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hole under one portion of the field gives trouble by settling, and repeated filling has not yet found a solid bottom. The grounds were flooded as usual last winter for skating. Sanitary and shelter accommodations are needed.

ROSLINDALE PLAYGROUND.
South Walter and Robert Streets.

(3.7 Acres.)

During last spring this playground was finely graded and seeded, making a very good field for ball playing. The grounds are popular and much used. On this account it was found necessary to remove the two large willows which stood in the centre of the playground and interfered with the games. A sanitary and shelter building is needed here, as are also a division fence between the Pearce property and the playground, and a retaining-wall on Robert street. A skating area of 1.6 acres was provided last winter.

COLUMBUS–AVENUE PLAYGROUND.
(4.8 Acres.)

The smoke and dust of the neighboring railroad have proved too severe for the tender foliage of the Norway maples planted around the borders. No work of construction was done during the past season.

The same arrangement ag to the management of the playground that obtained last year has been continued. The Park Department keeps charge of the ordinary maintenance of the grounds and the skating field, while the Civic League is allowed to assume the management and expenses of the games. The grounds were largely attended during the S628SOI).

PRINCE–STREET PLAYGROUND. Prince and North Bennet Streets. (0.4 Acre.) No work other than that of maintenance was done here during the past season.

FIRST-STREET PLAYGROUND.
Rirst and M Streets, South Boston.

(4.6 Acres.) On account of the great difficulty experienced in holding

water on this playground, and the consequent unsatisfactory results, further effort to form an ice field for skating has

been abandoned until a proper bottom can be made. In the mean time the Strandway playground, which contains a good field for ice, will serve this district for skating.

Bleachers with a seating capacity of 500 have been erected in the ball field.

FELLOWs—STREET PLAYGROUND.
Fellows and EIunneman Streets.

(0.85 Acre.)

The introduction into this playground of apparatus for children's use made it at once popular. Instead of playing on the sidewalks, as had hitherto been their preference, the children swarmed into the playground. Children's allotment gardens were laid out and planted, and each owner of a plot vied with the other in bringing forth results. A little surreptitious changing of plants was done occasionally, yet a fair show remained to the end of the season, when the plants were taken by the children to their homes. The teacher, as at the other playgrounds, contributed largely to the success of the experiment. Sanitary accommodations are needed here, also an open-sided shelter over the sand boxes.

WARD TWO PLAYGROUND.
Cottage Street, near Maverick Street, East Boston.

(3.8 Acres.)

A portion of the new playground acquired by purchase during the past year was roughly graded, and a base-ball field laid out for use last spring. This playground is conveniently situated for a well-populated district. Sanitary and shelter accommodations, fencing, and ground preparation for planting bordering trees are its needs.

FOREST HILLS AND MT. HOPE PLAYGROUND.
(9.6 Acres.)

This playground, acquired by purchase during the past season, is conveniently located for the Forest Hills, Roslindale and Mt. Hope districts. The ground is nearly level, and will require comparatively little labor to bring it into good condition for use. By using a six-ton steam roller last season two fairly good diamonds were made and equipped with backstops. The field was used also for foot-ball games last fall. An appropriation is needed for grading and for a sanitary building.

OAK SQUARE.
Brighton.

(0.22 Acre.)

This small triangle, which was turned over to the Park Department by the City Council last season, contained an old school building. This has been removed, and the asphaltum flooring of the yard has been taken up. There are a few good trees on the triangle, and for their benefit some gravel was removed from the surface and loam substituted. A little additional loam is needed to finish the grading in readiness for seeding. The construction of a few seats under the shade of the trees will make a pleasant resting place.

SPORTS AND PASTIMEs.

An increased interest in golf was manifested the past season. The total attendance at the Franklin Park links was 47,469 as against 31,007 the previous year. The sixhole course for beginners proved of great service in relieving the nine-hole course from overcrowding, much of which had been caused by the slow play of novices in the game.

The increased demand for tennis courts necessitated the laying out of a number of new courts in various parts of the park system. We now have over one hundred courts in operation, which, on Saturdays and holidays, are all in use.

The past winter did not prove a satisfactory one for skating. Quickly alternating periods of frost, thaw, or snow made the maintenance of ice for skating very difficult. The following table gives statistics in detail:

SKATING SEASON 1902–1903.

* Area, Hockey | No. of days | Approximate

Name. Acres. | Rinks. Skating. Attendance. Billings Field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 1 32 11,200 Charlesbank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 26 18,300 Charlestown Playground. . . . . . . . . . 2.2 25 7,050 Columbus-avenue Playground....... 2.6 I 15 7,750 Christopher Gibson Playground..... 1.95 29 13,500 Franklin Field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.0 2 30 70,075 Jamaica Pond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.5 2 17 31,900 Neponset Playground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 24 12,000 North Brighton Playground . . . . . . . . 3.3 I 17 1,950 Roslindale Playground. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 l 33 14,300 Strandway Playground . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 7 40,275 Scarboro’ Pond...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.75 S 1,550 Wood Island Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 23 1S,550 Totals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 S 306 248,400

Curling was enjoyed by its devotees at Scarboro’ pond. Several matched games were played, which were watched with interest by many people. At the various playgrounds, base-ball, foot-ball, and cricket games were amply provided for, and largely attended both by players and spectators. Forty-four Jegularly equipped diamonds were maintained by the department. The Franklin Park playground, in addition, furnished accommodation for from twelve to fifteen games for boys and young men. Details of measurements of work performed during the past season will be found in the report of the engineer. Your Superintendent desires to note his appreciation of the able services of C. E. Putnam, engineer, and Messrs. J. B. Shea and J. W. Duncan, assistant superintendents, in the execution of the work of the department.

Respectfully submitted,

J. A. PETTIGREW,
Superintendent.

ENGINEER'S REPORT.

MR. JoHN A. PETTIGREW,
Superintendent :

DEAR SIR, - The following report for the year ending January 31, 1903, is submitted:

COMMON WEALTH AVENUE.

Curbs across ends of planting spaces

raised and reset . © * . 1,290 linear feet. Area of walk resurfaced with gravel . 8,500 square yards. Drain pipe laid, 10-inch . g & 245 linear feet. Catch-basins built . e e e 2. Loam bought 127 cubic yards.

Area regraded and seeded . so 8 acres.

A new wearing floor has been laid on the bridge at Charlesgate, and the drive at Hotel Somerset has been changed to make a carriage entrance to the hotel.

THE FENS.

The deposit of foul mud and sewage in the Fens Pond is probably as large as it was before the pond was partly cleaned in 1898, and, should the coming summer be unusually warm, the condition of the pond will be worse than ever before.

The cleaning of the pond will be very expensive, and, if done while the pollution of Stony Brook is allowed to continue, will give only partial relief, and that will be temporary. With the present quantity of pollution entering the pond it is impracticable, if not impossible, to maintain currents sufficient to prevent the fouling of the water and the continuous accumulations of deposits of foul mud.

The foul-flow conduit, often recommended by the Park and Street Departments, should be built at once, and immediately after it is built the pond should be thoroughly cleaned. It can then be easily kept clean and attractive, and, if the Charles-River dam is not built, will become, what it was designed to be, a salt-water basin surrounded by salt marshes; or, if the dam is built, it will become what will be

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