DEPARTMENT OF PARKS. 47 



was over one hundred and sixty feet. The company was will- 

 ing to run a pipe two miles, without customers, to connect 

 with the park pip*' where it was of large diameter, while a 

 few feet would have answered to connect with the four-inch 

 pipe and give the same pressure. These systems of pipe,-, 

 during the past year have been severed. It was then found, 

 as was already known to be the case, that there was an 

 abundance of water for these watering carts, besides sup- 

 plying in addition forty odd customers with park water. This 

 heavy pressure of park water on the pipes of the other sys- 

 tem caused in some cases considerable damage. In one in- 

 stance one of the large mains of their system burst at night 

 and flooded the whole ground in the neighborhood be low the 

 race-course. The same night several hundred thousand gallons 

 were missed from the park reservoir owing to the bursting 

 of these pipes. In another instance, at night, when their pumps 

 were not in operation, their reservoir overflowed, while at the 

 same time the park reservoir was perceptibly lowered. Since 

 the connection between these pipes has been severed, the 

 water courses and upper lakes and pools of the park, as 

 already stated, have regained their pristine beauty and volume. 

 There are in the park two other small lakes nut connected 

 with the lake system. They are on the east side. One is the 

 deer paddock lake, the other the playground pool, about half 

 way between the deer paddock and the plaza entrance. These 

 lakes are nothing more than stagnant ponds without any nat- 

 ural outlet. The playground pool became exceedingly foul 

 and repulsive. It was, however, cleansed by the Commissioners 

 and is now in a better condition. The deer paddock lake is 

 still in a foul state. Being quite deep and heavily shaded, the 

 sun has not been able to reach the impurities contained in it 

 as it has in the shallow lakes. The architect, in its construc- 

 tion, duplicated the same mistake that was made in Central 

 Park, which caused such instant and indignant protest on the 

 part of the neighboring residents and on account of which 

 many people lost their lives. It was an exceedingly simple 

 matter, from an engineering standpoint, to have had all these 



