Evening star., 1922-02-23
Timely Move to Acquire Land
Essential for Public Parks

downtown to work in the morning
through q beautiful park. and thus
avoid the many street crossings with
fifty chances of an accident wiped
og out: due, due to pre- prseluding ns.1s the necessity
To permit this property to pass to
commercial uses. members Of the
Senate committee said, would be
nothing less than calamity. This
tract of land starts on the east side
and runs in a northeasterly direction
to 14th and Varnufn streets, where 1T
connects with District property on
which Is located the tuberculosis
Hospital. If the government does not
purchase this tract it will be possible
to fill in the ravine right up to the
spans of the bridge. There is moth
ing to prevent the owners of the land
from destroying the beautiful trees
now growing on this property.
Even within the last few weeks
on the west side Of the tract near the
bridge. which threatens the proposed
driveway. Contractors are entering
upon building projects on the east
side of the tract that will result In
fill thirty feet high extending directly
way. Purchase Of this track would
provide parks for a section now
without them. When the projected
park drive connecting the civil war
forts. encircling the city at the sec
ond row Of hills. is completed this
Piney branch parkway will intersect
it and thus form one of the essential
features of the completed park sys-
tenn.
The Klingle Ford valley project lies
to the west Of the Geological gardens.
1t is beautiful ravine. covered with
natural forest on both sides and will
provide a park roadway OF gradual
descent. 1t is very greatly needed
as an approach to the park for the
great population lying west OF Rock
Creek valley. 1t is also urgently
needed to form a parkway connection
between the upper and lower Rock
Creek parks. The Rock Creek and
Potomac parkway, extending from
the south boundary of the Geological
Park to the Potomac river along the
valley of Rock creek, Is rapidly being
acquired and will be open for trvael
in the near future. The road along
Rock creek in the Geological Park is
closed at nightfall and is also closed
whenever the Rock creek is so high
as to make the ford dangerous. There
driveway connecting the lower Rock
Creek. Park and Potomac Park with
the upper Rock Creek Park. This
should be supplied by a park drive
way west Of Geological Park. The
southern half of this encircling park
roadway is already owned by the
government, the tract known as the
Normanstone drive having been al
ready acquired to point just about
halfway around Geological Park. The
valley Of klingle ford supplies the
northern half of this connecting park
roadway and should be acquired
without further delay. The park COM
mission plan of 1901 included the
Klingle ford valley as part of the
park system. Lands constituting an
essential part of the upper end of
this parkway have recently been ac-
Quired by two contractors and build
ers who were commencing extensive
building operations that would have
destroyed the park connection. How
ever, these have been deferred pend
ing action by the present Congress
looking to the purchase of the land.
The bill, as passed by the Senate.
merely authorizes the purchase and
paves the way for an appropriation
in the District appropriation bill.
which now is before the Senate sub
committee on appropriations for con-
sideration. The maximum amounts
fixed in the bill for the purchase OF
the several properties are: klingle
Road Valley Park, SlS6.600: Piney
Branch Valley Park. S237, 200, and the
po S6nn 0On