Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-10-14
ATripup the Hudson.


pleasure, crossing Fulton Ferry, whicsn
is the ferry nearest the new BrooRlyn
suspension bridge, we had the good for
tune to see them hauling the first wire
taut. This bridge after many trials and
vicissitudes is now well under way. al
though it is hard to tell when it will be
finished. A horse car on the New York
side carried US to the landing, foot Of
Vestry street, on North river, where we
secured tickets on the Daniel Drew for
Pougbkeepsie, all of the scenery and
most of the places of interest on the riv-
err being below Poughkeepsie.
We were fortunate enough to secure
seats in the after part of the boat where
we could see both sides of the river and
not have the sun shining in our faces.
The boat was crowded with ''sight seers"
like ourselves, many of them having
come from the far West to ado" the
Centennial and thought they ought not
to 60 home without seeing the Rhine of
America, as the Hudson is sometimes
called
The boat had the usual quota of ped
dlers; the first one that made our ac-
quaintance was man who wanted to
sell us pair of colored spectacles, and
who solemnly assured US that the "sun-
light would ruin our eyes if we did not
wear his colored glasses" but as we had
never seen sunlight act in that way be-
fore we concluded to run the risk, for
just that once. Close on the heels of the
spectacle man came boy with a guide
book of the Hudson, and as we were
net very well acquainted with the towns,
villages and residences along the river
we invested but don't any one who
reads this follow our example, for that
boy has all kinds and varieties of books
from Millions Paradise Lost, to the
poorest ten cent novel, and after you
have once bought book of him he feels
at perfect liberty to propose and advise
for your personal benefit, the reading of
certain books that he will show you. The
number of kinds of guide books for the
Hudson IS truly astonishing-we bought
two different kinds before leaving the
wharf, and found them of great use. as
they contained numerous facts about the
residences of public men along the rirer,
also the heights of the Palisades and of
numerous peaks Of the Highlands that
we were glad to learn.
Promptly at eight o'clock the steamer
cast off her moorings and swung out into
the river New York is such large
city that all the excursion boats that
leave it are compelled to make two stop
pages, usually, one down town and the
other up town, consequently we had to
stop at at an up town landing, when we
found about two hundred passengers to
be packed into our already crowded
boat, but they did not seem to swell the
crowd on board, but quickly scattered
to different parts of the boat.
Soon after leaving this second land
ing we came in sight of the Palisades.
They areimmense rocks thatrise perpen-
dicularly from the rivers edge to the
height of three hundred feet, and one
point called Indian head is five hundred
feet high. They extend for about fifteen
miles along the west bank of the river.
An enterprising individual has built a
very large and elegant hotel on a plateau
on the tops of than, and from its win
dows you can get a glorious view of the
river and of the country for miles around.
In the midst of our admiration OF these
stupendious rocks, along came that boy
with an entirely new variety of guide
book, we bought it as the price was only
ten cents, and the boy sorrowfully ac-
knowledged that it was the last kind he
had.
West Point was the next point of in
terest to me, it is situated in the midst
of the Highlands and is so high up that
very little of it can be seen from the
river. We however saw several eff the
cadets on guard duty on old Fort Put
nam and caught glimse of several Of
them showing some young ladies the in
tricacies of Irritation walk. A special
trip to West Point would be necessary
in order to describe its beauties. The
country here is very high and mountain
Gus on both sides of the river. Storm
King, . high peak just above West Point
is 1900 feet high. There is peak just
below West Point, called Anthonies
Nose, it is large oval shaped rock and
viewed from the river, has somewhat
the contour of a nose and is said to
have received ifs name from the follow
ing circumstance: One Anthony Van
Corlear is said to have been leaning over
the rail of vessel when it was passing
that point, ray of the sun, which be-
fore had been concealed by cloud, sud-
denly striking on Anthonies' Nose was
reflected Il ence ''hssing hot" into the
river, and killed large sturgeon that
was sporting alongside. When this sto-
ry was told to the Dutch Governor it
is said that he marvelled exceedingly,
and gave the name of Anthonies' Nose
to high rocky peak in the neighbor