TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT 95 



DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING. 

 deorge ^1. Beerl)<)wer. Civil Eiiiiineer. 



Owing to the many unique features of the Animal Hospital, 

 the attention of our engineer has been mostly confined to the 

 superintendence of this building. Soundings were made for a 

 sewe3'-line for this building over every available route, in order 

 to avoid rock excavation as much as possible. 



The work of the contractors, H. H. Vought & Co., has been 

 most satisfactory. Not only have the specifications been faith- 

 fully complied with, but many conditions not anticipated by the 

 specifications, were taken care of in a satisfactory manner. The 

 building is now nearing completion and will be occupied early in 

 1916. 



During the early part of the year the engineer's time was 

 occupied in finishing the large colored map of the easterly half 

 of the Park. This map is designed for exhibition purposes, and 

 to accompany a similar map of the western portion of the Park, 

 which has been found most valuable. Surveys were made and 

 plotted, showing every individual tree, its size and kind, of all 

 the area demanded by the Public Service Commission for Rapid 

 Transit Storage Yards along the easterly side of the Park. 



Plans were prepared and filed for a large brooder-house and 

 other buildings required in the nursery. Surveys were made, 

 ground staked out, and grades established for the paving of the 

 Wild Fowl Pond. 



The latter part of the year has been mostly taken up in 

 superintending the work of the removal of the old wooden dock 

 at the Boat House and the construction of a new concrete dock. 

 The old wooden dock consisted of 63,660 square feet of three- 

 inch planking and timbers rigidly spiked together. This was 

 badly decayed and water-soaked, and upon it had been built a 

 booth and stairways which had to be supported while the wood- 

 work was being removed from under. Early in December the 

 river rose to such a height as to overflow the site, and work on 

 the new dock had to be suspended. 



In an institution of the magnitude and character of this, 

 innumerable and varied demands are made upon the engineer 

 which can not be embodied in the space available for an annual 

 report. 



