315 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
CONSTRUCTION IN METROPOLITAN PARK SYSTEM 
The annual report for 1907 of the 
Board of Metropolitan Park Commis- 
sioners, controlling the park system of 
Boston and the 38 towns and cities 
about it, tells of a large amount of 
construction work that has added ap- 
preciably to the facilities of this great 
system. 
The driveway along Lynn Shore, in- 
volving the building of a sea wall drive 
and promenade, was completed from 
Red Rock westerly to Nahant Beach in 
similar form to the portion of the same 
parkway previously completed from 
Red Rock easterly to the soldiers’ mon- 
ument in Swampscott. Its connection 
with the Nahant Road now makes 
available to the public an Oceanside 
park and driveway of nearly five miles 
in length, which the commissioners re- 
gard as the most superb of its kind in 
this country. 
The sea wall is built of Portland ce- 
ment concrete, and is practically of the 
same form and section as that of the 
portion built three years ago. The con- 
crete sea wall now extends along the 
entire shore from Monument Square, 
Swampscott, to a point at the foot of 
Nahant street, Lynn, except a section 
about .500 feet in length along the 
Woodbury property, where a substan- 
tial stone masonry wall existed at the 
time the land was acquired by the Com- 
monwealth. From Nahant street to 
Washington street, along what was for- 
merly Oceanside Park, a stone wall ex- 
isted also, which was in good condition 
and w'as not replaced with concrete. 
The drive and promenade are also now 
completed the entire distance from 
Monument Square, Swampscott, to Na- 
hant Beach Parkway at Washington 
street, Lynn. 
The total cost of construction under 
this contract was $89,226. Coleman Bros., 
of Boston, were the contractors for this 
work. The contract was also let then 
for the erection of an iron fence on 
top of the sea wall, and the work is 
now completed. The report of Engi- 
neer John R. Rablin gives detailed fig- 
ures of bids for this and other engineer- 
ing work done. 
A bridle path parallel to the Nahant 
Road has lately been built. At Quincy 
Shore a connection from Atlantic has 
been constructed, and the driveway 
along the shore has been practically 
completed as far as Rufe’s Hummock 
It will provide a greatly desired and 
attractive shore drive south of Boston 
along a portion of the coast hitherto 
difficult of access, and but little 
known to the people of the dis- 
trict generally. A portion of the 
proposed parkway between Middlesex 
Fells and Lynn Woods, to be called 
Lynn Fells Parkway, has been acquired 
from the Fells to Green street in Mel- 
rose, and has been subgraded as far 
as Main street, and surfaced and opened 
to the public as far as Tremont street. 
Work on Mystic river has made sub- 
stantial advance during the past year. 
Much of the dredging required by the 
State Board of Health to increase the 
storage capacity of the river has been 
completed ; a bridge under the southern 
division of the Boston & Maine Rail- 
road has been built ; Auburn street 
across the reservation has been surfaced 
vide a proper route for electric cars to 
Middlesex Fells has been begun. Oth- 
er minor work has been done, the most 
important of which is the resurfacing 
of County Road at Nantasket, the re- 
building of a portion of Main street in 
Stoneham and the building of a border 
road in Blue Hills between Randolph 
avenue and Forest street. Several 
woods roads in the Blue Hills, and Mid- 
dlesex Fells have been repaired or re- 
surfaced. 
The entire len.gth of about ten miles 
of macadam roadways of the Middle- 
sex Fells parkway was treated with, 
preparations for the suppression of dust 
and protection of the road surfaces. 
On about nine miles, or 160,000 square 
yards of surface, a mixture of water- 
gas tar and Kentucky oil was used. 
This oil contained a heavy asphalt base 
and was mixed with the water-gas tar 
in the varying proportions of two bar- 
rels of oil and six barrels of tar to 
four of oil and six of tar, the amount 
of oil used depending on the condition 
of the road on which it was used. This 
mixture, was heated by steam coil and 
SEA WALL UNDER CONSTRUCTION, LYNN SHORE DRIVEWAY. 
Boston Metropolitan Park System. 
and a part of the dam and lock and applied by- means of a special attach- 
extra span to the bridge has been built. ment to a watering cart. 
An extension of Fellsway west to pro- This treatment thoroughly laid the 
