Report of the Joint board consisting of the Metropolitan park commission and the State board of health : upon the improvement of Charles River from the Waltham line to the Charles River bridge. April, 1894.

  • Massachusetts. Joint Board upon Improvement of Charles River.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Joint board consisting of the Metropolitan park commission and the State board of health : upon the improvement of Charles River from the Waltham line to the Charles River bridge. April, 1894. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    1894.] almost wholly by railroads which would not derive sufficient benefit from the improvement to warrant the adoption of this location in preference to one above the railroads; moreover, there are in this portion of the river no flats of any con- siderable extent exposed at low tide. Above the railroads the first available site is at or near Craigic's bridge, and there are many reasons why a dam should be located at this place. It is further down stream than any other available site, and consequently provides for the most extended improvement that it is practicable to make, and it is located at the extreme lower ends of the park improvements in the cities of Boston and Cambridge and below the portions of these cities where residences border upon the river. The number of vessels passing Craigie’s bridge is less than one- half the number passing Charles River bridge, and, by moving the dam up stream from the bridge 400 feet or more, a portion of the vessels which pass through Craigie’s bridge and unload at docks along the canal just above the bridge will not have to pass through the dam. The site at or near West Boston bridge is less desirable be- cause it diminishes the extent of the improvement and leaves the Charlesbank of the Boston park system, and the lower end of the Cambridge park improvement, cut oil’ from the pro- posed full basin. After a careful consideration of the whole question, I reached the conclusion that it would be far better and cheaper to im- prove the river by the construction of a dam than to wall it and dredge the flats ; and that the best location for a dam was a short distance above Craigie’s bridge. It is unnecessary in this place to discuss in detail the reasons which led to this con- clusion, since they will appear to a sufficient extent in the fol- lowing description and discussion of the plan of improvement recommended.
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