497 
PARK AND CEM ETER Y. 
N. Lowrie and Charles W. Leavitt, Jr., 
all of New York city. Samuel Parsons, 
Jr., of the New York City Park System, 
also appeared before the commission, 
and discussed the park question from 
experience had with parks in New York 
city and elsewhere. Daniel W. Langton, 
of New York, is the present landscape 
architect of the commission. 
For the purpose of meeting the ex- 
penses, the Board of Chosen Freehold- 
ers of Hudson County is required to 
borrow money by issuing count}' bonds 
whenever requisition is • made by the 
commission, provided that the total 
amount issued shall not exceed one per 
centum of the ratables taxable for 
Harrison, Kearny and East Newark. A 
further difficulty arises in the number 
of densely populated and contiguous 
municipalities, small in area, each de- 
sirous of a separate park with which to 
satisfy local pride. It was apparent 
from the situation that the already ex- 
isting Hudson Boulevard was the logi- 
cal basis of the system, and the com- 
mission was advised to consider only 
those sites which were possible of ac- 
cess from this established and popular 
thoroughfare. 
The first and most important section 
to be provided with a park was Jersey 
City, containing 51 per cent of the pop- 
ulation and 57 per cent of the ratables 
scenery as distinct and unlike ordinary 
city conditions as is possible in so lim- 
ited an area. Much attention has been 
given to the devising of many long 
vistas and the maintaining and accentu- 
ating of such as already exist. Thus, 
from the plaza region the views of the 
Hackensack, of Laurel Hill and of the 
Orange Mountains will be seen over a 
strong foreground of evergreen foliage. 
Throughout the length of the Mall, and 
at many important points elsewhere, 
frequent vistas and some broad views 
have been planned. 
This informal region beyond the Mall 
has two large areas of woodland at the 
north and south ends respectively. 
APPROACH TO WEST SIDE PARK, APRIL, 1905. 
county purposes. The board has issued 
bonds on the requisition of the com- 
mission to the amount of $1,940,000. 
The landscape architect in his report 
calls attention to the fact that the 
marked topographic limitations of Hud- 
son County further complicate the 
question. The county consists of four 
separate topographic units : the easterly 
river front, narrow, densely populated, 
and of high value because of its com- 
mercial availability ; the rocky midrib of 
the Palisades occupied in the main by 
residences ; the low salt marshes of the 
Passaic and the Hackensack rivers, 
flooded by high tides ; and the island- 
like area along the easterly bank of the 
Passaic river, embracing the towns of 
of the county. After considering sev- 
eral sites, the properties now known as 
West Side Park were purchased. 
The design of the park, both as re- 
gards the grading of surfaces and the 
treatment of roads, paths, water and 
other features, may be divided, in a 
general way, into a formal portion and 
informal portion, the one grading off 
into the other. The planting scheme 
has been worked out in conformity with 
this treatment. 
Throughout the whole park, border 
plantations of sufficient height and 
breadth have been supplied to effectu- 
ally screen out when grown the sur- 
rounding buildings and streets, with the 
expectation of making the inclosed 
Some large trees already existed here, 
and the plantation will thicken and ex- 
tend them considerably, and will sup- 
ply shaded groves where the ground is 
high and the outlook attractive over the 
inclosed meadow-like tracts. 
The first division of the park from 
Hudson Boulevard to the brow of the 
hill west of West Side Avenue is 
treated in a formal manner. The second 
;xtends from this point to the low lands 
at Marcy Avenue projeted. It is 
treated in a naturalistic way. The third 
extends from this point to the Hack- 
ensack river and provides a naturalistic 
lake and a great grassy field for' recrea- 
tion. Commencing at the Boulevard, 
the park lands are entered through a 
