ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE.

Prospect Point..

.Frontispiece

Peculiar Ice Formation-Ice Mound on Brink of American Fall....... 14 American Rapids Ice Bound.....

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Inclined Railway building, before alterations...

Inclined Railway building, remodeled.

A Summer day at Niagara....

Disfigured Talus Slope-Site of Ontario Power Company..

American Fall from Goat Island-Ice Mountain and Ice Bridge Below.

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ཚ ཝྱ ཅི

REPORT.

To the Honorable the Legislature of the State of New York:

As required by law, the Commissioners of the State Reservation at Niagara herewith submit their Twentieth Annual Report, for the fiscal year begun October 1, 1902, and ended September 30, 1903.

Changes in the Commission.

On March 30, 1903, Governor Odell reappointed for a term of five years the Commissioners then incumbent, namely, Andrew H. Green of New York, George Raines of Rochester, Thomas P. Kingsford of Oswego, Charles M. Dow of Jamestown, and Alexander J. Porter of Niagara Falls. On November 13, 1903, Mr. Green died, and on November 27, 1903, Governor Odell appointed Alvah K. Potter of Lockport to fill the vacancy. On December 22, 1903, the Commission, at a meeting held at Niagara Falls, elected Charles M. Dow President of the Commission, vice Andrew H. Green, deceased.

On July 8, 1903, Peter A. Porter, Jr., of Niagara Falls, resigned the position of Secretary and Treasurer, to take effect October 1, following. At the same time, Thomas V. Welch, Superintendent, was appointed Secretary, and Edward H. Perry, Assistant Superintendent, was appointed Treasurer, to take effect October 1.

On October 20, 1903, Mr. Welch died; and at the meeting of the Commissioners held December 22, 1903, Mr. Perry was appointed Superintendent and Secretary in his place.

Death of the Hon. Andrew H. Green.

The tragic death of the Hon. Andrew H. Green in the city of New York, November 13, 1903, not only shocked the community by its nature and suddenness, but was a peculiarly heavy blow to this Commission, of which he was the only remaining original member and of which he had been President for over 15 years.

At the meeting of the Commission held at Niagara Falls, December 22, 1903, the following memorial was adopted and ordered spread upon the minutes; and as a further mark of respect, it was voted that a copy be suitably engrossed and sent to the family of the deceased:

MEMORIAL.

"When, at the end of a long and fruitful life of public labors, an illustrious citizen and faithful servant of the State passes to the common rest that crowns man's days, it is meet not only that human affection should express its sense of personal loss, but also that public acknowledgment should be made of the respect and gratitude of the people for whom his self-sacrifice was rendered.

"The death of the Hon. Andrew H. Green, President of the Commissioners of the State Reservation at Niagara in New York City, Friday, November 13, 1903, not only brought to a close the personal communion of long and deeply cherished friendships, but also terminated a career of public usefulness exceptional in its length and character.

"The intellectual and moral bounty of a vigorous and Godfearing New England ancestry was conserved, cultivated and ripened by him during a well-ordered life of 83 years, over half a century of which he devoted with singular disinterestedness and effect to the welfare of his fellowman.

"A native of Worcester, Mass., at the age of 15 he transferred the field of his activities to New York State, and found in the great metropolis the inspiring object of one of his deepest concerns. There, as a member of the board of education, as the controller of the Central Park, of which more than any other

one man he was the creator; as the controller of the city's finances at a time when immovable integrity was required to stay the riot of municipal plunder; as the projector of great institutions of art and learning, and of parks and other material improvements for the health, comfort and pleasure of the people; as the friend of the fatherless and widow; and as the prophet and foremost factor of municipal consolidation, he earned, in more senses than one, the well-deserved title of THE FATHER OF GREATER NEW YORK.

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Beyond the limits of the great city, his sympathies and services extended to the State, at whose hands he held many trusts deeply affecting her government, her commerce, and the well-being of her people. Of these, none was closer to his heart and none received greater benefit from his remarkable executive genius than the State Reservation at Niagara. Up to the time of his death, his services had been contemporaneous with the existence of this Commission. He was one of the original Commission appointed by the Governor on May 2, 1883, and had been its President since May 26, 1888. During this period, he bestowed upon the development and administration of the Reservation all the wealth of wisdom that his ripe experience could command, and all the solicitude that an exalted sense of his public trust and a profound love of nature could inspire. In recognition of his devotion, his colleagues, in 1898, gave his name to Green Island.

"To his philanthropy, the boundaries of the State set no limits. His sympathies were universal and embraced his fellow-beings of all creeds and all nations, for whom his voice and pen were ever-ready helpers.

"In his death, his acquaintances have lost a true and beloved friend; the Metropolis, a pure and upright citizen; the State, a faithful public servant; the Nation, an exemplary patriot.

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Deeply sorrowing at the withdrawal of the kindly light of his personal presence, we rejoice with our fellow citizens in the luster of the name which he has left and of the example of civic virtue which he has given."