PAlCil AND CEME-TERY 
with it. Muddy River was deflected above its outlet 
into the Charles River. Stony Brook was similarly 
treated and only its overflow during periods of storm 
or of unusually voluminous flow enter the Fenway 
Basin. 
Incidentally it should be remembered that the ac- 
quirement of land was influenced by a fixed maximum 
rate within which purchase had to be made. The 
location and boundaries were as a consequence not 
governed primarily by the best interests for which 
the use of the park was intended. 
The adopted plan not only provided a timely and 
efficient solution of the sanitary aspect of the problem 
' 2\2 
masonry, statuary, fountains, etc., would scarcely 
justify itself and offered a sanitary remedy with some 
phases provided for by means of doubtful efficienc}'. 
It also involved a costly maintenance. The design 
decided upon had two principal controlling motives — 
natural scenery and economy of construction and main- 
tenance. 
Instead of filling the entire area, only the borders 
supporting the drives and minor lesser-elevated por- 
tions near the boundaries were filled and a large por- 
tion of the mud flats was actually excavated to form 
a basin for storing the overflow of Stony Brook and 
the surface water of the immediate vicinity during 
MAP OF THE BACK BAY FENS, SHOWHNG PUBLIC WAYS BORDERING AND CROSSING THEM 
and newly laid out parts of Commonwealth Ave., Beacon St. and Audubon Road. 
and cared for the water of both streams and the 
Back Bay, but possibly forever disposed of the likeli- 
hood of cheap low taxable tenements, factories and 
nuisances being erected in the surrounding area, and in 
its stead created conditions enticing to the best resi- 
dential interests which have since developed the locality 
in the manner contemplated in the plan as being prob- 
able. 
As might be supposed, a natural body of water of 
slow current, located near the sea and influenced by 
tides had a bed of light, peaty soil which was, in 
places, over thirty feet deep. Expense tended to op- 
pose the idea of filling over such soil. The enormous 
cost of an architectual treatment with its necessary 
periods of exceptionally large flow^s until a receding 
tide permitted its flux. The surface elevation of the 
bottom of this basin is flat and but several inches above 
the water elevation of the narrow sinuous brook 
flowing at the base of low islands, passing the foot 
of steeper banks and meandering through the low 
salt-water flats. Pleasure drives exist on both these 
lineal and elevated sides and cross the taking at inter- 
vals to conveniently extend the city’s transverse streets. 
A bridle pad and pedestrian paths are suitably ar- 
ranged within the area. The drives are elevated from 
ten to about tw-enty-five feet above the low flat land 
and the slopes connecting these elevations are so varied 
and planted as to secure with the vegetation of the 
