Evening star., 1922-10-24

dorse any such insignificant expendi-
ture for the purpose of making and
keeping this the finest capital city in
the world
Under the bill there would be avail
able S750.O0O per year TO acquire land
! within the District. The following
: lands are recommended for purchas,
Immediately in the event of creation
i of the park commission:
Park Sites Favored.
"Piney Branch extension east and
northeast from the Sixteenth Street
Tiger bridge. an essential link in the
park system, already half destroyed.
"Klingle Ford valley. an indis-
Park.
1.-The Patterson tract, containing
forty acres of unbroken forest. with
r Iuarler miles o. I'll.
Capitol building.
purchase OF land on Pennsylvania
avenue now occupied by unsightly
buildings. The appearance of por-
tions Of this historic avenue. espe-
cially near the Capitol, calls for early
and radical action by such a COM
mission.
ACQUISITION of Fort Stevens, where
Lincoln was under fire. where the
fort is still finely preserved and the
breastworks and rifle pits still prac-
tically untouched extend for a quar-
ter of a mile westward tc Rock Creek
Park
Acquisition of Fort Totten. just
northeastward from Rock Creek
cemetery, where there is still a
double line of breastworks more than
half mile long, in an unbroken for
est, with a magnificent view of the
Maryland valley lying northeast.
woRld Acquire Old Forts.
"Acuufsition of Fort Stanton an6
other civil war forts on the heights
Of Anacostia, from which the view OF
both rivers and the city Is as fine, it
not finer, than from any point in the
District.
Acquisition of Fort Reno and the
other forts extending from Rock
Creek Park to the receiving reservoir
on the banks of the Potomac.
ACQUISITION of "a, a fort tort d,o,31 5oTlevard var d
forts, making a driveway mainly
along an elevated ridge overlooking
the city and the valleys Of Mary
land
the continuous fra line Gaorg1a Of ma,
avenue to the north end of Rock
Creek Cemetery, this parkway fol-
lowing the eastern branch OF Piney
branch Another fork of this park
way should follow the north branch
of Piney branch to the District line
at Takoma Park, crossing and con-
Meeting with the Fort boulevard
short distance east of Brightwood.
"The forest-covered hillsides on
the south side Of Broad Branch road
other tributaries Of Rock Creek, to
preserve the flow Of water in Rock
Creek, already reduced one half, and
prevent its pollution.
"The few remaining areas on the
west side Of 18th street. north Of the
reservoir. which are still private
property. to bring Rock Creek Park
to the line of 18th street.
New Fairgrounds Space.
Tracts of suitable size for chill
dren's Fairgrounds should be acquir:
ed at the earliest possible date in all
the crowded sections of the city.
Conditions Of automobile traffic rem
ufl piay in '0G the eaes Streets. and they must
be furnished with play space. In
several sections it is now essential
to buy land for Fairgrounds that Is
occupied by buildings. simply because
no land is left not occupied by build
suitably located should be acquired,
but the cost will now be much larger
than heretofore.
For all these reasons the sum OF
s750.000 to buy lands within the Dis
trict we regard as very conservative
The commission, instead of being at
a lose to find lands needed for park
and playground purposes. will have
its greatest difficulty in determine
Ing which Of the projects Is the most
threatened with destruction of forest
trees and ruin of natural scenery by
excavation and filing will naturally
be first acquired. We believe nothing
less than such sum of $75O,0O0 per
year should be provided for lands
within the Qintriot,"