304 ) 
The heaviest piece of grading in our plan is around the 
eastern end of the Range of Horticultural Houses in order to 
establish the desired surfaces. Work on this may proceed as 
opportunity offers. . 
Roads and Paths. 
Under a contract of the Department of Parks with Mr. J. 
B. Devlin, awarded in June, by means of an appropriation 
voted by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment in 1897, 
work in road and path building was commenced early in July. 
This contract included the building of the plaza facing the 
railroad station, the building of the path between this plaza 
and the west wing of the Museum, the building of the path 
extending south from the east wing of the Museum to the 
driveway, and the filling necessary for the building of the 
driveway from the plaza southeast to where it crosses the 
aqueduct; the contract also included the construction of the 
necessary drain pipes and catch basins provided by the gen- 
eral plan. The work was continuously prosecuted and was 
completed early in December; it was very carefully inspected 
by Chief Ulrich and his assistants and is pronounced by ex- 
peris to be one of the best pieces of Telford-MacAdam con- 
struction built in the city. The approximate cost was $14,000. 
Two paths connecting those to the Museum wings built 
under the Devlin contract with the Museum basement doors 
are being built by us in the same general style, and we have 
made the subgrades and laid some of the foundation for part 
of the path planned to connect the station plaza with the 
Southern Boulevard. 
By means of an unexpended balance on appropriations for 
the improvements of parks and parkways, Mr. Devlin was 
awarded another contract by the Commissioners of Parks in 
November; this contract provides for the building of drive- 
ways from the station plaza to the Southern Boulevard, and 
around the Museum Building as far as the lakes, together 
with the necessary accompanying drainage system, all as con- 
templated by our general plan, at a cost of about $20,000. 
