265 
PARK' A N D CEMETERY. 
I 
completed, of twenty feet, and on its 
completion it will be turned over to the 
Aletropolitan Parks Commission and in- 
corporated in the Metropolitan Parks 
System. A dike or bank, one mile and 
a half in length and one hundred and 
fifty feet wide, will be made on the Bos- 
ton side of the basin, which will be 
called the Beacon Street Embankment. 
This embankment, which will be a con- 
tinuation of the present pretty park and 
pla)'ground named Charlesbank, together 
with the shores of the basin lying be- 
tween the new dam /and the one at Wa- 
tertown nine miles up the river, are to 
be planted with grass, trees and shrubs, 
with driveways and paths along them. 
Much of the land on the Cambridge side 
of the basin is devoted to park purposes, 
and that portjon of it already construct- 
ed is called the Cambridge Esplanade. 
At various places along the Charles Riv- 
er the continuity of the park land is in- 
terrupted by mills as at Waltham by the 
famous watch manufactory. The Charles 
River Basin is in the center of the park 
sy.=tem of the metropolitan district. 
The Charles River, owing to its ac- 
cessibility and the densely populated 
country through which it flows, is natu- 
rally the most frequented of the three 
rivers. It is a most delightful ride 
through Commonwealth Avenue, one of 
Boston’s famous parkways, to Norurn- 
bega Park. On a bright summer’s after- 
noon it is an exhilarating and remark- 
able sight to see the river fairly alive 
with innumerable canoes, all painted 
some lively hue. Steamboats and launches 
are also in use. 
The Charles, though not grandly beau- 
tiful, is with its wooded banks, pastoral 
aspect and sinuosities extremely pictur- 
esque. Policemen constantly patrol the 
river in boats, not only to rescue anyone 
in case of accidents, but to preserve or- 
der. Life preservers are kept at differ- 
ent conspicuous places on the banks. 
'L'his is a very important service as be- 
fore the Park Commissioners had con- 
trol many persons were drowned every 
year in the Charles River. 
Soldiers’ Field, the great playground 
of Harvard University, is situated on 
the Charles not far from the college 
Ijuildings, and adjoining it is the famous 
racing course, the Speedway, which is 
part of the Metropolitan Parks System. 
The Neponset River Reservation, to- 
gether with that part near the Blue 
Hills, known as the Fowl Meadows, and 
the strips of land bordering the river, 
contains over nine hundred acres. 
The Mystic River Reservation, which 
is in the vicinity of the Middlesex Fells, 
contains some 290 acres, extending for 
five miles from Weir Bridge to Welling- 
ton Bridge. A charming and novel fea- 
ture of the Mystic Park are the marshes 
at the mouth of the river, especially in 
the fall when they are dotted with hay- 
stacks propped up on platforms to keep 
them from the water. 
The two great beach reservations, Re- 
vere and Nantasket, before coming into 
the hands of the park cotnmissioners 
were owned by private individuals, were 
obstructed by various kinds of objec- 
tionable buildings and resorted to by a 
very cjuestionable class of people. As 
Revere “was the first beach to be set 
aside and governed by a public body for 
the enjoyment of the common people,’’ 
it proved a somewhat difficult matter to 
know what was the best method to pur- 
sue in regard to its treatment. , 
At last, after much thought on the 
part of those interested in the problem, 
the beach was cleared of all buildings; 
the steam and electric railroads connect- 
ing it with Boston and other towns were 
moved to some distance in the rear; and 
at the head of the beach was erected a 
liandsome administration building; ex- 
tensive bath houses for bathing; a laun- 
dry and police station ; and a fine drive- 
way, extending along the beach was laid 
cut, with promenades bordering it and 
shelters with seats. 
A fine amusement park, called “Won- 
derland,” and other private amusements, 
all situated back of the driveway so as 
not to obstruct the view of the beach and 
the ocean beyond, add to the attractions 
of this resort. During the bathing sea- 
son floats are anchored out in deep 
water a short distance from shore, 
for the convenience of swimmers 
and divers. Life guards row about in 
boats to rescue those in danger of 
drowning. These life guards are ex- 
pert swimmers and versed in the treat- 
ment of emergency cases. There is 
a trained nurse always on hand, with all 
modern conveniences for taking care of 
the sick. As many as 8,000 persons have 
bathed at Revere Beach in one day, and 
its popularity has been so constantly on 
the increase that it has been a difficult 
matter for the Park Commissioners to 
keep the facilities for bathing equal to 
the demand. The revenue derived from 
the rent of the dressing-rooms, bathing 
suits and so forth more than covers the 
expense. 
There are sixty-seven acres in the Re- 
vere Beach Reservation. It is situated 
on what is known as the North Shore, a 
fashionable place for summer residences, 
and is accessible from Boston by means 
of steam and electric cars, or over the 
Revere Beach Parkway. Seeing the great 
popularity of Revere, the Metropolitan 
Parks Commissioners at once set about 
getting possession of other points on the 
coast, and were so fortunate as to ob- 
tain fine stretches of beaches and shores 
on the north shore and also on the 
southern part of Boston Bay. Among 
these former holdings are Nahant Beach 
and Winthrop Shore, both in the vicin- 
ity of Revere ; and twenty-four and a 
half acres at Nantasket on the southern 
shore, including one mile of the choicest 
portion of its magnificent beach. 
Here the pi. ice, in the hands of the 
park comm.issioners has undergone as 
complete a metamorphosis as that ef- 
fected at Revere, and from being a ren- 
dezvous for the tough element of Bos- 
WAVERLY OAKS, BEAVER BROOK RESERVATION 
Among the Oldest Trees on the Western Continent 
