House and Garden 
ones as dangerously near impossible to control, but 
Messrs. Hoggson Brothers have successfully proved 
that under this contract “extras” and the hundred 
and one unlooked for expenses usually incident need 
not occur in building any more than in any other 
well-organized system of mercantile operations. 
Their work is a most interesting development of 
building methods, and the Berzelius Club a most 
attractive proof of what can be accomplished under 
these methods. 
THE FIRST COUNTY PARK SYSTEM IN AMERICA IV 
By Frederick W. Kelsey* 
{Continued from the August Number of House and Garden) 
A N incident that attracted attention at the time, 
and may be of interest, was the action of the 
commission in June, 1896, in making it a condition 
in the contracts for work that “laborers be paid 
^1.25 and foremen $2.50 per day respectively, and 
for cart, horse and driver ^2.50 and for double 
team and driver ^4.25 each per day,” and in notices 
to contractors that “the rates to be paid for services 
be fixed and approved by the commission.” 
There was, at that time—the summer of 1896— 
a very large contingent of laborers in Newark, as 
elsewhere, out of employment. The Presidential 
election was pending, and the great struggle between 
the McKinley and Hobart sound money forces 
and the persistent advocates of a silver currency, 
under the leadership of W. J. Bryan, was going on 
and had already resulted in an extended business 
depression. The labor situation was still farther 
depressed by the continuous arrival of hordes of 
emigrants, especially Italians, many of whom found 
their way immediately to Essex County. The 
commissioners understood that this class of labor 
was then being employed by contractors on rail¬ 
roads and other large works at prices as low as 
ninety cents to per day. They wished to have 
the work done as cheaply as it could be done, and 
well done, and at the same time to insure the laborers 
receiving whatever rate was paid. This would pre¬ 
vent the large margin, which, without some such 
restriction, might Be exacted; as in cases then 
occurring where the contractor would be paid the 
contract price (of perhaps ^1.25 per day), but ac¬ 
tually pay the laborer much less. 
Turning the First Sod. The real work in gra¬ 
ding, and for the surface embellishment of Branch 
Brook Park, was begun the morning of June 15, 
1896. No special ceremony graced the occasion. 
Three of the commissioners, Messrs. Peck, Meeker 
and myself, with the secretary and Engineer Bogart, 
were present. Promptly, at 8.30 o’clock, the presi¬ 
dent, with a new spade, turned the first sod. The 
contractors had a large force of men and teams 
*Couriesy of the J. S. Ogilvie Publishing Co., 57 Rose St., New York. 
ready, and, from that time, the work on this great 
pleasure ground went rapidly forward. Now that 
more than ten years have passed and more than 
$2,500,000 has been expended there, the work is 
hardly yet completed and at the present rate of 
progress it may be another year before the bridge 
approaches and other improvements are finished. 
When completed, this park of 278 acres will be 
one of the most attractive and interesting pleasure 
grounds of the size in the country. The topography 
is sufficiently varied to make practicable the dif¬ 
ferent styles of landscape treatment employed. 
The lawn tennis courts and comparatively open 
level surface of most of the northern division; the 
play fields and open lawn features of the middle 
division, bordered with raised and closely planted 
banks on each side; these are in pleasing contrast 
to the formal treatment—the Italian gardens, ar¬ 
bors, pergolas, bordered walks and other ornamental 
attractions of the southern division. The lake, 
with the connecting waterways under Park Avenue 
and Bloomfield Avenue, with the artistically beauti¬ 
ful bridges, carrying both avenues over the park 
driveways and waterways, greatly enhance the 
other landscape features of this park. In winter 
the merry faces and gay costumes of thousands 
of happy skaters enliven the scene, and turn the 
sombre effect of the winter season into a joyous 
moving panorama for all. 
That the people of Essex County may derive 
increasing benefit and enjoyment from the very 
large expenditure for this park, must be the earnest 
wish and hopeful expectation of every one who is 
a sincere believer in parks, and whose sympathies 
are touched by the needs for that uplifting influence 
to all classes, which only attractive public parks 
can supply. 
If there was ever a public board literally bom¬ 
barded with communications and delegations by 
which a strenuous constituency can bring pressure 
to bear toward favorable official action, it was the 
Essex County Park Commission, as the recipient 
object of that attack and siege during the year 1896. 
148 
