82 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



manner would have cost about $i,ooo; and in view of the im- 

 portant improvement about to be made at the lower end of the 

 lake, the money thus expended would have been thrown away. 

 Inasmuch as funds were available for the long-contemplated 

 improvement at the waterfall, Commissioner Moebus recom- 

 mended the immediate execution of the work, in which the So- 

 ciety heartily concurred. 



Chief Engineer Schenck immediately prepared working plans 

 and specifications for the erection of a concrete and stone dam 

 about 190 feet long, extending from the most northerly point 

 of the waterfall across to the rocky face of Wilson's Hill, in 

 accordance with the general plan worked out in 1897 by Land- 

 scape Architect Charles N. Lowrie. A contract for the work 

 was let on June 13th to J. C. Rogers, Jr., at $6,080, and com- 

 pleted in a satisfactory manner in December, 1901. A heavy 

 core of concrete was constructed throughout the entire distance 

 from the waterfall to Wilson's Hill, and, excepting for a 20-foot 

 spillway near its north end, was raised two feet above the water- 

 level. ■ The quantity of concrete and stone masonry required 

 was 1,050 cubic yards; filling, 1,100 yards; and excavation, 1,300 

 yards. Between the spillway and the waterfall an island was 

 created, to bear trees and shrubbery, and the masonry was cov- 

 ered with top soil to a depth of one foot. Beneath the spillway 

 the exposed face of the dam has been built of weathered rock 

 laid in rustic form, and the small cascade thus created is a very 

 pleasing new feature, in direct line of vision from the bridge 

 which spans the river at the northeast entrance. 



The completion of this improvement accomplishes several 

 important results. It increases the water area in Lake Agassiz 

 by one-third ; it adds very greatly to the beauty of that spot ; the 

 accidental emptying of the lake is now impossible ; an unsightly 

 area of ground is now covered by water, and, lastly, the massive 

 wasteway and 36-inch cast-iron valve built into the dam now ren- 

 ders it an easy matter to drain the lake whenever necessary. 



In the spring a very considerable amount of grading, regulat- 

 ing, and planting must be done by the Park force under Mr. 

 Merkel, to provide the necessary turf, vines, shrubbery, and 

 trees that are absolutely necessary on the two islands and the 

 adjacent shores. The cost of this must necessarily be provided 

 by a new appropriation for miscellaneous ground improvements. 



