134 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
BAKER’S C'REEK BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. 
Queen Victoria, Niagara Falls’ Park. 
DEVELOPMENT OF CANADIAN NIAGARA FALLS PARK 
The latest annual report of the 
Commissioners for the Queen Victoria 
Niagara Falls Park, at Niagara Falls, 
Ont., gives much interesting informa- 
tion respecting the work of mainte- 
nance and improvement in progress 
throughout the entire Park system, 
including the construction of the Es- 
planade from the Upper Rapids of the 
Niagara River to Bridgeburg. 
The territory embraced in the Niag- 
ara Falls Park System under the juris- 
diction of the Commissioners now in- 
cludes the Park proper surrounding 
the Falls, Queenstown Heights Park, 
Niagara Glen, the Old Fort grounds 
at Fort Erie. Butler’s Burying 
Ground, Lundy’s Lane Burying 
Ground, the Chain Reserve along the 
Niagara River from the Park proper 
to Niagara-on-the-Lake, together with 
the talus lying between the Reserve 
and the water’s edge, and finally the 
Chain Reserve along the Niagara 
River, including the lands purchased 
for Boulevard purposes between the 
Park proper and Fort Erie, compris- 
ing 1,177 acres. 
While the original conception of the 
Government and the Park Commis- 
sion was the acquirement and preser- 
vation of the lands immediately sur- 
rounding the Falls of Niagara that 
initial scheme in time broadened and 
widened to practically embrace the 
territory along the shores of the Ni- 
agara River from Lake Erie to Lake 
Ontario. Every part of this acreage 
is being cared for and improved to 
meet the physical and scenic require- 
ments of the respective localities, and 
every portion is distinctly a part of 
the Park System. 
Extensive improvements have been 
undertaken in the road and pathway 
system between the northerly limit 
of the Park at Ferry Road and the 
Dufferin Islands, where grades have 
been reduced and approaches made 
easier of entrance. The dust laying 
problem has been pretty effectually 
solved by the use of oil, thereby add- 
ing much to the fresh appearance of 
the foliage, as'well as the comfort of 
visitors. To provide for the growing- 
needs of the newly opened areas it 
has been considered necessary to 
again enlarge the greenhouse plant, so 
as to give more room for propagating. 
It was intended to carry out on a 
larger scale the experimental road 
work commenced in 1910, but owing 
to the power company operations and 
the very considerable traffic over the 
roads, which could not be diverted, it 
was found impossible to do more than 
try one or two experiments. A length 
bordering on the main drive at the 
northerly end of the Park was con- 
structed of macadam with a Tarvia 
binder. This work consisted of a 
road sixteen feet wide and four hun- 
dred and sixty feet long, built accord- 
ing to the manufacturer’s theory for 
the efficient use of Tarvia, and the 
cost was seventy-five cents per square 
yard. This surface has given better 
results than the surface painting with 
Tarvia which had been previously 
tried. It proved satisfactory during 
last season, and presents a good ap- 
pearance at this date. 
All of the main roadways were oiled 
with a product made to the Board’s 
specifications. This material is what 
is generally known as a heavy asphal- 
tic base oil, and contains sixty per 
cent of asphalt in solution. Owing to 
the special requirements this oil was 
not delivered at the date required, and 
when delivery was made it could not 
be used owing to a period of wet 
weather setting in, so that it was the 
first part of July before an application 
could be given. This is rather late 
and caused inconvenience owing to 
the large daily crowds who are then 
frequenting the Park areas, and it is 
desirable to have all this work done in 
the first two weeks of June if weather 
permits. The average distribution over 
the main roads of the Park was .25 
gallon per square yard, one applica- 
tion being used in some instances and 
two applications in others. It is pref- 
erable to place the oil in two applica- 
tions a day or two days apart, for it 
requires about forty-eight hours to 
penetrate the road. When the mate- 
rial is freshly spread it is injurious to 
shoes and clothing, and very annoying 
to pedestrians, but after two days no 
harm results, and as time elapses the 
surface of the road takes an asphalt 
polish varying with the intensity of 
the traffic. This one application will 
last a whole season, and costs about 
2.6 cents per square yard, which is 
more efficient and cheaper than water 
sprinkling. 
The construction of the Boulevard 
consisted of contract work for the 
roads and bridge structures, while the 
