THE CITY OF NEW YORK, REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1906. NEW YOBK: MARTIN B. BROWN COMPANY, PRINTERS AND STATIONERS, Nos. 49 TO -57 PARK PLACE. 1907. MARTIN B. BROWN A PRESS A THE PARK BOARD: MOSES HERRMAN, President, Commissioner of Parks for the Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond. JOSEPH I. BERRY, Commissioner of Parks for the Borough of The Bronx. MICHAEL J. KENNEDY, Commissioner of Parks for the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. SAMUEL PARSONS, Jr., Landscape Architect. M. F. LOUGHMAN, Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF PARKS. REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1906. - The head of the Department of Parks is the Park Board, consisting of three Commissioners. The Park Board establishes and enforces general rules and regula- tions for the administration of the department, and subject to the ordinances of the Board of Aldermen, establishes and enforces rules and regulations for the govern- ment and protection oi public parks and of all property in charge of said Board or under its control, which rules and regulations so far as practicable are uniform in all of the boroughs. All rules and regulations of the Park Board which were in force on the 1st day of January, 1902, were continued in full force and effect by the provisions of the nex Charter. ;iny person violating such ordinances is guilty of a misdemeanor. The Park Board receives bids for works and supplies, lets contracts and has general power over all matters relating to the parks of this city, taken as a whole. Each Con~missionerof Parks, subject to the general rules and regulations estab- lished by the Board, has administrative jiirisdiction within the borough or boroughs to which he was designated by the Mayor in his appointment. The offices of the Park Board are, under the Charter, in the Borough of Man- hattan, and are located in the Arsenal Building, Central Park. Branch offices in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and The Bronx are provided also by the Charter, and are lo- cated, respectively, in the Litchfield Mansion, Prospect Park, and the Zbrowski Man- sion. Clareinont Park. The City of New York is divided for purposes of maintaining parks and park- ways into the following borough divisions: I. Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond. 2. Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. 3. Borough of The Bronx. The assent oi the Landscape Architect of the Department of Parks is requisite to all plans and works or changes thereof respecting the construction, development or ornaillentation of any of the park squares or public places of the city. It is the duty of such Landscape Architect, from time to time, to prepare and submit to the Board plans for works or changes respecting the parks and parkways of the city. EOROUGHS OF MANEIATTAN ,IND RICHMOND. Office of the Department of Parks, Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond,] The Arsenal, Central Park, New York, December 31, 1906. Hon. GEORGE B. McCLELLAN, Mayor, The City of New Ynrk: Sir-In compliance with the provisions of the Charter, I send you herewith the repor: of work undertaken and accomplished in this department during the year end- ing December 31, 1906. Respectfully, MOSES HERRMAN, Commissioner of Parks, Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond Central Park. Concreting and Water-proofitlg the Floor of the Carpenter Shop in Central Park- The work of reconstructi~igthe floor of the carpenter shop, in Transverse road NO. 3, was prosecuted to completioii, the same having been begun in the latter part of the previous year. The investigations as to springs, leaks from reservoir, etc., were con- tinued, drains were constructed, pipe laid, basins built, subfoundations of broken stone were laid and a concrete floor with a cement finish formed the superstructure. Upon this cement finish a double layer of water-proofing, with asphalt finish, was laid, and the joists and 2-inch plank flooring formed the finish. Although the improveniect above described was made at considerable expense to the Department, the treatment has been radical, and complaints are no longer filed. The work done during the year is as follows: Cubic yards of concrete in foundations.. ..................................... 50 Linear feet of drain pipe and dry drains laid.. .............................. 380 Square feet of damp-proofing, two layers of canvas and asphalt finish, laid.. .. 5,860 Square feet of 2-inch floor laid.. ............................................ 5,707 -- New Drainage System in the Vicinity of the Rtusic Stand, Mall, Casino Plaza and Lawns Adjacent. I The drainage system constructed some forty >ears ago in the vicinity above men- tioned was found so defective as to be beyond repair A new system, with the neces- sary basins, was constructed The cellar of the mustc stand, which had no drainage connections whatever, and In wh~chwater stood to the depth of 3 feet 6 inches after heavy rains, was connected with the maln trunk on the East drive. Water and sewage, which were discharged over the lawiis from the sheds, were taken care of CENTRAL PARK LAKE. through new lines and connected to sewers. The work done in connection with thc above improvement follows : Linear feet of 8-inch drain pipe laid.. ....................................... 255 Linear feet of 6-inch drain pipe laid.. ..................:. ................... 801 Sarfnce basin built.. ....................................................... I Cubic yards of excavation of all kinds. ..................................... 311 Cubic yards of refilling in trenches.. ........................................ 300 Square feet of rock asphalt mastic wearing surface laid in w-alks, on concrete base and rubble stone foundation.. ...................................... 1,000 St. Nicholas Park. In April the work of improving a portion of St. Nicholas Park, to w~t:The sec- tion lying between One Hundred and Thirty-fifth and One Hundred and Forty-first streets, St. Nicholas avenue and St. Nicholas terrace, was begun. UnFr various acts or laws the entire section of rocky and hilly land between One Hundred and Thirtieth street and One Hundred and Forty-first street, St. Nicholas avenue and St. Nicholas terrace, and the four blocks between One Hundred and Thirty-sixth and One Hundred and Thirty-eighth streets, St. Nicholas terrace and Amsterdam avenue, were set aside for park purposes. The treatment of this section was planned to be similar in its layout and construc- tion to Morningside Park. In laying out this park, care has been taken to maintain as nearly as possible the original topography, which is very rustic, maintaining the prominent rock features where possible, deviating from set forms as to the laying out of the walk systems, treating the general sloping and shaping boldly, and constructing a modern surface and sub-drainage, water .supply, and irrigating system. The work on the contract between One Hundred and Thirty-fifth and One Hundred and Forty-first streets has been prosecuted during the year, and practically all of the under- ground work is in place. The park will be ready for public use during the summer of 1907. In 1906, a sum of money was set aside for improving the section of St. Nicholas Park between One Hundred and Thirtieth and One Hundred and Thirty-fifth streets, St. Nicholas avenue and St. Nicholas terrace. A contract was executed covering thls work during the latter part of the year, and the work will be completed by the close A further request for money to construct the bays and approaches leading from St. Nicholas Park to the terrace has been made, as also for the funds required to im- prove the four blocks on the top of the hill between One Hundred and Thirty-sixth and One Hundred and Thirty-eighth streets, St. Nicholas terrace and Amsterdam avenue. These four blocks are to be treated as playgrounds, outdoor gymnasiums, running tracks, etc. As it might be of more than passing interest . attention is called to the work per- formed oc the contract between One Htiildred and Thirty-fifth and One Hundred and Forty-first streets. between the date of beginning work on same and December 31 : Cubic yards of earth excavation ............................................ Cubic yards of rock excavation ............................................. Cubic yards of large loose rock removed .................................... Cubic yards of manure spread on lawns ..................................... Cubic yards of mold spread on lawns ....................................... Walk basins built ........................................................... Surface basins built ....................................................... Receiving basins built ....................................................... Linear feet of 6-inch. vitrihed draii~pipe laid il, coccrete casing .............. Linear feet of &inch vitrified drain pipe laid in concrete casing .............. Linear feet of 10-inch vitrified drain pipe laid in concrete casing .............. Linear feet of 12-inch vitrified drain pipe laid in concrete casing .............. Manholes built on drainage system .......................................... Linear feet of 3-inch porous tile drain laid in broken stone .................... Linear feet of &inch cast iron water pipe laid ............................... Linear feet of 2-inch galvanized iron water pipe laid ......................... Linear feet of 6-inch vitrified drain pipe laid ............................... Gate vaults built .......................................................... Four-inch gates set ........................................................ 12 Two-inch gates set .......................................................