18 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston February 25th, 1915. Mr A. H. Lynam, Bar Harbor, Maine. My dear Mr Lynam, I enclose you copy of a letter I have just written Mr round Lord with regard to the section of road ^ the Great Meadow which I am offering the town at so mewhat under its construction cost. Mr Lord has the amount 01 expenditures made by Millard Hamor three years ago and Andrew Liscomb lately upon this road, which now when raked and rolled in spring should be as good a piece of road as any of its character in the State I think. The letter will explain itself but I want to add regarding it for your knowledge in case you think best to speak of it to anyone on the Warrant Boardtthat the connection between the road and park system which I have worked out in this direction and the Government Monument in its eastern approach are direct and important. I have just been going over this whole matter with President Eliot, and he has undertaken to secure at once if possible from the source we spoke of a contribution sufficient to make immediate progress possible. Ifahehisisuccessfl, I shall come down shortly to confer with you about getting started on the requisite examination and perfection of our deeds and the acquisition 01 the most immediately important tracts of land. I showed President Eliot the draft of the Arboretum and Wild 2 Gardens Corporation in the form which I last sent you and he approved it. I want to get this also into shape as early as I can with reference to Dr Abbe. Please telephone or telegraph me if you should th ink me imme- diately needed at Bar Harbor with regard to anything that is coming before the annual meet ing. Unless I am needed I will not come for there is much that needs my presence here but I will come if it seems best and I know in time enough beforehand. I understand you to be looking after the Athletic Field matter, and that you will let me know if that also should for any reason need my presence. I am also relying on you to keep in same touch, through Morri- son, Eddy, or otherwise, with the progress of our bill at Augusta. If you have any news to give me with regard to it, or upon any other of these matters, that it is desirable I should have please let me have some word of it tomorrow so that it may reach me Saturday main- ing. Believe me Very truly yours, 4-B was P. S. Dr Thorndike consents to stay on the Park Board until after town meeting. I luctor letter Mr Peter ) thoughty opposition measure at the lip's latine reading Some and of support gran him might he a helf Please keef it gh use accordingly if needed (of 18 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston February 25th, 1915. Mr Edgar I. Lord, Bar Harbor, Maine. Dear Sir, I wrote you rather hastily last night - having been occu- pied unt 11 late with other matters - concerning the section of new road that I am offering the town at its approximate construction cost, which has been however greater in various ways than the figures given. Part, moreover, of the cost of the work this year, done under Mr Liscabb's direction, was due to three years' free use 02 it by the town, compensated by no repairs, and to its having carried practically all the heavy teaming as well as three quarters of the general driving between Otter Creek and Bar Harbor during that time. The only element of expense in the whole work upon this road which has been in excess of the economic minimum, with the existing rate of wages in the town, was due to the late season at which the final grading and gravelling was done this fall, but the amount of this excess was slight and was made adviseable in my judgment by avoiding interruption of the general use 03 the road until the season's end and by the employment which it gave when other TO rk was ceasing in the town. Moreover, this was much more than offset by my free con- tribution of gravel toward its surfacing. This gravel, in the deep bed of it which I have opened along 2 the town roadside near the gorge, I shall place at the service of the town for surfacing its present roads connecting with this if this be taken over by the town, it being plainly necessary that the town should employ a large amount of such material upon them within the next few years. When a well graded, well drained and gravelled road shall have been extended in from this road to the town at least seven eighths of the travel to Otter Creek will go that way, the grade by it being practically level thence into the town and the roads much more direct. This new section I am offering needs not hing but a surface raking in the spring: the section of Harden Farm Road with which it con- nects, and which I also built, is already well graded and thoroughly drained and only needs surface gravelling; from Harden Farm Road, to the Brook, drainage on the upper side is needed, together with grading and gravelling the surface but it lends itself well being made at no great cost an admirable piece of road. At this point, just beyond the last bridge ming out from the town, the park road ucross the western portion of the meadow and under Dry Mountain which I have planned and partly built will leave the town road, following the survey which you have helped me make and gone over with me. If the town accepts my offer with regard the above new section of constructed road, I shall pro ceed to construct this other road for public use the o ming season, putting into it what the other road has cost me and what more may be required. Over one thousand dollars have already been expended on it, and at least the meadow outlet as much on the drainage of western meadow which alone makes such a A road poss ible. As an alternative route to the Gorge, and park-like portion of the Ocean Drive, I believe this road will be of great 3 service to the town as a resort, opening up in one portion striking mountain views and in another what are perhaps the best woods yet left upon the Island. This road beneath the mountain will also open up that will be- come, according to the plans now made for the development of the Public Reservations, the main path system leading from Bar Harbor to Dry Mountain, Green Mountain and the Gorge between, as well as over the ridge of Green by the White Cap to Eagle Lake and the west- ern mounta ins. And it accordingly forms an important feature in the plan worked buttifor the approach from Bar Harbor to the Federal Monument if it be established, nor without such good approach will it be possible for me to interest the Government in it / which else I think the chance is more than fair of ultimately doing. This I speak of that the full scope of what I have in mind may be apparent. On the other hand I am anxious to avoid any feeling in the future if the town does not accept my offer, but deems the shorter and better connection which this road establishes to the west of Straw- berry Hill not worth its construction cost, by stating plainly beforehand that should it so decide the road will be closed to travel - as well as any short-cut such as formerly existed across the upper portion of this tract; the Great Meadow valley as a town approach is worthy of a good road if of any. Yours truly, (G.B. Was