88 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



expended under the direction of the Commissioners of the District of Cohimbia; and 

 the control of Adams Mill road is hereby vested in the said Commissioners of the 

 District of Columbia and all j^roceedings necessary to purchase or condemn the land 

 necessary to widen said road as authorized by act ajjproved March third, eighteen 

 hundred and ninety-nine, providing for sundry civil expenses of the (-Jovernment for 

 the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred, and for other ]>uriwses, shall 

 be taken by said Commissioners. (Sundry civil act, June 6, 1900.) 



It is hoped that the provisions of this act may result in an improvement of the city 

 roads giving access to the park. At present they are far from satisfactory. 



The improvement of the Adams Mill road (without the park) has l)een necessarily 

 delayed owing to the advance of property and the above-mentioned tlifficulties. A 

 similar condition has prevailed at the western entrance to the park, near Con- 

 necticut avenue extended. An appropriation was made some years ago for the 

 widening and improvement of this street, but it appears to have been insufficient 

 as the work has never been completed. Its unfinished aspect greatly mars the 

 approach to the park, and during wet weather the road, which has not been macad- 

 amized, becomes very muddy and unpleasant for carriages. As the roads within 

 the park are among the best in the District and give access to beautiful drives in 

 the upper park along Rock Creek, it seems highly desirable that this condition 

 should not continue. 



It should be noted that the act appropriating funds for the District of Columbia 

 has this year provided for a road to be led along the left bank of the creek, finally 

 abutting upon the park at the situation shown ujjon tlie annexed map. The exact 

 terms of this act are as follows: 



To construct. a masonry retaining wall between Cincinnati street and Woodley road 

 to define the limits of a new driveway, which the (Commissioners of the District of 

 Columbia are hereby authorized to lay out along the east side of Rock Creek from 

 Connecticut avenue to Zoological Park, four thousand dollars: Provided, That all land 

 within the limits of said highway between Cincinnati street and Woodley road shall 

 first be dedica.ted to the District of*Columbia. (District act June 6, 1900. ) 



In the report of two years ago it was mentioned that the bridge over Rock Creek 

 near the Quarry road entrance had begun to show signs of decay. This has increased 

 alarmingly, and it was thought 1)est to have the structure examined by an expert 

 engineer. Mr. H. R. Leonard, of Philadelpliia, a civil engineer rei-ommended by the 

 bridge department of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, made a report on the struc- 

 ture to the effect that it was unsafe and should be immediately replaced by a new 

 one. Heavy traffic over the bridge was at once stopped and Congress was asked to 

 appropriate the sum of $10,000 for an iron bridge. Afterwards, owing to the advance 

 in price of iron, it was asked that this amount be increased to |12,000. It was finally 

 determined by Congress that a bridge either of natural or artificial stone should 

 be constructed, and the sum of $22,000 was aiipropriated for the purpose. The con- 

 struction will be conducted under the direction of the engineer Commissioner of the 

 District of Columljia. 



The question of completel}- inclosing the park with a boundary fence has been 

 considered during the year. The fence built in 1890 was not completed at the lower 

 portion along the banks of Rock Creek, and was never extended across the roads at 

 the various entrances. Besides this, successive changes of boundary and the con- 

 struction of roads along the boundary line at the lower end of the park have made 

 it necessary to remove the fence in that region. It should also be noted that even 

 where the fence is comi:)lete it affords no effective l)arrier against predatory dogs and 

 cats. In consequence of this, several accidents to animals have occurred. The 

 number of attacks of dogs up to June 30, 1900, is as follows: 



August, 1891, Virginia deer seriously injured by dogs. 



October 10, 1891, prong-horn antelope, frightened by dogs, ran into ferice of pad- 

 dock and broke its neck. 



October 3, 1892, two South American deer killed l^y thive dogs. 



