PROCEEDINGS. lOII 



April ]5, 1895. — Stated Meeting. 



The President in the chair. 



The committee on public reservations presented the following resolu- 

 tions, which were adopted: 



Whereas, It is rumored that the Government intends to construct a 

 road by filling in part of Mountain Lake in the Presidio Government Ees- 

 ervation at San Francisco. This road, which would cross the lake at a 

 place where it is thirty feet deep, would be many hundreds of feet long 

 and would sadly disfigure this beautiful lake, and undoubtedly lead to its 

 final destruction by subsequent tilling in and by greatly increased growth 

 of tules and other weeds. 



Mountain Lake, which contains fourteen acres, more or less, is one of 

 the prettiest landmarks on the peninsula and its shores could with little 

 expense be converted into a beaixtiful park. A portion of the southerly 

 part of the lake is in the public park of the City and County of San Fran- 

 cisco, known as Mountain Lake Park, which, in the course of a few years, 

 will doubtless be beautifully improved by the city and county. Its water 

 is pure and good. It seems incredible that while we are spending $500,000 

 in creating a lake in the Golden Gate Park of San Francisco any one 

 should conceive the idea of destroying that most beautiful Mountain 

 Lake, situated close by, only for the purpose of securing a straight road 

 from the Marine Hospital to a public street. A road around the lake 

 would cost maiay times less, would be more durable and more beautiful, 

 and would serve every purpose, as going around the small lake would take 

 but a few minutes more time than crossing it on the newly proposed road. 

 But in order to reach the nearest street it is not necessary to cross the lake 

 at all, as a short cut already existing through a small sand-bank, if some- 

 what widened, together with filling in a few feet, would give, immediate 

 access to one of the city highways. To destroy the beautiful Mountain 

 Lake would be, we think, a great wrong, besides there can be really no 

 necessity for it. It would be far better to dredge out the shallow weedy 

 portion of it and stock it with fresh-water fish, plant trees around its mar- 

 gin and make it "a thing of beauty "which would be "a joy forever, " 

 than to destroy it by making a highway across it. 



To put a grade eighty feet wide on top crossing that lake would require 

 a filling of at least one hundred and sixty feet wide on the bottom; besides, 

 its weight would squeeze the mud from the bottom and in fact ruin the 

 lake as such. It would be as well to fill it in at once. 



We think it would be as sane to iindertake to destroy the Farallones or 

 any other small island in the Pacific, so that a ship might pass directly 

 over it, as to grade across this beautiful lake for a direct road to the city 

 when no one conld be to any extent accommodated by such change. 



In our judgment it would be a wrong, a great wrong, one that would be 

 regretted for all future time. 



