(248) 



Central & Hudson River Railroad, presented a difficult prob- 

 lem, and one which was not wholly solved in the general 

 plan. It was finally determined to solve it in the most ef- 

 fective and permanent manner practicable, although entailing 

 great expense, and thus necessarily delaying other work. 

 At the time the tracks of the railroad were depressed and 

 grade-crossings eliminated, the present bridge at the crossing 

 of the Southern Boulevard was built and at the same time a 

 brick sewer was laid under the railroad in the center of the 

 Boulevard, but this had never been connected with the main 

 city sewer in Webster Avenue to the west. I endeavored 

 with the assistance of the Commissioner of Parks, early in 

 the year, to induce the Department of Sewers to build this 

 connection, in order that we might then connect with it on 

 the eastern side of the railroad. This Department expressed 

 entire willingness to do the work, and we hoped it might be 

 arranged for, but it became apparent late in the autumn that 

 funds were not available. Meanwhile the power house was 

 endangered by storm-water, banks were being washed and 

 the railroad right-of-way occasionally flooded. We then de- 

 termined to use some funds available in a city appropriation 

 for construction and in improving the grounds, and other 

 money from your appropriation for grading, drainage and 

 water supply, and do the work ourselves ; it is still in prog- 

 ress. The essentia] difficulty is the necessity of making an 

 open cut averaging 23 feet deep in filled ground full of 

 boulders, but we have progressed up to the present time with- 

 out incidents demanding record. This sewer connection, 

 when once established, will take care of all the drainage and 

 sewerage of the garden not already provided for or satisfac- 

 torily planned. A deep excavation for about fifty feet will be 

 necessary at the eastern end of the Boulevard bridge, but 

 the rest of the work will be simple. It is doubtless the most 

 important piece of construction work now under way. 



The plan for supplying the two lakes northeast of the 

 museum building with rain water from the drainage system 

 running south to the curve in the Southern Boulevard has 



