FIFTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 91 



Early in the season, arrangements were made to serve a 

 table d'hote dinner on Smidays and holiday evenings, the object 

 being to make the Boat-Hoiise known to a large number of Park 

 visitors. The plan was an immediate success, and in a short time 

 our facilities were taxed to their utmost during the dinner hour. 

 This plan will no doubt be continued during 1911 as it has al- 

 ready brought the restaurant many friends. 



Boating. — The boating was greatly hampered during the 

 last season by the extremely low water in the Bronx River and 

 Lake. The old dam at 182nd Street, which forms the lake, had 

 been leaking badly for some years, and during the dry months of 

 summer, with but little water coming into the lake, it was im- 

 possible to keep the water up to the required level. This made it 

 very difficult to unload passengers from row boats, which at the 

 lowest water level were two feet below the dock. 



There were also so many stumps and sunken logs in the lake 

 channel that it became dangerous to operate the launches wiien 

 the water was below the level of the dam. On one occasion, at a 

 time of the low water, when the launch Albatross was loaded 

 with visitors, it struck one of these logs, which opened a hole 

 sufficiently large to swamp the boat before the Bronxdale land- 

 ing could be reached. Fortunately the pilot was able to beach 

 the boat on some rocks before she sank, and her sixteen passen- 

 gers landed without injury. As a result of this accident, plans 

 were made and a contract let for extensive repairs to the dam 

 and raceway that will make it possible to hold the lake at the 

 normal level at all times. This work was undertaken as soon as 

 the boating season was over, and is now completed. Advantage 

 has been taken of the opportunity offered while the lake was 

 drained for this work, to cut off and remove as many of the 

 sunken logs and stumps as could be reached. We therefore be- 

 lieve that our troubles with low water in Bronx Lake are now 

 over. 



Guide Books. — Although the Bison Edition of the Guide 

 Book, of which 30,000 copies were printed late in the fall of 1909, 

 is still on sale, the work of getting out another edition must be 

 taken up soon, because a new edition will be required in the 

 spring of 1911. It really is remarkable how well the Guide con- 

 tinues to sell. It would seem that eventually our regular visit- 

 ors would be fully supplied with copies, and sales would diminish 

 accordingly; but such is not the case. In fact, many regular 

 visitors who come to the Park carrying previous editions, will 

 purchase other copies as soon as a new edition is available. 



