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THE HUDSON
Three Centuries of
History, Romance and Invention
BY WALLACE BRUCE
Centennial Edition
Published by
BRYANT UNION COMPANY
NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT 1907 BY WALLACE BRUCE
[Transcriber's Note: Each page of this book contained, as a footer, a
stanza of poetry, or a prose quotation, which, although pertinent to
the text, were not part of it.
I have retained these, moving them to a suitable location between
paragraphs, and enclosing them in short markers: * * * ....* * *. Any
poetry not enclosed within short * * * markers is an integral part of
the text.
The list of typos and corrections is at the end of the book.]
* * * * *
CONTENTS.
CENTENNIAL GREETING.
PAGE
HISTORY, ROMANCE AND INVENTION 9-39
An Open Book 10
The Hudson and the Rhine 11
The Half Moon 12
Its Discovery 15
First Description 16
Names of the Hudson 18
Hills and Mountains 19
Sources of the Hudson 19
First Settlement 20
The West India Company 21
Original Manors and Patents 23
The Dutch and the English 24
New Amsterdam 25
New York 26
Sons of Liberty 28
Greater New York 30
Hudson River Steamboats 31
Day Line Steamers 34
The Old Reaches 38
Five Divisions of the Hudson 39
NEW YORK TO ALBANY.
DESBROSSES STREET PIER TO FORTY-SECOND STREET 41-43
Historic River Front 41
A Great Panorama 41
Statue of Liberty--Stevens Castle 42
FORTY-SECOND TO ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINTH 43-48
Weehawken, Hamilton and Burr 43
Riverside Drive and Park 45
Columbia University 46
General Grant's Tomb 46
ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINTH ST. TO YONKERS 49-50
Washington Heights 49
The Palisades 52
Island of Manhattan 56
Spuyten Duyvel Creek 57
Yonkers 58
YONKERS TO WEST POINT 59-96
Hastings and Dobbs Ferry 60
Tappan Zee and Piermont 61
Irvington and "Sunnyside" 62
Washington Irving 63
The Headless Horseman 66
Tarrytown and Tappan 67
Sleepy Hollow 70
Nyack 72
Ossining 73
Croton River and Reservoir 74
Haverstraw 75
Stony Point 77
Peekskill 79
Story of Captain Kidd 80
The Highlands 81
Dunderberg 82
Anthony's Nose 83
Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery 84
Beverley House 87
Arnold's Flight 88
Buttermilk Falls 91
West Point Military Academy 92
Plateau Buildings and Memorials 93-94
Fort Putnam 95
WEST POINT TO NEWBURGH 97-103
Northern Gate of Highlands 98
"Undercliff" 99
Storm King 100
Cornwall and "Idlewild" 102
NEWBURGH TO POUGHKEEPSIE 104-128
Washington's Headquarters 104
Refusing the Crown 105
Suffering of Soldiers 106
Cessation of Hostilities 107
Marquis de Lafayette 109
Centennial Celebration 110
Fishkill 113
Duyvel's Dans Kammer 118
"Locust Grove" 119
The Storm Ship 120
Poughkeepsie 121
POUGHKEEPSIE TO KINGSTON 129-146
Hyde Park 130
Mount Hymettus 130
Rhinecliff 135
City of Kingston 136
The Senate House 138
The Southern Catskills 142
KINGSTON TO CATSKILL 147-168
Montgomery Place 147
Story of Steam Navigation 149
Robert Fulton 151
The "Clermont" 152
Tivoli 154
Saugerties 156
The Livingston Country 157
The "Shad Industry" 158
Germantown 160
Man in the Mountain 161
New York City Water Supply 162
The Clover Reach 163
Catskill 164
Otis Elevating Railway 165
CATSKILL TO HUDSON 169-172
Hudson 169
Columbia Springs 170
Claverack and Hillsdale 171
HUDSON TO ALBANY 173-185
Athens 173
The Ice Industry 173
Anthony Van Corlear 176
The Mahican Tribe 177
The Mahicans, Delawares and Iroquois 178
The Old Van Rensselaer House 180
Albany 181
THE UPPER HUDSON.
ALBANY TO SARATOGA 186-191
Saratoga 187
Historic Saratoga 189
Mount McGregor 190
SARATOGA TO THE ADIRONDACKS 191-201
Saratoga to Lake George 192
LAKE GEORGE TO THE ADIRONDACKS 197-201
Ticonderoga 198
Bluff Point 199
Plattsburgh and the Saranacs 201
SOURCE OF THE HUDSON 202-210
The Tahawas Club 202
The Upper Ausable 203
Haystack and Camp Colden 204
The Deserted Village 205
Indian Pass 206
Tahawas 210
GEOLOGY, TIDES AND CONDENSED POINTS 211-224
Geological Formation 211-215
The Hudson Tide 215
Condensed Points--New York to Albany 216-224
[Illustration: ROBERT FULTON'S "CLERMONT" 1807]
1907--1909
_CENTENNIAL GREETING_
_Hendrick Hudson and Robert Fulton are closely associated in the
history of our river, and more particularly at this time, as the dates
of their achievements unite the centennial of the first successful
steamer in 1807, with the tri-centennial of the discovery of the river
in 1609. In fact, these three centuries of navigation, with rapidly
increasing development in later years, might be graphically
condensed--_
"_Half Moon_," _1609_; "_Clermont_," _1807_;
"_Hendrick Hudson_," _1906_.
_Singularly enough the discovery of Hendrick Hudson, and the invention
of Robert Fulton are also similar in having many adverse claimants who
forget the difference between attempt and accomplishment._
_Everyone knows that Verrazano entered the Narrows and harbor of
our river in 1524, and sailed far enough to see the outline of the
Palisades; that Gomez visited its mouth in 1525; Cabot still earlier
in 1498; and various Norsemen, named and nameless, for several
centuries before them, coasted along the shore and indenture of the
"River of the Manhattoes," but failed to acquire or transmit any
knowledge of the river's real course or character, and it was left for
Hendrick Hudson to be its first voyager and thereby to have and to
hold against all comers the glory of discovery._
* * *
A century vast of Hudson-fame
Which Irving's fancy seals;
Whose ripples murmur Morse's name
And flash to Fulton's wheels.
_Wallace Bruce._
* * *
_So Robert Fulton had several predecessors in the idea of applying
steam to navigation--John Fitch in 1785, William Symington in 1788 and
many others who likewise_ coasted along the shore and indenture of a
great idea, _marked by continual failure and final abandonment. It was
reserved for Fulton to complete and stamp upon his labor the seal of
service and success, and to stand, therefore, its accepted inventor._
_In addition to the invention of Fulton who has contributed so much
to the business and brotherhood of mankind, the telegraph of Morse
occupies a prominent page of our Hudson history, and it is said that
Morse left unfinished a novel, the incidents of which were associated
with the Highlands, in order to work out his idea which gave the
Hudson a grander chapter._
_Fulton's and Morse's inventions are also happily associated in this,
that the steamboat was necessary before the Atlantic cable, born of
Morse's invention, could be laid, and, singularly enough, the laying
of the cable, largely promoted by Hudson River genius and capital,
by Field, Cooper, Morse and others on August 5, 1857, marks the very
middle of the centennial which we are now observing._
* * *
A cycle grand with wonders fraught
That triumph over time and space;
In woven steel its dreams are wrought,
The nations whisper face to face.
_Wallace Bruce._
* * *
[Illustration: _Hendrick Hudson's "Half Moon_."]
THE HUDSON
Among all the rivers of the world the Hudson is acknowledged queen,
decked with romance, jewelled with poetry, clad with history, and
crowned with beauty. More than this, the Hudson is a noble threshold
to a great continent and New York Bay a fitting portal. The traveler
who enters the Narrows for the first time is impressed with wonder,
and the charm abides even with those who pass daily to and fro amid
her beauties. No other river approaches the Hudson in varied grandeur
and sublimity, and no other city has so grand and commodious a harbor
as New York. It has been the privilege of the writer of this handbook
to see again and again most of the streams of the old world "renowned
in song and story," to behold sunrise on the Bay of Naples and sunset
at the Golden Gate of San Francisco, but the spell of the Hudson
remains unbroken, and the bright bay at her mouth reflects the
noontide without a rival. To pass a day in her company, rich with
the story and glory of three hundred years, is worth a trip across a
continent, and it is no wonder that the European traveler says again
and again: "to see the Hudson alone, is worth a voyage across the
Atlantic."
* * *
A very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land to see!
_Hendrick Hudson_
* * *
How like a great volume of history romance and poetry seem her bright
illumined pages with the broad river lying as a crystal book-mark
between her open leaves! And how real this idea becomes to the Day
Line tourist, with the record of Washington and Hamilton for its
opening sentence, as he leaves the Up-Town landing, and catches
messages from Fort Washington and Fort Lee. What Indian legends
cluster about the brow of Indian Head blending with the love story of
Mary Phillipse at the Manor House of Yonkers. How Irving's vision of
Katrina and Sleepy Hollow become woven with the courage of Paulding
and the capture of Andre at Tarrytown. How the Southern Portal of the
Highlands stands sentineled by Stony Point, a humble crag converted by
the courage of Anthony Wayne into a mountain peak of Liberty.
How North and South Beacon again summon the Hudson yeomen from harvest
fields to the defense of country, while Fort Putnam, still eloquent in
her ruins, looks down upon the best drilled boys in the world at West
Point. Further on Newburgh, Poughkeepsie and Kingston shake fraternal
hands in the abiding trinity of Washington, Hamilton and Clinton,
while northward rise the Ontioras where Rip Van Winkle slept, and woke
to wonder at the happenings of twenty years.
What stories of silent valleys told by murmuring streams from the
Berkshire Hills and far away fields where Stark and Ethan Allen
triumphed. What tales of Cooper, where the Mohawk entwines her fingers
with those of the Susquehanna, and poems of Longfellow, Bryant and
Holmes, of Dwight, of Halleck and of Drake; ay, and of Yankee
Doodle too, written at the Old Van Rensselaer House almost within a
pebble-throw of the steamer as it approaches Albany. What a wonderful
book of history and beauty, all to be read in one day's journey!
* * *
Roll on! Roll on!
Thou river of the North! Tell thou to all
The isles, tell thou to all the Continents
The grandeur of my land.
_William Wallace._
* * *
The Hudson has often been styled "The Rhine of America." There is,
however, little of similarity and much of contrast. The Rhine from
Dusseldorf to Manheim is only twelve hundred to fifteen hundred feet
in breadth. The Hudson from New York to Albany averages more than five
thousand feet from bank to bank. At Tappan Zee the Hudson is ten times
as wide as the Rhine at any point above Cologne. At Bonn the Rhine is
barely one-third of a mile, whereas the Hudson at Haverstraw Bay is
over four miles in width. The average breadth of the Hudson from New
York to Poughkeepsie is almost eight thousand feet.
The mountains of the Rhine also lack the imposing character of
the Highlands. The far-famed Drachenfels, the Landskron, and the
Stenzleburg are only seven hundred and fifty feet above the river;
the Alteberg eight hundred, the Rosenau nine hundred, and the great
Oelberg thirteen hundred and sixty-two. According to the latest United
States Geological Survey the entire group of mountains at the northern
gate of the Highlands is from fourteen hundred to sixteen hundred and
twenty-five feet in height, not to speak of the Catskills from three
thousand to almost four thousand feet in altitude.
It is not the fault of the Rhine with its nine hundred miles of
rapid flow that it looks tame compared with the Hudson. Even the
Mississippi, draining a valley three thousand miles in extent, looks
insignificant at St. Louis or New Orleans contrasted with the Hudson
at Tarrytown. The Hudson is in fact a vast estuary of the sea; the
tide rises two feet at Albany and six inches at Troy. A professor of
the Berlin University says: "You lack our castles but the Hudson is
infinitely grander." Thackeray, in "The Virginians," gives the Hudson
the verdict of beauty; and George William Curtis, comparing the Hudson
with the rivers of the Old World, has gracefully said: "The Danube
has in part glimpses of such grandeur, the Elbe has sometimes such
delicately penciled effects, but no European river is so lordly in its
bearing, none flows in such state to the sea."
* * *
I have been up and down the Hudson by water. The entire river is
pretty, but the glory of the Hudson is at West Point.
_Anthony Trollope._
* * *
Baedeker, a high and just authority, in his recent Guide to the United
States says: "The Hudson has sometimes been called the American Rhine,
but that title perhaps does injustice to both rivers. The Hudson,
through a great part of its extent, is three or four times as wide
as the Rhine, and its scenery is grander and more inspiring; while,
though it lacks the ruined castles and ancient towns of the German
river, it is by no means devoid of historical associations of a more
recent character. The vine-clad slopes of the Rhine have, too, no
ineffective substitute in the brilliant autumn coloring of the
timbered hillsides of the Hudson."
* * *
A stately stream around which as around
The German Rhine hover mystic shapes
_Richard Burton_
* * *
What must have been the sensation of those early voyagers, coasting a
new continent, as they halted at the noble gateway of the river and
gazed northward along the green fringed Palisades; or of Hendrick
Hudson, who first traversed its waters from Manhattan to the Mohawk,
as he looked up from the chubby bow of his "Half Moon" at the massive
columnar formation of the Palisades or at the great mountains of the
Highlands; what dreams of success, apparently within reach, were his,
when night came down in those deep forest solitudes under the shadowy
base of Old Cro' Nest and Klinkerberg Mountain, where his little craft
seemed a lone cradle of civilization; and then, when at last, with
immediate purpose foiled, he turned his boat southward, having
discovered, but without knowing it, something infinitely more valuable
to future history than his long-sought "Northwestern Passage to
China," how he must have gazed with blended wonder and awe at the
distant Catskills as their sharp lines came out, as we have seen
them many a September morning, bold and clear along the horizon, and
learned in gentle reveries the poetic meaning of the blue _Ontioras_
or "Mountains of the Sky." How fondly he must have gazed on the
picturesque hills above Apokeepsing and listened to the murmuring
music of Winnikee Creek, when the air was clear as crystal and the
banks seemed to be brought nearer, perfectly reflected in the glassy
surface, while here and there his eye wandered over grassy uplands,
and rested on hills of maize in shock, looking for all the world like
mimic encampments of Indian wigwams! Then as October came with tints
which no European eye had ever seen, and sprinkled the hill-tops
with gold and russet, he must indeed have felt that he was living an
enchanted life, or journeying in a fairy land!
How graphically the poet Willis has put the picture in musical prose:
"Fancy the bold Englishman, as the Dutch called Hendrick Hudson,
steering his little yacht the 'Haalve Maan,' for the first time
through the Highlands. Imagine his anxiety for the channel forgotten,
as he gazed up at the towering rocks, and round the green shores, and
onward past point and opening bend, miles away into the heart of the
country; yet with no lessening of the glorious stream before him and
no decrease of promise in the bold and luxuriant shores. Picture him
lying at anchor below Newburgh with the dark pass of the Wey-Gat
frowning behind him, the lofty and blue Catskills beyond, and the
hillsides around covered with lords of the soil exhibiting only less
wonder than friendliness."
If Willis forgot the season of the year and left out the landscape
glow which the voyager saw, Talmage completed the picture in a rainbow
paragraph of color: "Along our river and up and down the sides of the
great hills there was an indescribable mingling of gold, and orange
and crimson and saffron, now sobering into drab and maroon, now
flaring up into solferino and scarlet. Here and there the trees looked
as if their tips had blossomed into fire. In the morning light the
forests seemed as if they had been transfigured and in the evening
hours they looked as if the sunset had burst and dropped upon the
leaves. It seemed as if the sea of divine glory had dashed its surf to
the top of the crags and it had come dripping down to the lowest leaf
and deepest cavern."
* * *
So fair yon haven clasped its isles, in such a sunset gleam,
When Hendrick and his sea-worn tars first sounded up the stream.
_Robert C. Sands._
* * *
On such a day in 1883 it was the privilege of the writer to stand
before 150,000 people at Newburgh on the occasion of the Centennial
Celebration of the Disbanding of the Army under Washington, and, in
his poem entitled "The Long Drama," to portray the great mountain
background bounding the southern horizon with autumnal splendor:
October lifts with colors bright
Her mountain canvas to the sky,
The crimson trees aglow with light
Unto our banners wave reply.
Like Horeb's bush the leaves repeat
From lips of flame with glory crowned:--
"Put off thy shoes from off thy feet,
The place they trod is holy ground."
Such was the vision Hendrick Hudson must have had in those far-off
September and October days, and such the picture which visitors still
compass long distances to behold.
"It is a far cry to Loch Awe" says an old Scottish proverb, and it
is a long step from the sleepy rail of the "Half Moon" to the
roomy-decked floating palaces--the "Hendrick Hudson," the "New York"
and the "Albany." Before beginning our journey let us, therefore,
bridge the distance with a few intermediate facts, from 1609, relating
to the discovery of the river, its early settlement, its old reaches
and other points essential to the fullest enjoyment of our trip, which
in sailor-parlance might be styled "a gang-plank of history," reaching
as it does from the old-time yacht to the modern steamer, and spanning
three hundred years.
* * *
The prow of the "Half-Moon" has left a broadening wake whose
ripples have written an indelible history, not only along the
Hudson's shores, but have left their imprint on kingdoms over the
sea.
_William Wait._
* * *
=Its Discovery.=--In the year 1524, thirty-two years after the
discovery of America, the navigator Verrazano, a French officer,
anchored off the island of Manhattan and proceeded a short distance up
the river. The following year, Gomez, a Portuguese in the employ of
Spain, coasted along the continent and entered the Narrows. Several
sea-rovers also visited our noble bay about 1598, but it was reserved
for Hendrick Hudson, with a mixed crew of eighteen or twenty men in
the "Half Moon," to explore the river from Sandy Hook to Albany, and
carry back to Europe a description of its beauty. He had previously
made two fruitless voyages for the Muscovy Company--an English
corporation--in quest of a passage to China, _via_ the North Pole and
Nova Zembla.
In the autumn of 1608 he was called to Amsterdam, and sailed from
Texel, April 5, 1609, in the service of the Dutch East India Company.
Reaching Greenland he coasted southward, arriving at Cape Cod August
6th, Chesapeake Bay August 28th, and then sailed north to Sandy Hook.
He entered the Bay of New York September the 3d, passed through the
Narrows, and anchored in what is now called Newark Bay; on the 12th
resumed his voyage, and, drifting with the tide, remained over night
on the 13th about three miles above the northern end of Manhattan
Island; on the 14th sailed through what is now known as Tappan Zee and
Haverstraw Bay, entered the Highlands and anchored for the night near
the present dock of West Point. On the morning of the 15th beheld
Newburgh Bay, reached Catskill on the 16th, Athens on the 17th,
Castleton and Albany on the 18th, and sent out an exploring boat as
far as Waterford. He became thoroughly satisfied that this route did
not lead to China--a conclusion in harmony with that of Champlain,
who, the same summer, had been making his way south, through Lake
Champlain and Lake George, in quest of the South Sea.
* * *
O mighty river of the North! Thy lips meet ocean here, and in deep
joy he lifts his great white brow, and gives his stormy voice a
milder tone.
_William Wallace_
* * *
There is something humorous in the idea of these old mariners
attempting to sail through a continent 3,000 miles wide, seamed with
mountain chains from 2,000 to 15,000 feet in height. Hudson's return
voyage began September 23d. He anchored again in Newburgh Bay the
25th, arrived at Stony Point October 1st, reached Sandy Hook the 4th,
and returned to Europe.
=First Description of the Hudson.=--The official record of the voyage
was kept by Robert Juet, mate of the "Half Moon," and his journal
abounds with graphic and pleasing incidents as to the people and their
customs. At the Narrows the Indians visited the vessel, "clothed in
mantles of feathers and robes of fur, the women clothed in hemp; red
copper tobacco pipes, and other things of copper, they did wear about
their necks." At Yonkers they came on board in great numbers. Two were
detained and dressed in red coats, but they sprang overboard and swam
away. At Catskill they found "a very loving people, and very old men.
They brought to the ship Indian corn, pumpkins and tobaccos." Near
Schodack the "Master's mate went on land with an old savage, governor
of the country, who carried him to his house and made him good
cheere." "I sailed to the shore," he writes, "in one of their canoes,
with an old man, who was chief of a tribe, consisting of forty men and
seventeen women. These I saw there in a house well constructed of oak
bark, and circular in shape, so that it has the appearance of being
built with an arched roof. It contained a large quantity of corn and
beans of last year's growth, and there lay near the house, for the
purpose of drying, enough to load three ships, besides what was
growing in the fields. On our coming to the house two mats were spread
out to sit upon, and some food was immediately served in well-made
wooden bowls."
"Two men were also dispatched at once, with bows and arrows in quest
of game, who soon brought in a pair of pigeons, which they had shot.
They likewise killed a fat dog, (probably a black bear), and skinned
it in great haste, with shells which they had got out of the water."
* * *
Down whose waterways the wings of poetry and romance like magic
sails bear the awakened souls of men.
_Richard Burton._
* * *
The well-known hospitality of the Hudson River valley has, therefore,
"high antiquity" in this record of the garrulous writer. At Albany the
Indians flocked to the vessel, and Hudson determined to try the chiefs
to see "whether they had any treachery in them." "So they took them
down into the cabin, and gave them so much wine and _aqua vitae_ that
they were all merry. In the end one of them was drunk, and they could
not tell how to take it." The old chief, who took the _aqua vitae_,
was so grateful when he awoke the next day, that he showed them all
the country, and gave them venison.
Passing down through the Highlands the "Half Moon" was becalmed near
Stony Point and the "people of the Mountains" came on board and
marvelled at the ship and its equipment. One canoe kept hanging under
the stern and an Indian pilfered a pillow and two shirts from the
cabin windows. The mate shot him in the breast and killed him. A boat
was lowered to recover the articles "when one of them in the water
seized hold of it to overthrow it, but the cook seized a sword and cut
off one of his hands and he was drowned." At the head of Manhattan
Island the vessel was again attacked. Arrows were shot and two more
Indians were killed, then the attack was renewed and two more were
slain.
It might also be stated that soon after the arrival of Hendrick Hudson
at the mouth of the river one of the English soldiers, John Coleman,
was killed by an arrow shot in the throat. "He was buried," according
to Ruttenber, "upon the adjacent beach, the first European victim of
an Indian weapon on the Mahicanituk. Coleman's point is the monument
to this occurrence."
The "Half Moon" never returned and it will be remembered that Hudson
never again saw the river that he discovered. He was to leave his name
however as a monument to further adventure and hardihood in Hudson's
Bay, where he was cruelly set adrift by a mutinous crew in a little
boat to perish in the midsummer of 1611.
* * *
The sea just peering the headlands through
Where the sky is lost in deeper blue.
_Charles Fenno Hoffman._
* * *
=Names of the Hudson.=--The Iroquois called the river the "Cohatatea."
The Mahicans and Lenapes the "Mahicanituk," or "the ever-flowing
waters." Verrazano in 1524 styled it Rio de Montaigne. Gomez in 1525
Rio San Antonio. Hudson styled it the "Manhattes" from the tribe at
its mouth. The Dutch named it the "Mauritius," in 1611, in honor of
Prince Maurice of Nassau, and afterwards "the Great River." It has
also been referred to as the "Shatemuck" in verse. It was called
"Hudson's River" not by the Dutch, as generally stated, but by the
English, as Hudson was an Englishman, although he sailed from a Dutch
port, with a Dutch crew, and a Dutch vessel. It was also called the
"North River," to distinguish it from the Delaware, the South River.
It is still frequently so styled, and the East River almost "boxes the
compass" as applied to Long Island Sound.
=Height of Hills and Mountains.=--It is interesting to hear the
opinions of different people journeying up and down the Hudson as to
the height of mountains along the river. The Palisades are almost
always under-estimated, probably on account of their distance from
the steamer. It is only when we consider the size of a house at their
base, or the mast of a sloop anchored near the shore, that we can
fairly judge of their magnitude. Various guides, put together in a day
or a month, by writers who have made a single journey, or by persons
who have never consulted an authority, have gone on multiplying
blunder upon blunder, but the United States Geological Survey
furnishes reliable information. According to their maps the Palisades
are from 300 to 500 feet in height, the Highlands from 785 to 1625,
and the Catskills from 3000 to 3885 feet.
* * *
Beneath the cliffs the river steals
In darksome eddies to the shore,
But midway every sail reveals
Reflected on its crystal floor.
_Henry T. Tuckerman._
* * *
THE PALISADES.
At Fort Lee 300 feet.
Opposite Mt. St. Vincent 400 "
Opposite Hastings 500 "
THE HIGHLANDS.
Sugar Loaf 785 feet.
Dunderberg 865 "
Anthony's Nose 900 "
Storm King 1368 "
Old Cro' Nest 1405 "
Bull Hill 1425 "
South Beacon 1625 "
THE CATSKILLS.
North Mountain 3000 feet.
Plaaterkill 3135 "
Outlook 3150 "
Stoppel Point 3426 "
Round Top 3470 "
High Peak 3660 "
Sugar Loaf 3782 "
Plateau 3855 "
=Sources of the Hudson.=--The Hudson rises in the Adirondacks, and
is formed by two short branches. The northern branch (17 miles in
length), has its source in Indian Pass, at the base of Mount McIntyre;
the eastern branch, in a little lake poetically called the "Tear of
the Clouds," 4,321 feet above the sea under the summit of Tahawus,
the noblest mountain of the Adirondacks, 5,344 feet in height. About
thirty miles below the junction it takes the waters of Boreas River,
and in the southern part of Warren County, nine miles east of Lake
George, the tribute of the Schroon. About fifteen miles north of
Saratoga it receives the waters of the Sacandaga, then the streams of
the Battenkill and the Walloomsac; and a short distance above Troy its
largest tributary, the Mohawk. The tide rises six inches at Troy and
two feet at Albany, and from Troy to New York, a distance of one
hundred and fifty miles, the river is navigable by large steamboats.
* * *
Of grottoes in the far dim woods,
Of pools moss-rimmed and deep,
From whose embrace the little rills
In daring venture creep.
_E.A. Lente._
* * *
The principal streams which flow into the Hudson between Albany and
New York are the Norman's Kill, on west bank, two miles south of
Albany; the Mourdener's Kill, at Castleton, eight miles below Albany,
on the east bank; Coxsackie Creek, on west bank, seventeen miles below
Albany; Kinderhook Creek, six miles north of Hudson; Catskill Creek,
six miles south of Hudson; Roeliffe Jansen's Creek, on east bank,
seven miles south of Hudson; the Esopus Creek, which empties at
Saugerties; the Rondout Creek, at Rondout; the Wappingers, at New
Hamburgh; the Fishkill, at Matteawan, opposite Newburgh; the Peekskill
Creek, and Croton River. The course of the river is nearly north and
south, and drains a comparatively narrow valley.
It is emphatically the "River of the Mountains," as it rises in the
Adirondacks, flows seaward east of the Helderbergs, the Catskills, the
Shawangunks, through twenty miles of the Highlands and along the base
of the Palisades. More than any other river it preserves the character
of its origin, and the following apostrophe from the writer's poem,
"The Hudson," condenses its continuous "mountain-and-lake-like"
quality:
O Hudson, mountain-born and free,
Thy youth a deep impression takes,
For, mountain-guarded to the sea,
Thy course is but a chain of lakes.
=The First Settlement of the Hudson.=--In 1610 a Dutch ship visited
Manhattan to trade with the Indians and was soon followed by others
on like enterprise. In 1613 Adrian Block came with a few comrades and
remained the winter. In 1614 the merchants of North Holland organized
a company and obtained from the States General a charter to trade in
the New Netherlands, and soon after a colony built a few houses and
a fort near the Battery. The entire island was purchased from the
Indians in 1624 for the sum of sixty guilders or about twenty-four
dollars. A fort was built at Albany in 1623 and known as Fort Aurania
or Fort Orange. From Wassenaer's "Historie van Europa," 1621-1632, as
translated in the 3d volume of the Documentary History of New York, a
castle--Fort Nassau--was built in 1624, on an island on the north side
of the River Montagne, now called Mauritius. "But as the natives there
were somewhat discontented, and not easily managed, the projectors
abandoned it, intending now to plant a colony among the Maikans
(Mahicans), a nation lying twenty-five miles (American measure
seventy-five miles) on both sides of the river, upwards." In another
document we learn that "The West India Company being chartered, a
vessel of 130 lasts, called the 'New Netherland' (whereof Cornelius
Jacobs, of Hoorn, was skipper), with thirty families, mostly Walloons,
was equipped in the spring of 1623."
* * *
Where Manhattan reigned of old
Long before the age of gold
In the fair encircled isle
Formed for beauty's warmest smile.
_William Crow_
* * *
In the beginning of May they entered the Hudson, found a "Frenchman"
lying in the mouth of the river, who would erect the arms of the King
of France there, but the Hollanders would not permit him, opposing it
by commission from the Lord's States General and the Directors of the
West India Company, and "in order not to be frustrated therein, they
convoyed the Frenchman out of the rivers." This having been done, they
sailed up the Maikans, 140 miles, near which they built and completed
a fort, named "Orange," with four bastions, on an island, by them
called "Castle Island." This was probably the island below Castleton,
now known as Baern Island, where the first white child was born on the
Hudson.
In another volume we read that "a colony was planted in 1625 on
the Manhetes Island, where a fort was staked out by Master Kryn
Fredericke, an engineer. The counting-house is kept in a stone
building thatched with reed; the other houses are of the bark of
trees. There are thirty ordinary houses on the east side of the river,
which runs nearly north and south." This is the description of New
York City when Charles the First was King.
* * *
Behold the natural advantages of our State; the situation
of our principal seaport; the facility that the
Sound affords for an intercourse with the East, and the
noble Hudson which bears upon its bosom the wealth
of the remotest part of the State.
_Robert R. Livingston._
* * *
[Illustration: OLOFFE VAN KORTLANDT'S DREAM.]
Moreover, we should not forget that Communipaw outranks New York in
antiquity, and, according to Knickerbocker, whose quiet humor is
always read and re-read with pleasure, might justly be considered the
Mother Colony. For lo! the sage Oloffe Van Kortlandt dreamed a dream,
and the good St. Nicholas came riding over the tops of the trees,
and descended upon the island of Manhattan and sat himself down
and smoked, "and the smoke ascended in the sky, and formed a cloud
overhead; and Oloffe bethought him, and he hastened and climbed up to
the top of one of the tallest trees, and saw that the smoke spread
over a great extent of country; and, as he considered it more
attentively, he fancied that the great volume assumed a variety of
marvelous forms, where, in dim obscurity, he saw shadowed out palaces
and domes and lofty spires, all of which lasted but a moment, and then
passed away." So New York, like Alba Longa and Rome, and other cities
of antiquity, was under the immediate care of its tutelar saint. Its
destiny was foreshadowed, for now the palaces and domes and lofty
spires are real and genuine, and something more than dreams are made
of.
* * *
Below the cliffs Manhattan's spires
Glint back the sunset's latest beam;
The bay is flecked with twinkling fires;
Or is it but "Van Kortlandt's dream?"
_Wallace Bruce_
* * *
=The Original Manors and Patents.=--According to a map of the Province
of New York, published in 1779, the Phillipsburg Patent embraced a
large part of Westchester County. North of this was the Manor of
Cortland, reaching from Tarrytown to Anthony's Nose. Above this
was the Phillipse Patent, reaching to the mouth of Fishkill Creek,
embracing Putnam County. Between Fishkill Creek and the Wappingers
Creek was the Rombout Patent. The Schuyler Patent embraced a few
square miles in the vicinity of Poughkeepsie. Above this was the
purchase of Falconer & Company, and east of this tract what was known
as the Great Nine Partners. Above the Falconer Purchase was the Henry
Beekman Patent, reaching to Esopus Island, and east of this the Little
Nine Partners. Above the Beekman Patent was the Schuyler Patent. Then
the Manor of Livingston, reaching from Rhinebeck to Catskill Station,
opposite Catskill. Above this Rensselaerwick, reaching north to a
point opposite Coeymans. The Manor of Rensselaer extended on both
sides of the river to a line running nearly east and west, just above
Troy. North and west of this Manor was the County of Albany, since
divided into Rensselaer, Saratoga, Washington, Schoharie, Greene and
Albany. The Rensselaer Manor was the only one that reached across the
river. The west bank of the Hudson, below the Rensselaer Manor, is
simply indicated on this map of 1779 as Ulster and Orange Counties.
=New Amsterdam.=--For about fifty years after the Dutch Settlement the
island of Manhattan was known as New Amsterdam. Washington Irving, in
his Knickerbocker History, has surrounded it with a loving halo and
thereby given to the early records of New York the most picturesque
background of any State in the Union.
* * *
The city bright below, and far away
Sparkling in golden light his own romantic Bay.
_Fitz-Greene Halleck._
* * *
Among other playful allusions to the Indian names he takes the word
Manna-hatta of Robert Juet to mean "the island of manna," or in other
words a land flowing with milk and honey. He refers humorously to the
Yankees as "an ingenious people who out-bargain them in the market,
out-speculate them on the exchange, out-top them in fortune, and run
up mushroom palaces so high that the tallest Dutch family mansion has
not wind enough left for its weather-cock."
What would the old burgomaster think now of the mounting palaces of
trade, stately apartments, and the piled up stories of commercial
buildings? In fact the highest structure Washington Irving ever saw in
New York was a nine-story sugar refinery. With elevators running two
hundred feet a minute, there seems no limit to these modern mammoths.
=The Dutch and the English.=--From the very beginning there was a
quiet jealousy between the Dutch Settlement on the Hudson and the
English Settlers in Massachusetts. To quote from an old English
history, "it was the original purpose of the Pilgrims to locate near
Nova Scotia, but, upon better consideration, they decided to seat
themselves more to the southward on the bank of Hudson's River which
falls into the sea at New York."
To this end "they contracted with some merchants who were willing
to be adventurers with them in their intended settlement and were
proprietors of the country, but the contract bore too heavy upon them,
and made them the more easy in their disappointment. Their agents in
England hired the Mayflower, and, after a stormy voyage, 'fell in with
Cape Cod on the 9th of November. Here they refreshed themselves about
half a day and then tacked about to the southward for Hudson's River.'
"Encountering a storm they became entangled in dangerous shoals and
breakers and were driven back again to the Cape." Thus Plymouth became
the first English settlement of New England. Another historian says
that it was their purpose "to settle on the Connecticut Coast near
Fairfield County, lying between the Connecticut and Hudson's River."
* * *
Before his sight
Flowed the fair river free and bright,
The rising mist and Isles of Bay,
Before him in their glory lay.
_Robert C. Sands._
* * *
From the very first the Dutch occupation was considered by the English
as illegal. It was undoubtedly part of the country the coasts of which
were first viewed by Sebastian Cabot, who sailed with five English
ships from Bristol in May, 1498, and as such was afterwards included
in the original province of Virginia. It was also within the limits of
the country granted by King James to the Western Company, but, before
it could be settled, the Dutch occupancy took place, and, in the
interest of peace, a license was granted by King James.
The Dutch thus made their settlement before the Puritans were planted
in New England, and from their first coming, "being seated in Islands
and at the mouth of a good river their plantations were in a thriving
condition, and they begun, in Holland, to promise themselves vast
things from their new colony."
Sir Samuel Argal in 1617 or 1618, on his way from Virginia to New
Scotland, insulted the Dutch and destroyed their plantations. "To
guard against further molestations they secured a License from
King James to build Cottages and to plant for traffic as well as
subsistence, pretending it was only for the conveniency of their ships
touching there for fresh water and fresh provisions in their voyage
to Brazil; but they little by little extended their limits every way,
built Towns, fortified them and became a flourishing colony."
"In an island called Manhattan, at the mouth of Hudson's River, they
built a City which they called New Amsterdam, and the river was called
by them the Great River. The bay to the east of it had the name of
Nassau given to it. About one hundred and fifty miles up the River
they built a Fort which they called Orange Fort and from thence drove
a profitable trade with the Indians who came overland as far as from
Quebec to deal with them."
The Dutch Colonies were therefore in a very thriving condition when
they were attacked by the English. The justice of this war has been
freely criticised even by English writers, "because troops were sent
to attack New Amsterdam before the Colony had any notice of the war."
* * *
On his view
Ocean, and earth, and heaven burst before him,
Clouds slumbering at his feet and the clear blue
Of summer's sky in beauty bending o'er him.
_Fitz-Greene Halleck._
* * *
The "Encyclopaedia Britannica" thus briefly puts the history of those
far-off days when New York was a town of about 1500 inhabitants: "The
English Government was hostile to any other occupation of the New
World than its own. In 1621 James I. claimed sovereignty over New
Netherland by right of 'occupancy.' In 1632 Charles I. reasserted the
English title of 'first discovery, occupation and possession.' In 1654
Cromwell ordered an expedition for its conquest and the New England
Colonies had engaged their support. The treaty with Holland arrested
their operations and recognized the title of the Dutch. In 1664
Charles the Second resolved upon a conquest of New Netherland. The
immediate excuse was the loss to the revenue of the English Colonies
by the smuggling practices of their Dutch neighbors. A patent was
granted to the Duke of York giving to him all the lands and rivers
from the west side of the Connecticut River to the east side of
Delaware Bay."
"On the 29th of August an English Squadron under the direction of Col.
Richard Nicolls, the Duke's Deputy Governor, appeared off the Narrows,
and on Sept. 8th New Amsterdam, defenseless against the force, was
formally surrendered by Stuyvesant. In 1673 (August 7th) war being
declared between England and Holland a Dutch squadron surprised New
York, captured the City and restored the Dutch authority, and the
names of New Netherland and New Amsterdam. But in July, 1674, a treaty
of peace restored New York to English rule. A new patent was issued to
the Duke of York, and Major Edmund Andros was appointed Governor."
=New York.=--On the 10th of November, 1674, the Province of New
Netherland was surrendered to Governor Major Edmund Andros on behalf
of his Britannic Majesty. The letter sent by Governor Andros to the
Dutch Governor is interesting in this connection: "Being arrived
to this place with orders to receive from you in the behalf of his
Majesty of Great Britain, pursuant to the late articles of peace with
the States Generals of the United Netherlands, the New Netherlands and
Dependencies, now under your command, I have herewith, by Capt. Philip
Carterett and Ens. Caesar Knafton, sent you the respective orders from
the said States General, the States of Zealand and Admirality of
Amsterdam to that effect, and desire you'll please to appoint some
short time for it. Our soldiers having been long aboard, I pray you
answer by these gentlemen, and I shall be ready to serve you in what
may lay in my power. Being from aboard his Majesty's ship, 'The
Diamond,' at anchor near. Your very humble servant. Staten Island this
22d Oct., 1674." After nineteen days' deliberation, which greatly
annoyed Governor Andros, New Amsterdam was transferred from Dutch to
English authority.
* * *
All white with sails thy keel-thronged waters flee
Through one rich lapse of plenty to the sea.
_Knickerbocker Magazine._
* * *
"In 1683 Thomas Dongan succeeded Andros. A general Assembly, the first
under the English rule, met in October, 1683, and adopted a Charter
of Liberties, which was confirmed by the Duke. In August, 1684, a new
covenant was made with the Iroquois, who formally acknowledged the
jurisdiction of Great Britain, but not subjection. By the accession of
the Duke of York to the English throne the Duchy of New York became a
royal province. The Charters of the New England Colonies were revoked,
and together with New York and New Jersey they were consolidated into
the dominion of New England. Dongan was recalled and Sir Edmund Andros
was commissioned Governor General. He assumed his vice regal authority
August 11, 1688. The Assembly which James had abolished in 1686 was
reestablished, and in May declared the rights and privileges of
the people, reaffirming the principles of the repealed Charter of
Liberties of October 30, 1683."
* * *
"Queen of all lovely rivers, lustrous queen
Of flowing waters in our sweet new lands,
Rippling through sunlight to the ocean sands."
_Anonymous._
* * *
From this time on to the Revolution of 1776 there is one continual
struggle between the Royal Governors and the General Assembly. The
Governor General had the power of dissolving the Assembly, but
the Assembly had the power of granting money. British troops were
quartered in New York which increased the irritation. The conquest of
Canada left a heavy burden upon Great Britain, a part of which their
Parliament attempted to shift to the shoulders of the Colonies.
A general Congress of the Colonies, held in New York in 1765,
protested against the Stamp Act and other oppressive ordinances and
they were in part repealed.
=A Page of Patriotism.=--During the long political agitation New York,
the most English of the Colonies in her manners and feelings, was in
close harmony with the Whig leaders of England. She firmly adhered to
the principle of the sovereignty of the people which she had inscribed
on her ancient "Charter of Liberties." Although largely dependent upon
commerce she was the first to recommend a non-importation of English
merchandise as a measure of retaliation against Britain, and she was
the first also to invite a general congress of all the Colonies.
On the breaking out of hostilities New York immediately joined the
patriot cause. The English authority was overthrown and the government
passed to a provincial congress.
* * *
The union of lakes--the union of lands--
The union of States none can sever--
The union of hearts--the union of hands--
And the Flag of our Union forever.
_George P. Morris._
* * *
=New York Sons of Liberty.=--In 1767, in the eighth year of the reign
of George III. there was issued a document in straightforward Saxon,
and Sir Henry Moore, Governor-in-Chief over the Province of New York,
offered fifty pounds to discover the author or authors. The paper read
as follows: "Whereas, a glorious stand for Liberty did appear in
the Resentment shown to a Set of Miscreants under the Name of Stamp
Masters, in the year 1765, and it is now feared that a set of Gentry
called Commissioners (I do not mean those lately arrived at Boston),
whose odious Business is of a similar nature, may soon make their
appearance amongst us in order to execute their detestable office:
It is therefore hoped that every votary of that celestial Goddess
Liberty, will hold themselves in readiness to give them a proper
welcome. Rouse, my Countrymen, Rouse! (Signed) _Pro Patria_."
In December, 1769, a stirring address "To the Betrayed Inhabitants of
the City and County of New York," signed by a Son of Liberty, was
also published, asking the people to do their duty in matters pending
between them and Britain. "Imitate," the writer said, "the noble
examples of the friends of Liberty in England; who, rather than be
enslaved, contend for their rights with king, lords and commons;
and will you suffer your liberties to be torn from you by your
Representatives? tell it not in Boston; publish it not in the streets
of Charles-town. You have means yet left to preserve a unanimity
with the brave Bostonians and Carolinians; and to prevent the
accomplishment of the designs of tyrants."
Another proclamation, offering a reward of fifty pounds, was
published by the "Honorable Cadwalader Colden, Esquire, His Majesty's
Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Province of New York
and the territories depending thereon in America," with another "God
Save the King" at the end of it. But the people who commenced to write
Liberty with a capital letter and the word "king" in lower case type
were not daunted. Captain Alexander McDougal was arrested as
the supposed author. He was imprisoned eighty-one days. He was
subsequently a member of the Provincial Convention, in 1775 was
appointed Colonel of the first New York Regiment, and in 1777 rose to
the rank of Major-General in the U. S. Army. New York City could well
afford a monument to the Sons of Liberty. She has a right to emphasize
this period of her history, for her citizens passed the first
resolution to import nothing from the mother country, burned ten boxes
of stamps sent from England before any other colony or city had made
even a show of resistance, and when the Declaration was read, pulled
down the leaden statue of George III. from its pedestal in Bowling
Green, and moulded it into Republican bullets.
* * *
And not a verdant glade or mountain hoary,
But treasures up within the glorious story.
_Charles Fenno Hoffman._
* * *
In 1699 the population of New York was about 6,000. In 1800, it
reached 60,000; and the growth since that date is almost incredible.
It is amusing to hear elderly people speak of the "outskirts of the
city" lying close to the City Hall, and of the drives _in the country_
above Canal Street. In the Documentary History of New York, a map of
a section of New York appears as it was in 1793, when the Gail, Work
House, and Bridewell occupied the site of the City Hall, with two
ponds to the north--East Collect Pond and Little Collect Pond,--sixty
feet deep and about a quarter of a mile in diameter, the outlet of
which crossed Broadway at Canal Street and found its way to the
Hudson.
=Greater New York.=--In 1830, the population of Manhattan was 202,000;
in 1850, 515,000; in 1860, 805,000; in 1870, 942,000; in 1880,
1,250,000; in 1892, 1,801,739; and is now rapidly approaching three
million. Brooklyn, which in 1800 had a population of only 2,000, now
contributes, as the "Borough of Brooklyn," almost two million. So that
Greater New York is the centre of about six million of people within a
radius of fifteen miles including her New Jersey suburbs with almost
five millions under one municipality.
=Brooklyn.=--In June, 1636, was bought the first land on Long Island;
and in 1667 the Ferry Town, opposite New York, was known by the name
"Breuckelen," signifying "broken land," but the name was not generally
accepted until after the Revolution. Columbia Heights, Prospect Park,
Clinton Avenue, St. Mark's Place and Stuyvesant Heights are among the
favored spots for residence.
* * *
Behind us lies the teeming town
With lust of gold grown frantic;
Before us glitters o'er the bay
The peaceable Atlantic.
_Charles Mackay_
* * *
=Jersey City= occupies the ground once known as Paulus Hook, the farm
of William Kieft, Director General of the Dutch West India Company.
Its water front, from opposite Bartholdi Statue to Hoboken, is
conspicuously marked by Railroad Terminal Piers, Factories, Elevators,
etc. Bergen is the oldest settlement in New Jersey. It was founded in
1616 by Dutch Colonists to the New Netherlands, and received its name
from Bergen in Norway. Jersey City is practically a part of Greater
New York, but state lines make municipal union impossible.
=Hudson River Steamboats.=--An accurate history of the growth and
development of steam navigation on the Hudson, from the building of
the "Clermont" by Robert Fulton to the building of the superb steamers
of the Hudson River Day Line would form a very interesting book. The
first six years produced six steamers:
Clermont, built in 1807 160 tons
Car of Neptune, built in 1809 295 "
Hope, built in 1811 280 "
Perseverance, built in 1811 280 "
Paragon, built in 1811 331 "
Richmond, built in 1813 370 "
It makes one smile to read the newspaper notices of those days. The
time was rather long, and the fare rather high--thirty-six hours to
Albany, fare seven dollars.
_From the Albany Gazette, September, 1807._
"The North River Steamboat will leave Paulus Hook Ferry on Friday
the 4th of September, at 9 in the morning, and arrive at Albany
at 9 in the afternoon on Saturday. Provisions, good berths, and
accommodation are provided. The charge to each passenger is as
follows:
To Newburg Dols. 3, Time 14 hours.
Poughkeepsie " 4, " 17 "
Esopus " 5, " 20 "
Hudson " 51/2, " 30 "
Albany " 7, " 36 "
For places apply to Wm. Vandervoort, No. 48 Courtland street, on
the corner of Greenwich street, September 2d, 1807."
* * *
The wind blew over the land and the waves
With its salt sea-breath, and a spicy balm,
And it seemed to cool my throbbing brain,
And lend my spirit its gusty calm.
_Richard Henry Stoddard._
* * *
_Extract from the New York Evening Post, October 2, 1807._
Mr. Fulton's new-invented steamboat, which is fitted up in a neat
style for passengers, and is intended to run from New York to
Albany as a packet, left here this morning with ninety passengers,
against a strong head wind. Notwithstanding which, it is judged
that she moved through the waters at the rate of six miles an
hour.
_Extract from the Albany Gazette, October 5th, 1807._
Friday, October 2d, 1807, the steamboat (Clermont) left New York
at ten o'clock a.m., against a stormy tide, very rough water, and
a violent gale from the north. She made a headway beyond the most
sanguine expectations, and without being rocked by the waves.
Arrived at Albany, October 4th, at 10 o'clock p.m., being detained
by being obliged to come to anchor, owing to a gale and having one
of her paddle wheels torn away by running foul of a sloop.
* * *
But see! the broadening river deeper flows,
Its tribute floods intent to reach the sea.
_Park Benjamin._
* * *
The following was recently recopied in the _Poughkeepsie Eagle_, as an
old time reminiscence:
=To Poughkeepsie from New York in Seventeen Hours.=
--The first steamboat on the Hudson River passed Poughkeepsie
August 17th, 1807, and in June, 1808, the owners of the boat
caused the following advertisement to be published in prominent
papers along the river:
=STEAMBOAT.=
FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE PUBLIC.
The Steamboat will leave New York for Albany every Saturday
afternoon exactly at 6 o'clock, and will pass:
West Point, about 4 o'clock Sunday morning.
Newburgh, 7 o'clock Sunday morning.
Poughkeepsie, 11 o'clock Sunday morning.
Esopus, 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
Red Hook, 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
Catskill, 7 o'clock in the afternoon.
Hudson, 8 o'clock in the evening.
She will leave Albany for New York every Wednesday morning exactly
at 8 o'clock, and pass:
Hudson, about 3 in the afternoon.
Esopus, 8 in the evening.
Poughkeepsie, 12 at night.
Newburgh, 4 Thursday morning.
West Point, 7 Thursday morning.
As the time at which the boat may arrive at the different places
above mentioned may vary an hour, more or less, according to the
advantage or disadvantage of wind and tide, those who wish to
come on board will see the necessity of being on the spot an hour
before the time. Persons wishing to come on board from any other
landing than these here specified can calculate the time the boat
will pass and be ready on her arrival. Innkeepers or boatmen who
bring passengers on board or take them ashore from any part of the
river will be allowed one shilling for each person.
PRICES OF PASSAGE--FROM NEW YORK.
To West Point $2 30
To Newburgh 3 00
To Poughkeepsie 3 50
To Esopus 4 00
To Red Hook 4 50
To Hudson 5 00
To Albany 7 00
FROM ALBANY.
To Hudson $2 00
To Red Hook 3 00
To Esopus 3 50
To Poughkeepsie 4 00
To Newburgh and West Point 4 50
To New York 7 00
All other passengers are to pay at the rate of one dollar for
every twenty miles, and a half dollar for every meal they may eat.
Children from 1 to 5 years of age to pay one-third price and to
sleep with persons under whose care they are.
Young persons from 5 to 15 years of age to pay half price,
provided they sleep two in a berth, and the whole price for each
one who requests to occupy a whole berth.
Servants who pay two-thirds price are entitled to a berth; they
pay half price if they do not have a berth.
Every person paying full price is allowed sixty pounds of baggage;
if less than full price forty pounds. They are to pay at the rate
of three cents per pound for surplus baggage. Storekeepers who
wish to carry light and valuable merchandise can be accommodated
on paying three cents a pound.
* * *
By palace, village, cot, a sweet surprise
At every turn the vision looks upon;
Till to our wondering and uplifted eyes
The Highland rocks and hills in solemn grandeur rise.
_Henry T. Tuckerman._
* * *
=Day Line Steamers.=--As the cradle of successful steam navigation was
rocked on the Hudson, it is fitting that the Day Line Steamers should
excel all others in beauty, grace and speed. There is no comparison
between these river palaces and the steamboats on the Rhine or any
river in Europe, as to equipment, comfort and rapidity. To make
another reference to the great tourist route of Europe, the distance
from Cologne to Coblenz is 60 miles, the same as from New York to
Newburgh. It takes the Rhine steamers from seven to eight hours (as
will be seen in Baedeker's Guide to that river) going up the stream,
and from four and a half to five hours returning with the current. The
Hudson by Daylight steamers en route to Albany make the run from New
York to Newburgh in three hours; to Poughkeepsie in four hours, making
stops at Yonkers, West Point and Newburgh. Probably no train on the
best equipped railroad in our country reaches its stations with
greater regularity than these steamers make their various landing.
It astonishes a Mississippi or Missouri traveler to see the captain
standing like a train-conductor, with watch in hand, to let off the
gang-plank and pull the bell, at the very moment of the advertised
schedule.
* * *
Southward the river gleams--a snowy sail
Now gliding o'er the mirror--now a track
Tossing with foam displaying on its course
The graceful steamer with its flag of smoke.
_Alfred B. Street._
* * *
One of the most humorous incidents of the writer's journeying up and
down the Hudson, was the "John-Gilpin-experience" of a western man who
got off at West Point a few years ago. It was at that time the first
landing of the steamer after leaving New York.
As he was accustomed to the Mississippi style of waiting at the
various towns he thought he would go up and take a look at the "hill."
The boat was off and "so was he"; with wife and children shaking their
hands and handkerchiefs in an excited manner from the gang-plank. Some
one at the stern of the steamer shouted to him to cross the river and
take the train to Poughkeepsie.
Every one was on the lookout for him at the Poughkeepsie landing, and,
just as the steamer was leaving the dock, he came dashing down Main
street from the railroad station, but too late. Then not only wife
and children but the entire boat saluted him and the crowded
deck blossomed with handkerchiefs. Some one shouted "catch us at
Rhinebeck." After leaving Rhinebeck the train appeared, and on passing
the steamer, a lone handkerchief waved from the rear of the platform.
At Hudson an excited but slightly disorganized gentleman appeared
to the great delight of his family, and every one else, for the
passengers had all taken a lively interest in the chase. "Well," he
says, "I declare, the way this boat lands, and gets off again, beats
anything I ever see, and I have lived on the Mississippi nigh on to a
quarter of a century."
* * *
While drinking in the scene, my mind goes back upon
the tide of years, and lo, a vision! On its upward
path the "Half-Moon" glides.
_Alfred B. Street._
* * *
=The "Hendrick Hudson."= In these centennial days of discovery
and invention, a description of the steamers will be of interest,
furnished by the Hudson River Day Line. The "Hendrick Hudson" was
built at Newburgh by the Marvel Company, under contract with the W.
& A. Fletcher Company of New York, who built her engines, and under
designs from Frank E. Kirby. Her principal dimensions are: length, 400
feet; breadth over all, 82 feet; depth of hold, 14 feet 5 inches, and
a draft of 7 feet 6 inches. Her propelling machinery is what is
known as the 3-cylinder compound direct acting engine, and her power
(6,500-horse) is applied through side wheels with feathering buckets,
and steam is supplied from eight boilers.
Steel has been used in her construction to such an extent that her
hull, her bulk-heads (7 in all), her engine and boiler enclosures, her
kitchen and ventilators, her stanchions, girders, and deck beams, and
in fact the whole essential frame work of the boat is like a great
steel building. Where wood is used it is hard wood, and in finish
probably has no equal in marine work.
Her scheme of decoration, ventilation and sanitation is as artistic
and scientific as modern methods can produce, and at the same time
her general lay out for practical and comfortable operation is the
evolution of the long number of years in which the Day Line has been
conducting the passenger business.
A detailed account of this steamer would be a long story, but some of
the salient features are as follows: She carries the largest passenger
license ever issued, namely: for 5,000 people; on her trial trip she
made the fastest record through the water of any inland passenger ship
in this country, namely: 23.1 miles per hour. Her shafts are under the
main deck. Her mural paintings represent prominent features of the
Hudson, which may not be well seen from the steamer. Her equipment far
exceeds the requirements of the Government Inspection Laws.
* * *
We hear the murmur of the sea,--
A monotone of sadness,
But not a whisper of the crowd,
Or echo of its madness.
_Charles Mackay._
* * *
=The "New York."= The hull of the "New York" was built at Wilmington,
Del., by the Harlan & Hollingsworth Co., in 1887, and is, with the
exception of the deck-frame, made of iron throughout. During the
winter of 1897 she was lengthened 30 feet, and now measures 341 feet
in length, breadth over all 74 feet, with a tonnage of 1975 gross
tons. The engine was built by the W. & A. Fletcher Co. of New York.
It is a standard American beam engine, with a cylinder 75 inches in
diameter and 12 feet stroke of piston, and develops 3,850 horse power.
Steam steering gear is used. One of the most admirable features of
this queen of river steamers is her "feathering" wheels, the use of
which not only adds materially to her speed but does away with the
jar or tremor common to boats having the ordinary paddle-wheels. The
exterior of the "New York" is, as usual, of pine, painted white and
relieved with tints and gold. The interior is finished in hard-wood
cabinet work, ash being used forward of the shaft on the main deck,
and mahogany aft and in the dining-room. Ash is also used in the grand
saloons on the promenade deck. One feature of these saloons especially
worthy of note, is the number and size of the windows, which are so
numerous as to almost form one continuous window. Seated in one of
these elegant saloons as in a floating palace of glass, the tourist
who prefers to remain inside enjoys equally with those outside the
unrivalled scenery through which the steamer is passing. The private
parlors on the "New York" are provided with bay windows and are
very luxuriantly furnished. In the saloons are paintings by Albert
Bierstadt, J. F. Cropsey, Walter Satterlee and David Johnson. The
dining-room on the "New York" is located on the main deck, aft; a
feature that will commend itself to tourists, since while enjoying
their meals they will not be deprived from viewing the noble scenery
through which the steamer is passing. While the carrying capacity of
the "New York" is 4,500 passengers, license for 2,500 only is applied
for, thus guaranteeing ample room for all and the absence from
crowding which is so essential to comfort.
* * *
Thy fate and mine are not repose,
And ere another evening close
Thou to thy tides shall turn again
And I to seek the crowd of men.
_William Cullen Byrant._
* * *
=The "Albany"= was built by the Harlan & Hollingsworth Co., of
Wilmington, Del., in 1880. During the winter of 1892, she was
lengthened thirty feet and furnished with modern feathering wheels
in place of the old style radial ones. Her hull is of iron, 325 feet
long, breadth of beam over all 75 feet, and her tonnage is 1,415 gross
tons. Her engine was built by the W. & A. Fletcher Co., of New York,
and develops 3,200 horse power. The stroke is 12 feet, and the
diameter of the cylinder is 73 inches. On her trial trip she ran from
New York to Poughkeepsie, a distance of 75 miles, in three hours and
seven minutes. Steam steering gear is used on the "Albany," thus
insuring ease and precision in handling her. The wood-work on the main
deck and in the upper saloons is all hard wood; mahogany, ash and
maple tastefully carved. Wide, easy staircases lead to the main saloon
and upper decks. Rich Axminster carpets cover the floors, and mahogany
tables and furniture of antique design and elegant finish make up the
appointments of a handsomely furnished drawing room.
* * *
Lose not a memory of the glorious scenes,
Mountains and palisades, and leaning rocks.
_William Wallace._
* * *
=The Old Reaches.=--Early navigators divided the Hudson into fourteen
"reaches" or distances from point to point as seen by one sailing up
or down the river. In the slow days of uncertain sailing vessels these
divisions meant more than in our time of "propelling steam," but they
are still of practical and historic interest.
The Great Chip Rock Reach extends from above Weehawken about eighteen
miles to the boundary line of New York and New Jersey--(near
Piermont). The Palisades were known by the old Dutch settlers as the
"Great Chip," and so styled in the Bergen Deed of Purchase, viz, the
great chip above Weehawken. The _Tappan_ Reach (on the east side of
which dwelt the Manhattans, and on the west side the Saulrickans and
the Tappans), extends about seven miles to Teller's Point. The
third reach to a narrow point called _Haverstroo_; then comes the
_Seylmaker's_ Reach, then _Crescent_ Reach; next _Hoge's_ Reach, and
then _Vorsen_ Reach, which extends to Klinkersberg, or Storm King,
the northern portal of the Highlands. This is succeeded by _Fisher's_
Reach where, on the east side once dwelt a race of savages called
Pachami. "This reach," in the language of De Laet, "extends to another
narrow pass, where, on the west, is a point of land which juts out,
covered with sand, opposite a bend in the river, on which another
nation of savages--the Waoranecks--have their abode at a place called
Esopus. Next, another reach, called _Claverack_; then _Backerack;_
next _Playsier_ Reach, and _Vaste_ Reach, as far as Hinnenhock; then
_Hunter's_ Reach, as far as Kinderhook; and Fisher's Hook, near Shad
Island, over which, on the east side, dwell the Mahicans." If these
reaches seem valueless at present there are
=Five Divisions of the Hudson=--which possess interest for all, as
they present an analysis easy to be remembered--divisions marked by
something more substantial than sentiment or fancy, expressing five
distinct characteristics:--
1. THE PALISADES, an unbroken wall of rock for fifteen
miles--GRANDEUR.
2. THE TAPPAN ZEE, surrounded by the sloping hills of Nyack,
Tarrytown, and Sleepy Hollow--REPOSE.
3. THE HIGHLANDS, where the Hudson for twenty miles plays "hide and
seek" with "hills rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun"--SUBLIMITY.
4. THE HILLSIDES for miles above and below Poughkeepsie--THE
PICTURESQUE.
5. THE CATSKILLS, on the west, throned in queenly dignity--BEAUTY.
* * *
On the deck
Stands the bold Hudson, gazing at the sights
Opening successive--point and rock and hill,
Majestic mountain-top, and nestling vale.
_Alfred B. Street._
* * *
=SUGGESTIONS.=
From the Hurricane Deck of the Hudson River Day Line Steamers can
be seen, on leaving or approaching the Metropolis, one of the most
interesting panoramas in the world--the river life of Manhattan,
the massive structures of Broadway, the great Transatlantic docks,
Recreation Piers, and an ever-changing kaleidoscope of interest. The
view is especially grand on the down trip between the hours of five
and six in the afternoon, as the western sun brings the city in strong
relief against the sky. If tourists wish to fully enjoy this beautiful
view they should remain on the Hurricane Deck until the boat is well
into her Desbrosses Street slip.
=The Brooklyn Annex.=--The Brooklyn tourist is especially happy in
this delightful preface and addenda to the Hudson River trip. The
effect of morning and evening light in bringing out or in subduing the
sky-line of Manhattan is nowhere seen to greater advantage. In the
morning the buildings from the East River side stand out bold and
clear, when lo! almost instantaneously, on turning the Battery, they
are lessened and subdued. On the return trip in the evening, the
effect is reversed--a study worth the while of the traveler as he
passes to and fro on the commodious "Annex" between Desbrosses
Street Pier and Brooklyn. Surely no other city in the world rises so
beautiful from harbor line or water front as "Greater New York," with
lofty outlines of the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn reminding one
of Scott's tribute to Edinburgh:
"Piled deep and massy, close and high,
Mine own romantic town!"
* * *
Down at the end of the long, dark street,
Years, years ago,
I sat with my sweetheart on the pier,
Watching the river flow.
_Richard Henry Stoddard._
* * *
[Illustration: STATUE OF LIBERTY]
=NEW YORK TO ALBANY.=
=Desbrosses Street Pier to Forty-Second Street.=
Our historic journey fittingly begins at Desbrosses Street, for here,
near the old River-front, extending from Desbrosses along Greenwich,
stood the Revolutionary line of breastworks reaching south to the
Grenadier Battery at Franklin Street. Below this were "Jersey,"
"McDougall" and "Oyster" batteries and intervening earthworks to Port
George, on the Battery, which stood on the site of old Fort Amsterdam,
carrying us back to Knickerbocker memories of Peter Stuyvesant and
Wowter Van Twiller. The view from the after-deck, before the steamer
leaves the pier, gives scope for the imagination to re-picture the
far-away primitive and heroic days of early New York.
=Desbrosses Street Pier.=--On leaving the lower landing a charming
view is obtained of New York Harbor, the Narrows, Staten Island, the
Bartholdi Statue of Liberty, and, in clear weather, far away to the
South, the Highlands of Nevisink, the first land to greet the eye
of the ocean voyager. As the steamer swings out into the stream the
tourist is at once face to face with a rapidly changing panorama.
Steamers arriving, with happy faces on their decks, from southern
ports or distant lands; others with waving handkerchiefs bidding
good-bye to friends on crowded docks; swift-shuttled ferry-boats, with
hurrying passengers, supplying their homespun woof to the great warp
of foreign or coastwise commerce; noisy tug-boats, sombre as dray
horses, drawing long lines of canal boats, or proud in the convoy of
some Atlantic greyhound that has not yet slipped its leash; dignified
"Men of War" at anchor, flying the flags of many nations, happy
excursion boats _en route_ to sea-side resorts, scows, picturesque
in their very clumsiness and uncouthness--all unite in a living
kaleidescope of beauty.
* * *
Rise, stately symbol! Holding forth
Thy light and hope to all who sit
In chains and darkness! Belt the earth
With watch-fires from thy torch uplit!
_John Greenleaf Whittier._
* * *
Across the river on the Jersey Shore are seen extensive docks of great
railways, with elevators and stations that seem like "knotted ends"
of vast railway lines, lest they might forsooth, untwist and become
irrecoverably tangled in approaching the Metropolis. Prominent among
these are the _Pennsylvania Railroad_ for the South and West; the
_Erie Railway_, the _Delaware, Lackawanna and Western_, and to the
North above Hoboken the _West Shore_, serving also as starting point
for the _New York, Ontario and Western_. Again the eye returns to
the crowded wharves and warehouses of New York, reaching from Castle
Garden beyond 30th Street, with forest-like masts and funnels of ocean
steamships, and then to prominent buildings mounting higher and higher
year by year along the city horizon, marking the course of Broadway
from the Battery, literally fulfilling the humor of Knickerbocker
in not leaving space for a breath of air for the top of old Trinity
Church spire.
=Stevens' Castle.=--About midway between Desbrosses Street and 42d
Street Pier will be seen on the Jersey Shore a wooded point with
sightly building, known as Stevens' Castle, home of the late Commodore
Stevens, founder of the Stevens Institute of Technology. Above this
are the Elysian Fields, near the river bank, known in early days as a
quiet resort but now greatly changed in the character of its visitors.
On the left will also be seen the dome and tower of St. Michael's
Monastery, and above this Union Hill.
=The Trap Rock Ridge=, which begins to show itself above the Elysian
Fields, increases gradually in height to the brow of the Palisades.
West of Bergen Heights and Union Hill flows the Hackensack River
parallel to the Hudson, and at this point only about two miles
distant.
* * *
How still with all her towers and domes
The city sleeps on yonder shore,--
How many thousand happy homes
Yon starless sky is bending o'er.
_Park Benjamin._
* * *
=Forty-Second Street to One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth.=
=The 42d Street Pier= is now at hand, convenient of access to
travelers, as the 42d Street car line crosses Manhattan intersecting
every "up and down" surface, subway or elevated road in the City,
as does also the Grand, Vestry and Desbrosses Street at the lower
landing. While passengers are coming aboard we take pleasure in
quoting the following from Baedeker's Guide to the United States: "The
Photo-Panorama of the Hudson, published by the Bryant Union Publishing
Co., New York City (price 50 cents), shows both sides of the river
from New York to Albany, accurately represented from 800 consecutive
photographs. This new and complete object-guide will be of service
to the tourist, and can be had at the steamers' news stands, head of
grand stairway, or it will be sent by publishers, postpaid, on receipt
of price."
=Weehawken= with its sad story of the duel between Hamilton and Burr
is soon seen upon the west bank. A monument once marked the spot,
erected by the St. Andrews Society of New York City on the ledge of
rock where Hamilton fell early in the morning of the eleventh of July,
1804. The quarrel between this great statesman and his malignant rival
was, perhaps, more personal than political. It is said that Hamilton,
in accordance with the old-time code of honor, accepted the challenge,
but fired into the air, while Burr with fiendish cruelty took
deliberate revenge. Burr was never forgiven by the citizens of New
York and from that hour walked its streets shunned and despised. Among
the many poetic tributes penned at the time to the memory of Hamilton,
perhaps the best was by a poet whose name is now scarcely remembered,
Mr. Robert C. Sands. A fine picture of Hamilton will be found in the
New York Chamber of Commerce where the writer was recently shown the
following concise paragraph from Talleyrand: "The three greatest men
of my time, in my opinion, were Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles James Fox
and Alexander Hamilton and the greatest of the three was Hamilton."
* * *
Where round yon capes the banks ascend
Long shall the pilgrim's footsteps bend,
There, mirthful heart shall pause to sigh,
There tears shall dim the patriot's eye.
_Robert C. Sands._
* * *
The plain marble slab which stood in the face of the monument is still
preserved by a member of the King family. It is thirty-six inches
long by twenty-six and a half inches wide and bears the following
inscription: "As an expression of their affectionate regard to his
Memory and their deep regret for his loss, the St. Andrew's Society of
the State of New York have erected this Monument."
Quite a history attaches to this stone (graphically condensed by
an old gardener of the King estate): "It stood in the face of the
monument for sixteen years, and was read by thousands, but by 1820 the
pillar had become an eyesore to the enlightened public sentiment of
the age, and an agitation was begun in the public prints for its
removal. It was not, however, organized effort, but the order of one
man, that at length demolished the pillar. This man was Captain Deas,
a peace-loving gentleman, strongly opposed to duelling and brawls,
and on seeing a party approaching the grounds often interposed and
sometimes succeeded in effecting a reconciliation. He became tired of
seeing the pillar in his daily walks, and, in 1820, ordered his men to
remove it and deposit the slab containing the inscription in one
of the outbuildings of the estate. This was done. But a few months
afterward the slab was stolen, and nothing more was heard of it until
thirteen years later, when Mr. Hugh Maxwell, president of the St.
Andrew's Society, discovered it in a junk shop in New York. He at once
purchased it and presented it to Mr. James G. King, who about this
time came into possession of the Deas property, where it has since
been carefully preserved."
This mansion of Captain Deas afterward known as the "King House on the
Cliff" was a stately residence where Washington Irving used to come
and dream of his fair Manhattan across the river. It was also the
head-quarters of Lafayette, after the battle of Brandywine.
* * *
I was an admirer of General Hamilton, and I sicken
when I think of our political broils, slanders and enmities.
_Washington Irving._
* * *
The gardener also said: "the river road beneath us is cut directly
through the spot. Originally it was simply a narrow and grassy shelf
close up under the cliffs, six feet wide and eleven paces long. A
great cedar tree stood at one end, and this sandbowlder, which we have
also preserved, was at the other. It was about twenty feet above
the river and was reached by a steep rocky path leading up from the
Hudson, and, as there was then no road or path even along the base
of the cliffs, it could be reached only by boats." The first duel at
Weehawken of which there is any record was in 1799, between Aaron Burr
and John B. Church (Hamilton's brother-in-law). The parties met and
exchanged shots; neither was wounded. The seconds then induced Church
to offer an apology and the affair terminated. The last duel was
fought there September 28, 1845, and ended in a farce, the pistols
being loaded with cork--a fitting termination to a relic of barbarism.
=Riverside Drive and Park.= Riverside Drive, on the east bank starting
at 72d Street, is pronounced the finest residential avenue in the
world. Distinguished among many noble residences is the home of
Charles M. Schwab at 73d Street, which cost two million dollars; built
on the New York Orphan Asylum plot for which he paid $860,000.
=The Soldiers and Sailors Monument=, 89th Street, a memorial to the
citizens of New York, who took part in the Civil War, a beautiful work
of art, circular in form, with Corinthian columns, erected by the city
at a cost of a quarter of million of dollars was dedicated May 30,
1902. The corner-stone was laid in 1900 by President Roosevelt, at
that time Governor. The location was well selected, and it presents
one of the most attractive features of the river front.
* * *
We celebrate our hundredth year
With thankful hearts and words of praise,
And learn a lasting lesson here
Of trust and hope for coming days.
_Wallace Bruce._
* * *
=Columbia University=, on Morningside Heights, has a fine outlook,
crowning a noble site worthy of the old college, whose sons have been
to the fore since the days of the Revolution in promoting the glory
of the state and the nation. President Low has happily styled
"Morningside," which extends from 116th to 120th Streets, "The
Acropolis of the new world." The Library Building which he erected to
his father's memory, is of Greek architecture and cost $1,500,000. It
contains 300,000 volumes and is open night and day to the public. It
also marks the battle ground and American victory of Harlem Heights in
1776.
=The Cathedral of St. John the Divine= (Protestant Episcopal), now in
process of erection, occupies three blocks from 110th Street to 113th
between Morningside Park and Amsterdam Avenue. The corner stone was
laid in 1892 to be completed about 1940 at a cost of $6,000,000. The
crypt quarried out of the solid rock has been completed and services
are held in it every Sunday. Near at hand will be seen the beautiful
dome of St. Luke's Hospital.
=Grant's Tomb=, Riverside Drive and 123d Street, has the most
commanding site of the Hudson River front of New York. The bluff rises
130 feet and still retains the name of Claremont. The apex of
the memorial is 280 feet above the river. Ninety thousand people
contributed to the "Grant Monument Association fund" which, with
interest, aggregated $600,000. The corner stone was laid by President
Harrison in 1892 and dedicated April 27, 1897, on the seventy-fifth
anniversary of Grant's birth, with a great military, naval and civil
parade. The occasion was marked by an address of President McKinley
and an oration of Gen. Horace Porter, president of the Grant Monument
Association.
An attempt to remove Grant's body to Washington was made in Congress
but overwhelmingly defeated. The speech by Congressman Amos Cummings
in the House of Representatives, was a happy condensation of the
facts. He fittingly said: "New York was General Grant's chosen home.
He tried many other places but finally settled there. A house was
given to him here in Washington, but he abandoned it in the most
marked manner to buy one for himself in New York. He was a familiar
form upon her streets. He presided at her public meetings and at all
times took an active interest in her local affairs. He was perfectly
at home there and was charmed with its associations. It was the spot
on earth chosen by himself as the most agreeable to him; he meant to
live and die there. It was his home when he died. He closed his career
without ever once expressing a wish to leave it, but always to remain
in it.
"Men are usually buried at their homes. Washington was buried there;
Lincoln was buried there; Garibaldi was buried there; Gambetta was
buried there, and Ericsson was buried, not at the Capital of Sweden,
but at his own home. Those who say that New York is backward in giving
for any commendable thing either do not know her or they belie her.
Wherever in the civilized world there has been disaster by fire or
flood, or from earthquake or pestilence, she has been among the
foremost in the field of givers and has remained there when others
have departed. It is a shame to speak of her as parsimonious or as
failing in any benevolent duty. Those who charge her with being
dilatory should remember that haste is not always speed. It took more
than a quarter of a century to erect Bunker Hill Monument; the ladies
of Boston completed it. It took nearly half a century to erect a
monument to George Washington in the City founded by him, named for
him, and by his act made the Capital of the Nation; the Government
completed it. New York has already shown that she will do far better
than this."
* * *
His glory as the centuries wide,
His honor bright as sunlit seas,
His lullaby the Hudson tide,
His requiem the whispering breeze.
_Wallace Bruce._
* * *
=The Thirteen Elm Trees=, about ten or fifteen minutes' walk from
General Grant's Tomb, were planted by Alexander Hamilton in his
door-yard, a century ago, to commemorate the thirteen original States.
This property was purchased by the late Hon. Orlando Potter, of New
York, with the following touch of patriotic sentiment: "These
famous trees are located in the northeast corner of One Hundred and
Forty-third street and Convent Avenue; or, on lots fourteen and
fifteen," said the auctioneer to the crowd that gathered at the sale.
"In order that the old property with the trees may be kept unbroken,
should the purchaser desire, we will sell lots 8 to 21 inclusive in
one batch! How much am I offered?" "One hundred thousand dollars,"
quietly responded Mr. Potter. A ripple of excitement ran through the
crowd, and the bid was quickly run up to $120,000 by speculators. "One
hundred and twenty-five thousand," said Mr. Potter. Then there were
several thousand dollar bids, and the auctioneer said: "Do I hear
one hundred and thirty?" Mr. Potter nodded. He nodded again at the
"thirty-five" and "forty" and then some one raised him $250. "Five
hundred," remarked Mr. Potter, and the bidding was done. "Sold for
$140,500!" cried the auctioneer. Mr. Potter smiled and drew his check
for the amount. "I can't say what I will do with the property," said
Mr. Potter. "You can rest assured, however, that the trees will not be
cut down."
* * *
Rest in peace by stately rivers martyred soldiers of the free,
Rest brave captain, at our threshold, where the Hudson meets the sea.
_Wallace Bruce._
* * *
=Edgewater=, opposite Grant's Tomb on the west bank, lies between
Undercliff on the north and Shadyside on the south. The latter place
was made historic by Anthony Wayne's capture of supplies for the
American army in the summer of 1780 which formed the basis of a
satirical poem by Major Andre, entitled ="The Cow Chase."=
The steamer is now approaching 129th street, and we turn again with
pride to the beautiful tomb of General Grant which fittingly marks one
point of a great triangle of fame--the heroic struggle of the American
soldiers in 1776, the home of Alexander Hamilton, and the burial place
of the greatest soldier of the Civil War.
* * *
Woodman, spare that tree!
Touch not a single bough!
In youth it sheltered me,
And I will protect it now.
_George P. Morris._
* * *
=One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Street to Yonkers.=
This upper landing of the Hudson River Day Line has a beautiful
location and is a great convenience to the dwellers of northern
Manhattan. On leaving the pier the steel-arched structure of
Riverside Drive is seen on the right. The valley here spanned, in the
neighborhood of 127th Street, was once known as "Marritje Davids'
Fly," and the local name for this part of New York above Claremont
Heights is still known as "Manhattanville." The Convent of the Sacred
Heart is visible among the trees, and
=Trinity Cemetery's Monuments= soon gleam along the wooded bank. Among
her distinguished dead is the grave of General John A. Dix whose words
rang across the land sixty days before the attack on Fort Sumter:
"If any man attempts to pull down the American flag shoot him on the
spot." The John A. Dix Post of New York comes hither each Decoration
Day and garlands with imposing ceremonies his grave and the graves of
their comrades.
Near Carmansville was the home of Audubon, the ornithologist, and the
residences above the cemetery are grouped together as Audubon Park.
Near at hand is the New York Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, and
pleasantly located near the shore the River House once known as
West-End Hotel.
=Washington Heights= rise in a bold bluff above Jeffrey's Hook. After
the withdrawal of the American army from Long Island, it became
apparent to General Washington and Hamilton that New York would have
to be abandoned. General Greene and Congress believed in maintaining
the fort, but future developments showed that Washington was right.
The American troops, so far as clothing or equipment was concerned,
were in a pitiable condition, and the result of the struggle makes one
of the darkest pages of the war. On the 12th of November Washington
started from Stony Point for Fort Lee and arrived the 13th, finding
to his disappointment that General Greene, instead of having made
arrangements for evacuating, was, on the contrary, reinforcing Fort
Washington. The entire defense numbered only about 2000 men, mostly
militia, with hardly a coat, to quote an English writer, "that was not
out at the elbows." "On the night of the 14th thirty flat-bottomed
boats stole quietly up the Hudson, passed the American forts
undiscovered, and made their way through Spuyten Duyvil Creek into
Harlem River. The means were thus provided for crossing that river,
and landing before unprotected parts of the American works."
* * *
Faith's pioneers and Freedom's martyrs sleep
Beneath their shade: and under their old boughs
The wise and brave of generations past
Walked every Sabbath to the house of God.
_Henry T. Tuckerman._
* * *
According to Irving, "On the 15th General Howe sent a summons to
surrender, with a threat of extremities should he have to carry the
place by assault." Magaw, in his reply, intimated a doubt that General
Howe would execute a threat "so unworthy of himself and the British
nation; but give me leave," added he, "to assure his Excellency, that,
actuated by the most glorious cause that mankind ever fought in, I am
determined to defend this post to the very last extremity."
"Apprised by the colonel of his peril, General Greene sent over
reinforcements, with an exhortation to him to persist in his
defense; and dispatched an express to General Washington, who was at
Hackensack, where the troops from Peekskill were encamped. It was
nightfall when Washington arrived at Fort Lee. Greene and Putnam were
over at the besieged fortress. He threw himself into a boat, and had
partly crossed the river, when he met those Generals returning. They
informed him of the garrison having been reinforced, and assured him
that it was in high spirits, and capable of making a good defense. It
was with difficulty, however, they could prevail on him to return with
them to the Jersey shore, for he was excessively excited."
* * *
Hark! Freedom's arms ring far and wide;
Again these forts with beacons gleam;
Loud cannon roar on every side--
I start, I wake; I did but dream.
_Wallace Bruce._
* * *
"Early the next morning, Magaw made his dispositions for the expected
attack. His forces, with the recent addition, amounted to nearly three
thousand men. As the fort could not contain above a third of its
defenders, most of them were stationed about the outworks."
About noon, a heavy cannonade thundered along the rocky hills, and
sharp volleys of musketry, proclaimed that the action was commenced.
"Washington, surrounded by several of his officers, had been an
anxious spectator of the battle from the opposite side of the Hudson.
Much of it was hidden from him by intervening hills and forest; but
the roar of cannonry from the valley of the Harlem River, the sharp
and incessant reports of rifles, and the smoke rising above the
tree-tops, told him of the spirit with which the assault was received
at various points, and gave him for a time hope that the defense might
be successful. The action about the lines to the south lay open to
him, and could be distinctly seen through a telescope; and nothing
encouraged him more than the gallant style in which Cadwalader with
inferior force maintained his position. When he saw him however,
assailed in flank, the line broken, and his troops, overpowered by
numbers, retreating to the fort, he gave up the game as lost. The
worst sight of all, was to behold his men cut down and bayoneted by
the Hessians while begging quarter. It is said so completely to have
overcome him, that he wept with the tenderness of a child."
"Seeing the flag go into the fort from Knyphausen's division, and
surmising it to be a summons to surrender, he wrote a note to Magaw,
telling him if he could hold out until evening and the place could
not be maintained, he would endeavor to bring off the garrison in the
night. Capt. Gooch, of Boston, a brave and daring man, offered to be
the bearer of the note. He ran down to the river, jumped into a small
boat, pushed over the river, landed under the bank, ran up to the fort
and delivered the message, came out, ran and jumped over the broken
ground, dodging the Hessians, some of whom struck at him with their
pieces and others attempted to thrust him with their bayonets;
escaping through them, he got to his boat and returned to Fort Lee."
* * *
Up and down the valley of the Hudson the contending
armies surged like the ebbing and flowing of the tides.
_William Wait._
* * *
Washington's message arrived too late. "The fort was so crowded by
the garrison and the troops which had retreated into it, that it was
difficult to move about. The enemy, too, were in possession of the
little redoubts around, and could have poured in showers of shells and
ricochet balls that would have made dreadful slaughter." It was no
longer possible for Magaw to get his troops to man the lines; he was
compelled, therefore, to yield himself and his garrison prisoners of
war. The only terms granted them were, that the men should retain
their baggage and the officers their swords.
=Fort Lee=, directly across the river, had a commanding position, but
was entirely useless to the Revolutionary army after the fall of Fort
Washington. It was therefore immediately abandoned to the British, as
was also Fort Constitution, another redoubt near at hand.
It will be remembered that the American army after long continued
disaster in and about New York, retreated southward from Fort Lee and
Hackensack to the Delaware, where Washington with a strategic stroke
brought dismay on his enemies and restored confidence to his friends
and the Patriots' Cause.
=The Palisades, or Great Chip Rock=, as they were known by the old
Dutch settlers, present the same bold front to the river that the
Giant's Causeway does to the ocean. Their height at Fort Lee, where
the bold cliffs first assert themselves, is three hundred feet, and
they extend about seventeen or eighteen miles to the hills of Rockland
County. A stroll along the summit reveals the fact that they are
almost as broken and fantastic in form as the great rocks along the
Elbe in Saxon-Switzerland.
* * *
The Palisades in sterner pride
Tower as the gloom steals o'er the tide,
For the great stream a bulwark meet
That laves its rock-encumbered feet.
_Robert C. Sands._
* * *
As the basaltic trap-rock is one of the oldest geological formations,
we might still appropriately style the Palisades "a chip of the old
block." They separate the valley of the Hudson from the valley of the
Hackensack. The Hackensack rises in Rockland Lake opposite Sing Sing,
within two or three hundred yards of the Hudson, and the rivers flow
thirty miles side by side. Some geologists think that originally they
were one river, but they are now separated from each other by a wall
more substantial than even the 2,000 mile structure of the "Heathen
Chinee."
It might also be interesting to note Prof. Newberry's idea that in
pre-glacial times this part of the continent was several hundred feet
higher than at present, and that the Hudson was a very rapid stream
and much larger than now, draining as it did the Great Lakes: that the
St. Lawrence found its way through the Hudson Channel following pretty
nearly the line of the present Mohawk, and the great river emptied
into the Atlantic some 80 miles south of Staten Island. This idea is
confirmed by the soundings of the coast survey which discover the
ancient page of the Hudson as here indicated on the floor of the sea
far out where the ocean is 500 feet in depth. A speculation of what a
voyager a few million years ago would have then seen might, however,
as Hamlet observes, be "to consider somewhat too curiously" for
ordinary up-to-date tourists. But even, granting all this to be true,
the Palisades were already old, thrown up long ages before, between
a rift in the earth's surface, where it cooled in columnar form.
The rocky mould which held it, being of softer material, finally
disintegrated and crumbled away, leaving the cliff with its peculiar
perpendicular formation.
A recent writer has said: "The Palisades are among the wonders of the
world. Only three other places equal them in importance, but each of
the four is different from the others, and the Palisades are unique.
The Giant's Causeway on the north coast of Ireland, and the cliffs at
Kawaddy in India, are thought by many to have been the result of the
same upheaval of nature as the Palisades; but the Hudson rocks seem
to have preserved their entirety--to have come up in a body, as it
were--while the Giant's Causeway owes its celebrity to the ruined
state in which the Titanic forces of nature have left it. The third
wonder is at Staffa, in Scotland, where the rocks have been thrown
into such a position as to justify the name of Fingal's Cave, which
they bear, and which was bestowed on them in the olden times before
Scottish history began to be written. It is singular how many of the
names which dignify, or designate, favorite spots of the Giant's
Causeway have been duplicated in the Palisades. Among the Hudson rocks
are several 'Lady's Chairs,' 'Lover's Leaps,' 'Devil's Toothpicks,'
'Devil's Pulpits,' and, in many spots on the water's edge, especially
those most openly exposed to the weather, we see exactly the same
conformations which excite admiration and wonder in the Irish rocks."
* * *
Where the mighty cliffs look upward in their glory and their glow
I see a wondrous river in its beauty southward flow.
_Thomas C. Harbaugh._
* * *
Under the base of these cliffs William Cullen Bryant one Sabbath
morning wrote his beautiful lines:
"Cool shades and dews are round my way,
And silence of the early day;
Mid the dark rocks that watch his bed,
Glitters the mighty Hudson spread,
Unrippled, save by drops that fall
From shrubs that fringe his mountain wall;
And o'er the clear, still water swells
The music of the Sabbath bells.
All, save this little nook of land,
Circled with trees, on which I stand;
All, save that line of hills which lie
Suspended in the mimic sky--
Seems a blue void, above, below,
Through which the white clouds come and go;
And from the green world's farthest steep
I gaze into the airy deep."
* * *
A mellow sunset was settling upon the hills and
waters and a thousand flashes played over the distant
city as its spires and prominent objects caught its glow.
_N. P. Willis._
* * *
There are many strange stories connected with the Palisades, and
one narrator says: "remarkable disappearances have occurred in the
vicinity that have never been explained. On a conical-shaped rock near
Clinton Point a young man and a young woman were seen standing some
half a century ago. Several of their friends, who were back some
thirty feet from the face of the cliff, saw them distinctly, and
called out to them not to approach too near the edge. The young couple
laughingly sent some answer back, and a moment later vanished as by
magic. Their friends rushed to the edge of the cliff but saw no trace
of them. They noticed at once that the tide was out, and at the base
three or four boatmen were sauntering about as though nothing had
happened (forgetting even, as Bryant did, that a vertical line from
the top of the cliff on account of the crumbling debris of ages makes
it impossible for even the strongest arm to hurl a stone from the
summit to the margin of the river). A diligent search was instituted.
Friends and boatmen joined in the search, but from that day to this
they have never been heard from, no trace of them has been found, and
the mystery of their disappearance is as complete now as it was five
minutes after they vanished--a more tragical termination than the
story of the old pilot on a Lake George steamer, who, surrounded one
morning by a group of tourist-questioners, pointed to Roger Slide
Mountain, and said: "A couple went up there and never came back
again." "What do you suppose, captain," said a fair-haired, anxious
listener, "ever became of them?" "Can't tell," said the captain, "some
folks said they went down on the other side.""
The old Palisade Mountain House, a few miles above Fort Lee, had
a commanding location, but was burned in 1884 and never rebuilt.
Pleasant villas are here and there springing up along this rocky
balcony of the lower Hudson, and probably the entire summit will some
day abound in castles and luxuriant homes. It is in fact within the
limit of possibility that this may in the future present the finest
residential street in the world, with a natural macadamized boulevard
midway between the Hudson and the sky.
* * *
What love yon cliffs and steeps could tell
If vocal made by Fancy's spell!
_Robert C. Sands._
* * *
It grieves one to see the gray rocks torn away for building material,
but, as fast as man destroys, nature kin |
