1894. J PUBLIC DOCUMENT — Xo. 48. 



EEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



Hon. Chakles Francis Adams, Chairman, Metropolitan Park Commissio?i. 



Sir : — In submitting my first report as the secretary of 

 the Commission it seems proper to rehearse very briefly the 

 facts connected with my term of office. Appointed on the 

 twenty-ninth day of July hist, I assumed the duties of this 

 position on the lirst day of August, thus making only a little 

 more than four months as the time to be covered by this report. 



The first matter of importance was the organization of the 

 office, the development of the system for the conduct of its 

 business and the arrangement of the duties of its subordinates, 

 as well as the selection of permanent offices. This was quickly 

 efiected. The necessary subordinates were chosen under the 

 civil service rules and suitable offices were selected in the Ames 

 Building. The question of the employment of civil engineers 

 and surveyors for the determination of the boundary lines of 

 the several proposed reservations was at once taken up and, so 

 far as was practicable, the services of local surveyors were 

 eno^ac'ed. This was done in order that the Commission mio-ht 

 avail itself of the advantages of the familiarity with local and 

 property boundaries which, in most cases, these local sur- 

 veyors possessed. 



The work was pushed with the utmost rapidity, and while 

 in some cases obstacles were encountered which caused un- 

 looked-for delays, yet substantial results have been accom- 

 plished. 



On November 3 the work of surveying and determining the 

 boundaries of the south section of the Beaver Brook Reserva- 

 tion had been completed and the Board passed the necessary 

 act of taking, followed on the 1st of December by the taking 

 of the north section, which together comprise the Beaver 

 Brook Reservation, with an area of 58.61 acres. 



