PARK AND CEMETERY. 
2.H 
« 
a. 
THE DYER FOUNTAIN, ROGER WILLIAMS PARK, 
PROVIDENCE, R. I, 
There are many points in a public fountain that 
render it admirably available for memorial purposes, 
which will be at once apparent to the reader. It 
may be said that such features of city embellishment, 
where such have been erected, and they are com- 
mon of course in European cities, always form at- 
tractions, not only to the inhabitant whose pleasure 
it always is, but to the visitor, in greater degree. 
On these grounds 
there are doubtless 
many admirers of 
the Dyer Memorial 
Fountain of Provi- 
dence, R. I., of 
which an illustra- 
tion is given here- 
with. 
The donor was the 
late Daniel Wanton^ 
Lyman of North 
Providence, who left 
several public be- 
quests in his will, 
among them one for 
Brown University 
which has since been 
expended in the 
erection of thehand- 
some Lyman Gym- 
nasium there. Mr. 
Lyman was a grand- 
son of Pllisha Dyer, 
a merchant of Provi- 
dence, father of the 
late Gov. Elisha 
Dyer and grandfath- 
er of the present 
EilishaDyer. He left 
a bequest of $iO,- 
ooo to provide a 
memorial to his 
grandfather, the first 
Elisha Dyer, at Rog- 
er Wililiams Park, not specifying its character, which 
was to be determined by the authorities. The Park 
Commissioners decided to erect a memorial fountain 
in one of the chain of lakes in the park and opened 
a competition for designs. There had been talk of 
building a memorial arch, but the bequest proved 
to be somewhat short of the amount originally in- 
tended by the donor and it was thought best to erect 
a fountain. About $9,000 was eventually found 
available for the purpose. 
Mr. Henry Hudson Kitson of Boston, the de- 
signer of the fountain presented at first a figure in 
competition which was considerably altered to meet 
the ideas of the authorities. As originally designed 
there was no eagle, as in the present statue. The 
figure, as it stands, is modelled exactly from the 
figure of a young man in Boston. It represents 
“The Athlete,” who is supposed to have caught an 
eagle by the feet, as shown in the accompanying 
picture. The pose is full of life and the fountain 
makes an attractive feature of the lake in which it 
is placed. The fig- 
ure is of bronze and 
the basin is of Wes- 
terly granite. The 
height of the figure 
is seven feet, eight 
inches, and the eagle 
i-tretching higher 
in the air gives the 
whole composition a 
natural and realistic 
aspect. The casting 
was completed and 
the fountain erected 
late in theyear 1893. 
Roger Williams 
Park, in which the 
fountain stands, is 
one the largest and 
finest in New En- 
gland, and the prin- 
cipal one in Provi- 
dence. It comprises 
4283^ acres, of which 
1 30 are water. There 
is a handsome mon- 
ument to the mem- 
ory of Roger Wil- 
liams within its lim- 
its, and various stat- 
ues, including one 
representing “The 
Gladiator.” The 
park covers a diver- 
sified area and one 
of its chief attractions is the chain oflakes in one of 
which “The Athlete” stands. There are several 
handsome municipal buildings within the park, in- 
cluding a new casino, boathouse and museum of 
natural history. 
It was at first intended to have the water in the 
Dyer Memorial Fountain spout from the eagle’s 
mouth, but this involved too great expense, and it 
was decided to lead it through the mouths of the gar- 
goyles at the bases. The general opinion appears to 
be that the figure is striking and execution good. 
