenty
on hand. only three braces ana one port
The next day the Public service Com-
mission again directed the contractors
to restore the renee rNrther inquiry
showed that there were nineteen pan
els. three posts and t"enty-thfee braces
on hand.
! On May 81. 1918. the CHIEF engineer
OF the Public Service Commission asked
Park Commissioner Grell TO help nno
the missing parts Meanwhiie. on May
22. the American scenic and Hlstoric
Preservation Society had written 70
Commissioner Grell about the matter
and was assured that the renee "oulu
be carefully replaced. Al last accounts
the missing parts naa ho' Deeh 'ounu,
| The Fark department "''i MOI 'eoe',
BACK into Ns CUSTODY Tue ''co"npIsteH
restored portion o. bo"ihs Hreen pe-
cause the renee mas not oeen put oaen :
Booth q rum hoio inc TAIN Deea,',
ment reepons'oie lot 'ne loss, anu 1--WE
PUBLIC service SoWrnSs'o''' ""''e no'u-
ing that the eArk department. ac'eo III
the capacity OF the eo"'' ase"''