down the grass area so much that an improvement was needed and it is believed that much more efficient walks provided in the Mall will accomplish the desired result. Settees of the modern single support type are placed immediately outside the walk, so that the feet of persons sitting rest in what would normally become the gutter. In this case, however, the surface in question is so flat and smooth that it is satisfactory for the purpose. As the work progressed it seemed advisable to eliminate the two diagonal walks leading to the corner of Beacon Street. Experiments were made by roping off these walks to see if the public would take willingly to the short detours involved, and it was found that the angles between the old and new walks were so small that the crowds readily followed the new lines, owing to the greater width and better location of the stairways at the Shaw Memorial. It consequently became possible to remove a considerable area of walk and substitute greensward. This change made the Mall much more attractive in appearance and, at the same time, cut down the cost of construction and will reduce the expense of upkeep. The survey of the former conditions shows the dangerous traffic situation which existed at the corner of Beacon and Park Streets when pedestrians were invited to cross thoroughfares at most dangerous points. The new wider staircases made possible the elimination of the dangerous diagonal crossing at the head of Park Street, where a bad gradient also exists. The traffic officers have reported that the new arrangement has lightened their duties in this vicinity. After the Brewer Fountain was moved from its old undesirable location near the public sanitaries to its new site on the axis of the Mall, the experiment was made of eliminating the guard fence around the Basin. Trouble occurred at once, as boys used the Basin for rafting and climbed upon the figures and even upon the upper Basin itself. A fence was consequently installed, using materials from some of the old fences discarded by the Park Department. This economy was made necessary by the money shortages of the War. Several large trees were moved from nearby locations to form a background at the southerly end of the Basin, but these trees have died. In general, it has been found that attempts to move trees of 8 to 10 inches in diameter from one part of the Common to another have been unsuccessful. At best under city conditions the trees have a very precarious existence, owing to the dust and gas in the atmosphere, insect pests and soil difficulty. It is now thought that the atmospheric conditions alone are sufficiently hazardous to make the moving of trees on the Common impractical. It would doubtless be feasible, however, to move large trees to the Common if they are brought from a district in which there has been no smoke nuisance to reduce their vitality. The best results on the Liberty Mall thus far have been obtained by using well-grown nursery trees having a caliper of 4-41⁄2 inches. In well prepared tree pits these trees have made a good start and are growing thriftily. The tree chosen for this purpose is the English Elm. Specimens of this kind, but of about twice the size, growing near the Mall, when moved, have either died within a few months or have made a poor growth. American Elms have not lasted well on the Common. All the old specimens are in a decrepid condition, but English Elms of a much greater age are still growing on the Common thriftily. Trees of this kind planted before the Revolution are now in a satisfactory condition and recover in an astonishing way from necessary pruning operations which are carried on from time to time. Tree planting at the lower end of the Mall is prohibited by the proximity of the roof of the Subway, which is very near the surface of the ground. The improvements shown on the plan immediately adjoining Tremont Street involving tree planting and loam areas have not been carried out as yet, owing to the presence of temporary buildings erected to serve as shelters for soldiers and for welfare organizations which have sprung up during the War. |