REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 49 
mainly because of the great cost which their execution would entail. A plan pre- 
pared by Mr. D. J. Howell was finally selected as being effective for the purpose 
required at a minimum of expense. It is a combined iron and wooden structure, 128 
feet in length, resting upon two granite piers and two abutments. The plans were 
carefully examined, and criticised by skilled experts, and were believed by compe- 
tent engineers to be sufficient to withstand any flood likely to occur. At the close 
of the fiscal year the piers and abutments had been completed, but the superstruc- 
ture was not yet in place. 
The quarry near the entrance to the park seemed admirably fitted for the construe- 
tion of dens and yards for bears. In order to ascertain its condition, it was cleared 
of a great quantity of loose earth and rock which had fallen from the clifts above. 
The quarry face was found to be inmost places sufficiently steep to prevent the bears 
from climbing it, and where this was not the case the necessary steepness was ob- 
tained by blasting. To afford shelter for the bears spacious dens in which shelves 
were fashioned were hollowed out from the face of the rock, and in front of these 
there was built a strong iron fence 10 feet in height inclosing yards of considerable 
extent. The upper ends of the vertical bars of the fence were pointed and turned 
inward to prevent the escape of the bears, the floor of the yards was smoothly 
cemented, and a large basin,supplied with running water, builtin each. Work upon 
these yards has been frequently interrupted by the falling from the slopes of large 
quantities of earth and rock. To obviate this Mr, Olmsted, the landscape gardener, 
has advised that a retaining wall be built at the top of the cliffs. But, as else- 
where stated, the park boundary runs at the upper edge of these cliffs and only a 
partial control of the difficulties can be obtained unless the park property is ex- 
tended here some yards further back. The system of yards as projected includes 
three principal inclosures and a smaller one to be used as a shifting pen. Atan early 
day this system will have to be enlarged, as the park has now four species of bears 
and one subspecies. 
The brow of the first hill overlooking the bridge was selected as a site for a house 
for animals requiring heat. The design for this house, furnished by Mr. Emerson, 
was somewhat modified to suit the exigencies of the appropriation available, it being 
found impracticable to erect more than a portion of the structure. The house is of 
stone, 2 handsome gneiss, quarried upon Broad Branch some 24 miles from the park. 
Its plan shows a long corridor upon one side of which are arranged the cages for 
large animals. Exterior yards and an extension for the accommodation of smaller 
animals will be added if funds are appropriated for that purpose. At present the 
house is much overcrowded and the animals are not suitably accommodated. 
Accommodations for the small herd of bison were early considered. It seemed 
desirable to place these animals where they could have considerable range. When 
confined even in large yards they cut up the ground so much that they soon destroy 
every vestige of grass or other green thing. Still, if the inclosures are too large the 
animals keep so far away as not to be seen at all by the public. A site was selected 
in a protected locality on a hillside where small paddocks could be made along the 
main road and larger yards for grazing grounds could be carried from these down into 
the rich bottomland along Rock Creek, where abundance of grass is naturally produced. 
Here there was constructed a barn for the buffalo, which is a novel and picturesque 
structure of black-oak logs admirably harmonizing with the location. The appro- 
priation was so limited that if was found necessary to place the elk also in this barn, 
and paddocks for them were accordingly built adjoining it. Inexpensive but strong 
fences for these paddocks were made of iron rods running horizontally through 
rough cedar posts and coupled together at the ends. Some difficulty has been found 
with the elk fence which has not stood the continuous battering given it by the 
males during the rutting season as well as was expected. The original plan of ex- 
tending the paddocks to the bottom land of the creek will shortly be carried out. 
Paddocks for the deer and antelope have been constructed on the left bank of the 
H. Mis. 334, pt. 14 
