No keeper, having been instructed to occupy a post or beat, shall leave the same until he is regularly relieved by another keeper, except by special orders from a superior officer, or except it is clearly necessary, and only for so long a time as may be necessary, in order to secure an offender.

No keeper shall bring, receive or drink ardent spirits when on the Park, and no keeper shall frequent taverns or tippling houses, or become intoxicated when off the Park.

No keeper shall intentionally or knowingly screen, nor, unless prevented by special or more important duty, neglect to apprehend or report, any offender, of whom he may have knowledge, against the laws, or against the ordinances of the Board of Commissioners of the Central Park, or against the rules for the government of those employed in the construction of the Park, and no man shall conceal or attempt to conceal any neglect of duty or disobedience of orders or rules, either by himself or by any other keeper or officer of the Park.

Any keeper who shall act in disregard of the above prohibitions shall, at the end of the half-day on which the act of disregard occurred, cease to exercise the duties, to occupy the station and to wear the uniform of a keeper of the Central Park; and if he [shall] continue to occupy such station, wear such uniform and perform such duties, he shall not be entitled to pay for the same, and any claim he shall make for remuneration for services as a keeper of the Park from the date of his neglect of these prohibitions shall be deemed fraudulent; provided, however, that if he shall faithfully, truly and honestly write, without unnecessary delay, to the Superintendent of the Park, stating fully the circumstances under which such neglect of duty occurred, and the reasons for it, and the Superintendent shall see fit thereupon to order him again on duty as a keeper of the Park, he shall thereafter again be entitled to pay.

Unless otherwise specially required, each man when on patrol duty shall preserve himself and his garments clean and neat, and in accordance with the special orders as to uniform and dress; he shall be seriously attentive to his duty, and not place himself in a position where vigilance and watchfulness are impracticable, but shall carry himself erect, according to the instructions received[220] at drill, and march at a quick step from one part of his beat to another, except when it is necessary to move slowly or to halt entirely for the observation required in his duty, or for the detection or apprehension of offenders. He shall not converse with those employed on the Park unless necessarily, and only so far as is necessary with regard to their duty or his own duty. He shall not converse with visitors unless first addressed by them, and only for the purpose of giving such information as they may require with regard to the Park. He shall not stand at one point or in one part of his beat more than five minutes at a time in conversation with any visitor or party of visitors. He shall use no profane language, or harsh, exasperating or unnecessary disrespectful language, in the execution of duty, but shall as far as possible preserve a quiet, reserved and vigilant manner. When he sees occasion to warn, instruct or order any persons on the Park, he shall do so, as far as possible, kindly and respectfully.

In all other respects, he shall observe and be governed by the rules and customs of subordination and discipline usual in military organizations so far as he shall be instructed in the same.

Sergeants on duty are forbidden to speak to or with the men, except on matters of their duty. Men on duty are forbidden to speak to sergeants or other men, except on matters of their duty.

Men on duty intending to address a sergeant, an officer, or another man on duty, will first salute him by raising a hand to the front of the cap, without bending the neck or body. This formality is intended as a check upon intercourse which might otherwise lead to neglect of duty. It is in all cases to be returned, and neglect to return the salute is to be considered not only a personal affront but a disregard of the habits of discipline required by the Board, and is to be reported in a special report to the Superintendent.

A sergeant or an acting sergeant is to be constantly at the office on office duty. The duty of the office-sergeant, besides that of drilling the men as may be specially ordered, and besides his general duties as sergeant, shall be to receive and record complaints, to record arrests, to give information to any calling for it, to prevent persons without business from remaining at the station, to prevent any one but keepers, the house-keeper or door-men and officers of the Park from entering the keepers’ room, to prevent keepers from lounging in the office, to prevent excessive noise in the keepers’ room, to watch the clock and see that all duties are punctually performed so far as the station is concerned, and that every man is prepared in time for his regular duties; to see that reports are properly and punctually made, and especially to see that no keeper leaves the keepers’ room for any purpose, unless he is off duty, without being perfectly clean, hair brushed, beard combed or evidently shaven within twenty-four hours, and in full uniform in every particular, cloth clean, brass polished, shoes clean and newly oiled or polished, coat buttoned to the neck and no white collar visible, gloves clean. Keepers or acting keepers not uniformed are to be inspected in all other particulars except those of the uniform. No keeper is to be allowed to remain in[221] the office, or to pass through it, or to go out at the outer door on any duty, who has not been inspected, and who has not passed inspection satisfactorily. Keepers off duty are not to be allowed to pass out wearing any part of their uniform.

If the sergeant on office duty is under a necessity to leave the office, and no other sergeant is ready to relieve him, he shall appoint a keeper to act in his place, who shall perform all the above described duties of office sergeant, and be respected as office sergeant until relieved by a sergeant.

Whenever there are two or more keepers of the reserve at the station, one shall be constantly ready in all respects for any duty, and shall be in the office, and a second shall be dressed and ready at once to take the place of the first if he should, while waiting, be required to leave the office, but the sergeant may permit the second to be in the keepers’ room. This duty shall be taken in turn by each man. The first shall be called the “Office-Keeper,” and the second the “Office Relief.” When the “office-keeper” is relieved, the next man in turn shall immediately dress, and within two minutes report himself for inspection to the office sergeant as the office relief. The office-keeper may read, but shall not fall asleep, or smoke, or enter into conversation with anyone while on this duty. The Office relief, while in the keepers’ room, need be under no constraint, except as to wearing his entire body-uniform. He may remove his cap and gloves after inspection, putting them on again when called to relieve the office-keeper.

A resolution of the Board, of the 16th of June, requests the Architect-in-Chief to report whether any, and if so, what, changes have been made in the original plan, and what has been the increased cost occasioned by such changes.

It is proper to say, that the plan, as originally presented to the Commission,[222] did not assume to be a working or exact plan, but simply a study or sketch for a plan, as was the case with each of the previous plans, and with all but one, it is believed, of the others before the Commission. A plan adapted to be followed exactly would have required an elaborate survey, such as it would have been impossible, save by employing several engineers, to have obtained within the period given to competitors for forming the plans.

The principal changes of the plan consist, as shown on the accompanying maps, of the introduction of the Bridle-road, a considerable increase in the length and a change in the courses of the walks, and an entire change in the position of the Drive east and south of the Play-ground [C] and along the west side of the Park, as far north as Seventy-second street. With the exception of the changes recently ordered by the Board near Fifty-ninth street, between Sixth and Eighth avenues, the above specified alterations of the plan were laid out under instructions of the Board, of May 18th, 1858, reported September 9th, 1858, endorsed by the Executive Committee, and assented to by the Board, September 16th, 1858. They have involved considerable changes of the surface, and of the treatment of ground, from that had in view in the original study, especially at the points indicated on the map by the letter A. They have also led to the introduction of bridges for carrying the Bridle-path and the walks clear of the Drive. The region of the Ramble has been much more thoroughly improved, and a more extensive system of walks made through it, than was originally contemplated, the capacities of the ground not having been entirely obvious until test-pits and experimental cuttings had been formed, and the ground somewhat cleared of worthless matters. The Iron Bridge at B, the passage under the rocks at C, the Spring-rock at D, the Rocky Ravine and Water-fall at E, are all details of some importance, not specifically contemplated in the original study. The Central Pond [B] has been considerably enlarged, and its outline changed, as in the process of excavation the rocks were found to give invitation. Knowing nothing of the subterranean rock forms, it was, of course, impossible to establish the best outlines, and it was not practicable to obtain such knowledge until after the adoption of a general intention of work. Changes will also have been made in the outline of the lower Pond [A], the final survey for which cannot even yet be completed. The attention of the Executive Committee was called to each of the above operations in their early stages, and they were approved by that Committee in September last.

It is not now possible to form an estimate, which would have any practical value, of the difference of cost which these changes have occasioned. It has before, on more than one occasion, been reported to the Board that without able assistants employed expressly for the purpose, it had been and would be impossible to state with an approximation to certain accuracy, the cost of any particular portion or portions of the work. The Board has seen fit to require or provide means for this service only in regard to the Transverse Roads—a very careful separation of all expenditure properly chargeable to which, from all other [223]

work with which they connect, is now made every day, an Assistant General Foreman being employed exclusively and constantly in the duty of obtaining the data for this account.

Each of the improvements upon the original plan involves a larger expenditure than was contemplated in that plan, and it was for that reason, and that reason alone (as was explained to the Committee of the Board under the advice of which the Board has acted in adopting them) that most of them were not included in the original plan. The change of the line of Drive on the west side is an exception, but the lines of the original plan were required by the specifications of the Board demanding a parade-ground of a certain fixed area. This also was explained to the Board at the time the change was ordered.

For the same reason that it was not possible to make working-plans, it was still less practicable to prepare, previous to the competition of designers, anything like accurate estimates. The Commission required an expression of opinion from each designer that it was possible to execute all the different parts of his or her plan in such a manner that the whole would not cost above an allotted sum. From the peculiar nature of the work, this involved, for almost any plan, [224]

simply a question throughout, of the quality of workmanship to be assumed—between, that is to say, substantial and thorough, or more or less meretricious and low-priced workmanship.

The Board has not, at any time since the work upon the ground, according to the plan, commenced, evinced in its instructions to the Architect-in-Chief any expectation of fully completing the Park in all its parts and details together, within a definite period of time, or a fixed amount of expenditure. It is not, and has never been, possible to undertake to do this with confidence, not because the materials and labor necessary to make a park must, under all circumstances, have cost more than that sum, nor because the time would have been insufficient, if the field of operations were clear, but because there were obstacles while the construction of the New Reservoir was to be in progress, and the adjacent streets and avenues remained ungraded, or in the process of grading, in the non-existence of proper outlets for water, and the incomplete system of sewerage of the adjoining part of the island, and in various other circumstances, which could not be immediately overcome, except at great and otherwise unnecessary cost. On the supposition that all work intended to be done in the [225]

neighborhood of the Park, and within its limits, was to have been pushed forward with the same energy which all desire to have employed on the Park itself, the Park might possibly be completed in every particular directly contemplated in the plan, within the time allotted to the Commission, and within the sum allowed for its expenditure. The work, however, cannot be expected to be completed, as things are, in all parts and all details, under the present law, and it has been necessary to determine how the most complete park possible to be obtained with the fund at the disposal of the Commission, and within the time allotted for its duties, can be best secured.

The Architect-in-Chief entertains the opinion that it is best to finish such portions as are most needed, and which will together make the most complete park, in a manner which shall give the most lasting satisfaction, and[226] involve the least practicable future expenditure for alterations and repairs. Such a policy the Architect-in-Chief considers to have governed all work on the Park hitherto. It would have been easy to have greatly reduced the expenditure, or, rather, to have made more immediate show of a tolerable finish, by carrying the drives at various points with heavier grades, and less agreeable curves; by leaving large flat masses of rock, from a few inches to a foot below the surface of the lawns, the bad consequences of which would be but occasionally apparent; by making the foundation of the walks less substantial, and their under-drainage less perfect; by neglecting to excavate about rocks having picturesque features hidden under a worthless deposit, &c. The course pursued has been directed, however, as is believed, by a judicious economy, looking to the future. The Park will not only at once be much more satisfactory and valuable to the city, but its improvement in such particulars as have been enumerated, and in many others, which would unquestionably have been demanded in the future, if now neglected, will have been made at a moiety of the cost which would be necessary to accomplish them, when once the lawns have been formed, the trees established, and the public admitted, while the specific features of detail that will have to be for a time omitted (such as the flower-garden) [O] are not absolutely necessary [227]

requirements in a park, and can be constructed at any time, at as reasonable cost as now.

There always has been, and there now is, a considerable cost incurred, which would otherwise be unnecessary, in forcing to rapid, and, at the same time, substantial, completion, certain parts of the Park, in obedience to the well-understood wish of the Board and of the public, that as soon as possible it might be made of some direct value to the public. The principal work upon more than three-quarters of the whole area of the Park may be expected to be completed, and the public, in some measure, given the enjoyment of it, in fifteen months from the beginning of work, instead of four years, as contemplated in the estimates of the designers. The additional cost is not occasioned by the employment of an unwieldy mass of laborers, the Architect-in-Chief believing that, as at present organized, no saving could be made by reducing the force, except in the convenience of obtaining and turning to the best account materials obtained in excavation, in keeping open and unencumbered the most direct routes of transit for materials, in using machinery of construction a second time instead of duplicating it, and in the more careful distribution and preparation of different qualities of materials, especially of soils and manures, the poor supply of which obliges a constant resort to costly expedients.