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and parallel to said Commissioners' line, about 2,912 feet; thence southwesterly by a curved line, with a radius of 965 feet, about 348 feet; thence southerly about 150 feet, to Brighton avenue; thence turning at a right angle and running westerly by said Brighton avenue, about 450 feet, to Essex street; thence northerly by said Essex street, about 270 feet; thence westerly, about 5 feet, to Cottage-Farm bridge; thence northerly by said bridge, about 80 feet, to the Grand Junction Railroad; thence northeasterly by said railroad, about 33 feet, to the said Commissioners' line; thence easterly by said Commissioners' line, about 3,690 feet; thence northeasterly by a curved line, with a radius of 1,850 feet, about 815 fect; thence northeasterly again by a line tangent to said curved line and parallel to the straight part of said Commissioners' line, about 5,360 feet; thence northeasterly again by a curved line, with a radius of 900 feet, about 860 feet, to a point distant 200 feet, perpendicular from the said Commissioners' line; thence northerly, about 2,872 feet, to the angle in said Commissioners' line, at the northwesterly corner of Taylor & Sohier's wharf; thence northeasterly by said Commissioners' line, about 760 feet, to Leverett street; thence southeasterly by said Leverett street, about 155 feet, to the point of beginning, excepting so much of West Boston bridge as is within the above-described lines, and containing about 69 acres.

Description.

For the construction of this Embankment a sea-wall will be built on the water side to about the height of the existing one on the present Harbor Commissioners' line, and the enclosed space be filled by dredging the flats and otherwise, to about grade 17, making compensation for displacement of water, by deepening the river-bed, as required by the said Commissioners.

It will contain an area of about sixty-nine acres, and provide space for the building of a park-way mostly 200 feet in width, with a continuous water-front from Leverett street to Cottage-Farm bridge, nearly two and three-quarters miles in length, crossing but two highways, namely, Cambridge street at West Boston bridge, and the extension of West Chester Park to the proposed new bridge across Charles river; to be laid out with walks, drives, saddle-pads and boat-landings, and ornamented with shrubbery and turf. While interfering in the least possible degree with the ordinary traffic of the city, it will be accessible along its whole route at short intervals by streets already or to be built.

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Its northern section is near the oldest and most thickly settled part of the city, being less than a mile from North square and from Main street, Charlestown, via Prison point and Leverett street bridges, and within three-quarters of a mile of the City Hall.

It will be a convenient and agreeable promenade during the summer for such citizens living in old Boston proper and Charlestown as are prevented by their occupations from going to more distant grounds. By means of landing-stairs the river will be accessible for boating. The drive will be used for pleasure vehicles only.

The preservation of water-fronts for pleasure grounds is no novelty. The New York Battery, once the chief park of the city, and which was allowed to fall into disuse and neglect, has, within a few years, been rebuilt and improved, notwithstanding that Central Park, containing nearly one thousand acres, had in the mean time been created.

The Charleston Battery, at the junction of the Ashley and Cooper rivers, the old Fairmount Park, of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill, the Chicago Park, on Lake Michigan, the "Great Highway" (so called), to extend over three miles along the Pacific shore, at San Francisco, are well-known illustrations in this country.

In European cities, water-front promenades are the rule rather than the exception, as, for instance, at Marseilles, Nice and Naples, on the shores of the Mediterranean; at Florence, on the banks of the Arno; at Venice, on the Grand Canal; at Geneva, on Lake Geneva; at Dresden, on the Elbe; at Hamburg, on the Alster; at Paris, on the Seine; at London, on the Thames; and in very many of the minor cities.

It is recommended that the City Council take the necessary steps to petition the Legislature for the passage of an act to enable the city to take the area now covered by Charles river, and outside the Harbor Commissioners' lines, as above described. Such a change of line, under proper conditions, it is believed, would be granted by the Commonwealth, and not be disapproved of by the Harbor Commissioners.

For convenience, a draft of a proposed act concerning Charles-river flats accompanies this report, marked "Appendix B."

While the subject of drainage does not come within the province of this Commission, it is proper in this connection to call attention to the following extracts from the report of the Sewerage Commissioners, City Doc. No. 3, 1876, page 21:

"At the junction of Marlboro' and Arlington streets, it [the principal branch of the main sewer] is to receive a branch to be located in Arlington, Beacon, Brimmer, Pinckney and Charles street to Leverett street. "The location of this branch intercepting sewer on Marlboro' street is recommended on account of economy in construction, and the saving of much annoyance to the public by obstructing Beacon street for so long a time as would be necessary, to say nothing of the danger of accidents to the water-mains there.

"The desirableness, however, of keeping the tide more perfectly out of this district, the ground-water of which fluctuates in consequence of it from one to three feet at every tide, and any future examinations and negotiations which may be made with the owners of the property on the north side of the mill-dam, may satisfy the city that it would be better to rebuild the sea-wall there, making it water-tight, and then construct the sewer inside of it."

The line of the Charles-river Embankment will supply this favorable location for the proposed branch intercepting sewer from Leverett street to Cottage Farm station, without entering Marlboro', Arlington, Beacon, Brimmer, Pinckney or Charles streets, a distance of nearly two and three quarter miles, thus avoiding any disturbance of the water and gas pipes and present sewers, the domestic life of the residents and general business traffic of this street.

The main receiving sewer, with its outlet at Moon island, can connect with the above at the junction of West Chester Park with the Charles-river Embankment, and pass across the Back Bay Park, the ornamental waters of which can be used for flushing purposes if required.

A continuous park-way, connecting the Charles-river Embankment, from its terminus at Cottage Farm bridge, with the Brighton Park (hereinafter described), is an essential link in this system; various lines have been surveyed, but none located, inasmuch as it appeared that some portion of the most eligible route would probably lie within the territory of Brookline, for which, at this time, there exists no authority either with the town itself or this Commission. The Commissioners are, therefore, reluctantly obliged to omit in this report the location of any portion of this important park-way, but would advise that it be hereafter located whenever the city and town possess the requisite authority for joint action in the premises. A route is suggested on the accompanying map of the city in broken lines in green.

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