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occurred ; we have been obliged to permit Messrs. 
Clark, Reeves & Co., to run a railroad through 
our grounds to carry material for the building 
of Girard Avenue Bridge, which has virtually thrown 
one-half of our available space out of use, and 
they will occupy this ground until at least the 
fall of 1874. The Park Commission have also re- 
served to themselves the right to run a broad car- 
riage way through the north end of our ground ; 
should this be done it will cut us off from the 
most beautiful part of our reservation, on which 
it was the intention of our architect to have con- 
structed the monkey and bird houses, but the 
great expense of such a road will render its con- 
struction extremely doubtful. The Society has been 
very fortunate in securing the services of Mr. 
Schwarzmann, as the engineer to carry out the 
designs of the Society ; he has made a beautifully 
executed plan of the completed garden, which 
has been accepted by the Board. Mr. Schwarz- 
mann has now left for Europe, where he will 
take plans and drawings of the best buildings in 
foreign associations, similar to our own, in con- 
formity with instructions received from the Board. 
Although but a small amount of money has as 
yet been raised, and the lease is still unexecuted, 
it has been determined, rather than allow another 
summer to pass without work, to commence on 
such ground as is available, and to this end, 
the Board have decided to enclose, by a high 
picket fence, the central portion of our trace, 
inducing the Penn Mansion, comprising say ten 
or eleven acres. The funds already in hand 
