PARK AND CEMETERY. 
35 
lection of colored stone are perhaps the 
most agreeable and doubtless more dur- 
able. 
There have been molded in the South 
Park shops blocks for buildings, col- 
umns, architectural moldings and orna- 
ments with both red and black 
crushed granite, all treated with the 
acid to bring out the natural colors of 
the stone. There has been a large quan- 
tity of concrete pavement laid with tor- 
pedo sand surface colored a buff sand- 
stone color with a small quantity of yel- 
low ochre and mineral red and treated 
with acid. The buff color ' imparted to 
the surface is a welcome relief from the 
glare of the ordinary whitish gray con- 
crete pavement in the sunshine, and the 
etching of the surface adds to the soft- 
ness of the color at the same time pre- 
venting any slippiness. This same buff 
color has been used to a large extent 
in steps, bases of lamp posts, and other 
molded articles to be placed on or near 
the ground. With sand as the aggre- 
gate thousands of pieces have been 
molded for coping, balustrades, con- 
crete seats, drinking fountains, pedes- 
tals, etc., which, when treated with the 
acid, appear like fine grained, almost 
white sandstone. 
Where there are projections or marks 
left by the molds or forms they are 
tooled or rubbed down before treat- 
ment, and where it is necessary to 
plaster up rough places or cavities in 
the surface it may be done after treat- 
ment and cannot be detected. 
These various classes of work have 
been done on a large scale during the 
last three years in connection with the 
improvement of new parks and has in 
all cases proved satisfactory. 
The Park Commissioners of Golden 
Gate Park. San Francisco, have granted 
permission to the Woman’s Outdoor Art 
League to construct a rustic log cabin 
on a .=ite in the park yet to be selected. 
This cabin is to be built of the many 
dead trees in the park to commemorate 
the earthquake and fire. The executive 
committee of the league asked to be al- 
lowed to cut all the dead trees in the 
park and promised to plant new ones 
in their places. Plans for the rustic 
structure are now being prepared. 
The advance of spring and the work 
of the gardeners are combining to trans- 
form Golden Gate into some semblance 
of its old-time verdure. The first plow- 
ing in the rehabilitation of the lawns 
has been finished and fertilizers applied. 
The largest contract was that of turn- 
The second method of preventing or 
minimizing surface defect has also been 
tried in the South Park work with quite 
a measure of success. 
During the years 1904 , 1905 , and 1900 
groups of concrete buildings have been 
erected in nine different parks costing, 
with their accessories, from $ 65,000 to 
$ 150,000 for each group. These build- 
ings are all monolithic structures, with 
occasional expansion joints, the ex- 
posed surfaces of walls being of con- 
crete composed of one part of cement, 
three parts of fine limestone screenings 
and three parts of crushed limestone 
known as the one-fourth inch size. This 
was thoroughly mixed quite dry so no 
mortar would flush to the surface and 
well rammed in wooden forms made in 
the usual manner. The result was an 
evenly grained, finely honeycombed sur- 
face, of a pleasing soft gray color, 
which grows darker with time and 
blends admirably with the park land- 
scape. In placing it was not spaded next 
the form; it was too dry to cause any 
flushing of mortar so there is no smooth 
mortar surface, the imprint of joints be- 
tween the boards hardly noticed and the 
grain of the wood not seen at all. There 
is no efflorescence apparent on the sur- 
face anywhere and cannot be on ac- 
count of the dryness of the mix and 
the porosity of the surface. The build- 
ings are used as gymnasiums, assembly 
halls, reading and refreshment rooms, 
and as a rule the same gray concrete 
finish is given the interior walls as the 
exterior. In some cases a little color 
has been applied on the interior walls 
and the walls of shower and bath rooms 
have been waterproofed with plaster. 
The porosity of the surface makes it 
ing under the surface of the old base- 
ball field. The surface will again be 
plowed and then the bare spots in the 
expanse of green will disappear. 
The present spring aspect of the park 
is distinctly Japanese with the profuse 
growth of the flowering Japanese cher- 
ries, peaches, almonds, camellias, azal- 
eas, early rhododendrons, and many 
other Oriental flowering plants. The 
vast pansy beds have been attractive 
and brilliant for months past, despite the 
severity of the winter. 
The numberless fruit trees, which 
serve as ornaments, rather than pro- 
lific bearers of fruit, received rough 
treatment at the time of the prolonged 
occupancy of the park by the refugees 
and will not be entirely replaced for 
well adapted to receive and hold plas- 
ter. 
This sort of surface is not capable of 
treatment with acid as a smoothly mor- 
tared surface, nor is it desirable. Con- 
sequently the only color obtainable is 
the natural color of the cement cov- 
ered stone, but which is softer and far 
more agreeable than the gray of the usu- 
al mortar finished surface. It is not 
suited for the surface of a pavement 
and is not impervious to water. Al- 
though it is evident the water enters 
the pores to a considerable extent there 
is no evidence of injury from the frost 
during the two winters some of the 
walls have stood. 
The same finish has been used for re- 
taining walls, arch bridges, fence posts, 
walls enclosing service yards, etc In 
the buildings the thin walls were made 
entirely of this mixture, while in the 
heavier structures it has been used only 
as a facing. Two reinforced arches of 
GO feet span were faced with this mix- 
ture, hut the steel was imbedded in a 
wetter, more impervious concrete. This 
same dry mixture can be used for 
molded stones when the mold is open 
enough to permit tamping, and of 
course it is eminently suited to block 
machines. 
Of the work described, most of the 
monolithic buildings, the arch bridges 
and some of the walls and paving have 
been done by contract. All of the mold- 
ed work, the buildings made of blocks, 
service yard, walls, etc,, and all the acid 
treatment has been done by the park 
forces. Nearly all the various Ijrands 
of Portland cement sold in the Chicago 
market have been used in varying quan- 
tities with equally good results. 
SAN FRANCISCO 
many months. The prolonged stormy 
weather has greatly retarded the work 
of rehabilitation, but with the advent 
of, real spring conditions, oiicrations 
will be crowded forward with all pos- 
sible Sliced. As Golden Gate Park 
contains over 1,000 acres, the task is 
a large one. 
Work on all the plazas, parks, etc., 
in the city proper, is progressing en- 
couragingly, though these public 
grounds arc by no means yet restored 
to their former condition ; nor will they 
be for a long time to come. So many 
trees and shrubs were mutilated, or 
killed, and must be replaced, that time 
alone can fully restore them. 
The estimated cost of restoring Gold- 
en Gate Park, and the various other 
smaller city parks will rcacli $180,000. 
RESTORING GOLDEN GATE PARK, 
