Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 02.djvu/227

LEFT BROOELINE 195 BROOKLYN blue, but in one variety they are pink or flesh-colored. The plant is common in ditches and water-courses. It is some- times used as a spring salad. BROOKLINE, a town in Norfolk co., Mass.; on the Charles river, and the Boston and Albany and the New Eng- land railroads; 3 miles W. of Boston, with which it is connected by electric railroads. It contains the villages of Cottage Farm, Longwood, and Reservoir Station; has a granite town house, pub- lic library, and manufactories of electric motors, etc., and is chiefly a place of suburban residence, being one of the most beautiful and wealthy suburban towns in the country. Pop. (1910) 27,792; (1920) 37,748. BROOKLYN, former city, since Jan. 1, 1898, one of the five boroughs of the city of Greater New York; situated on the W. extremity of Long Island, on New York Bay and the East river, which separates it from New York and con- nects Long Island Sound with New York Bay. Brooklyn is connected with New York by the Brooklyn, the Manhattan and the Williamsburg bridges and numerous ferries, and comprises Brook- lyn proper, Williamsburg, Gravesend, Flatbush, Flat Lands, New Lots, New Utrecht, and several smaller suburban towns that were united with it prior to its consolidation with New York. It now extends from the Atlantic Ocean at Coney Island to the East river and New York harbor, and occupies the whole of Kings county; area 66.39 square miles; pop. (1900) 1,166,582; (1910) 1,643,351; (1920) 2,018,356. The surface of the borough is gener- ally elevated, sloping from the bay and river to a ridge which extends through the island. Its highest point is Mt. Pleas- ant, 194 feet above tidewater. Its water front extends from Newtown creek, emptying into the East river, to beyond Sheepshead Bay. The shore opposite lower New York is an irregular bluff, with an elevation of about 90 feet, and is known as Brooklyn Heights, while South Brooklyn is low. Brooklyii, being an ag- gregation of separate towns and villages, presents a very irregular street system and lacks unity of design. The main busi- ness street is Fulton street, from Fulton Ferry to East New York, and contains some of the largest retail establishments in the United States. Clinton avenue is the handsomest street in the city, and is lined with fine residences sur- rounded by ornamental grounds and shade trees. There is an excellent water system and the average daily consumption is 170,- 000,000 gallons. The borough has 892 miles of paved streets and 375 miles of unpaved streets open to traffic. Various electric street railroads and steam an<^ electric elevated roads connect Brooklyn with its suburbs, and by means of four bridges with Manhattan Borough. There are 55 parks, playgrounds and open spaces in Brooklyn, with an area of 1,153 acres. Prospect Park is the largest, with 526 acres, including 77 acres of lakes and waterways, 70 acres of mead- ows, 110 acres of woodland, and 259 of plantations. It is situated on an ele- vated ridge and commands a magnificent view of the ocean, the Sound, Long Is- land, New Jersey, and New York City. It has been left to a great extent in its original wooded condition, making it one of the most picturesque parks in the United States. There is a Soldiers and Sailors' Memorial Arch and a statue o* President Lincoln at the Flatbush ave- nue entrance. Of the other parks, Wash- ington Park, the site of extensive Revo- lutionary fortifications, of which Fort Greene is the principal one, is the largest. Among the smaller parks are the City Park, Carroll Park, Tompkins Park, Sea- side Park, and Highland Park. The principal public buildings of Brooklyn are grouped together about the Borough Hall. This building is of white marble in the Ionic style. The Kings County Court House stands just E. of the Borough Hall, and has a marble front with a Corinthian portico and an iron dome over 100 feet high. Near the Court House are the Municipal Building and the Hall of Records, both of marble. The Federal Building is the finest structure in the borough, built of granite at a cost of $5,000,000. It is in the Romanesque style, with numerous turrets and a tall tower. It was opened in 1892 and is oc- cupied by the postoffice and the United States courts. Other notable buildings are the Academy of Music, the Brooklyn Bank, Pratt Institute, the Brooklyn Li- brary, the Art Association Building, and the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. The most notable and important navy yard in the United States is located here. In 1918-1919 Brooklyn had 8,281 fac- tories, employing a total of 185,625 peo- ple, an increase in 10 years of over 3,000 factories and 40,000 employees. The prin- cipal articles of manufacture are: Ma- chinery and metal products, clothing, tex- tiles, boots, shoes, furs, chemicals, drugs, paints, colors, paper goods, books, wood products, instruments, electrical appli- ances, confectionery, foods, tobacco, flax, hemp, jute products, rubber and leather goods. Brooklyn has a water front of 200