252 



out difficulties arising from the loss of valuable improvements, 

 which are too frequently destroyed in the progress of subse- 

 quent advances of the city, and which a more prudent fore- 

 sight might easily have prevented. The Board can do nothing 

 further at this time than to call the attention of the parties 

 more immediately interested to the subject, and to express the 

 hope that it will receive from the Legislature that decided 

 action which its importance manifestly demands. 



The propriety, if not the absolute necessity, of an extension 

 of Prospect Park at its western angle, so as to allow the princi- 

 pal drive in that direction to be carried out according to the 

 original design, has been repeatedly urged in former reports of 

 the board, and the Legislature was, on more than one occasion, 

 applied to for permission to make the desired acquisition ; but 

 without success. The Commissioners have now, however, the 

 pleasure of stating that an act was passed at the last session 

 authorizing this extension, and directing the board to apply to 

 the Supreme Court for the appointment of Commissioners to 

 estimate the value of the land so taken. Messrs. Teunis G. 

 Bergen, Henry W. Slocum, Crawford C. Smith, Henry C. 

 Murphy, Jr., and Edwin K. Scranton, well known citizens of 

 Brooklyn, were selected by the court to perform this duty ; and 

 it is understood that their report is nearly ready for publica- 

 tion. The land in question consists of twelve blocks of ground, 

 lying between Ninth and Tenth avenues, and Third and Fif- 

 teenth streets, and might, when its annexation was first sug- 

 gested by the board, have been obtained for a comparatively 

 small price. Its present value, however, has been much 

 increased during the last two years from various causes, 

 especially by its vicinity to the park, and its acquisition must 

 now necessarily be somewhat costly to the city, but the board 

 indulge the hope that the forthcoming report of the Commis- 

 sioners will be of such a character as to justify the board in 

 asking the court to ratify and confirm the same. When these 

 proceedings shall have been completed, Prospect Park will ex- 

 tend over the whole area embraced within its original design, 

 and any further extension of its boundaries would, in the judg- 

 ment of the Commissioners, not only tend to- mar the symmetry 

 of its present fine proportions, but would entail an unnecessary 

 expense upon our already heavily-burdened city. When the 



