18 REPORT OF THE 



drives in no wise differed from that of the Central Park. The 

 surfaces of the Central Park roads and, in part, those of 

 Prospect Park, were made of North River gravel, a superior 

 material for roadways intended for pleasure driving, and the 

 most desirable gravel for this purpose to be had. During the 

 latter years of construction, however, our necessities led us to 

 substitute for the more expensive North River gravel a much 

 less serviceable material found within the park. This material, 

 owing to its composition in large part of sand and clay is, for 

 road surfacing, in every respect inferior to some other gravels 

 of which that from the North River is one of the best types. 



The surfaces made of park gravel are more easily broken up 

 by the shoes of horses, and are worn away more rapidly by the 

 attrition of the wheels of vehicles. It is more easily affected 

 by moisture and frost, and in summer more readily turns into 

 dust, to which a constant application of water by sprinkling is 

 necessary in order to maintain it in a proper condition for use. 

 As will be inferred, the surfaces of those drives covered by this 

 latter material have worn away more rapidly and have entailed 

 more labor in their care than the other. In both cases, how- 

 ever, the present unsatisfactory condition of our roads is due 

 principally to the fact that there has been no considerable 

 renewal of the surface material during the past fifteen years, 

 and that this deterioration has resulted from the loss by wear, 

 and the effect of the elements upon the original surface mate- 

 rial, which forms the essential feature of a properly constructed 

 drive ; these surfaces have worn away in some instances 

 to a depth of three to eight inches. During many years, for 

 the want of means to supply a needed liberal renovation, the 

 treatment has been necessarily superficial, ephemeral and un- 

 satisfactory. To restore these roads to a condition correspond- 

 ing to that of their original construbtion will require for the 

 repairs of more or less of five miles of road, as will be inferred, 

 the use of considerable labor and material. Our bridle roads 

 are constructed of park gravel ; horseback riding has very 

 much increased in Brooklyn, and more labor will be needed to 

 be expended upon the rides in order to maintain them in a 



