The Republican journal., 1882-07-13
The East Side of New York City Fifty
Years Ago.

The East Side of New York City Fifty
Years Ago.
On 4 bright morning, fifty years Or
more ago, Christian Bergh, father Of
Henry Bergh, was sitting IN his office at
the northeast corner of Scanned and
Water streets, not far from what is now
the Grand Street Ferry, watching some
Workmen in his ship yard. He was in
re9on Of ship yards Below him, at the
foot of Montgomery Street. was the ship
yard Of Thorn and Williams Stephen
Thorn and "honest old Jabez Williams"
as they used to call him-and lower STILL
neal the foot Of Clinton street, the ship
yard Of Carpenter and Bishop Ficket
and Thoms' yard (alterWard at the foot
ot Houston Street) adjoned it, and,
farther south. James Morgan and Son
had built a bark at the foot of Rutgers
Street, and Joseph Martin the brig Mary
Jane at the foot of jefferson Street and
the ship General Page at the foot of Pike
Street. Above Mr.. Bergh was a series of
yards extending along the East River as
high up as Thirteenth Street; Sneden
and LaWrences yard, near the foot Of
Corlears Street Samuel IIarnard's yard,
near the foot of Grand Street; Brown and
Bells yard, from Stanton to Houston
Streets, which was formerly occupied
partly by Henry Ecktord, and partly 10y
Adam and Noah Brown Smith and Di-
mons yards, from Fourth to Fifth Streets;
Webb and Aliens yard (afterNard Viii
1iapl Na1,I,',A I,
Streets; Bishop and Simonson's ward
(atterWard Westervclt and Alackay's -
from Seventh to Eighth Streets; James
r. and George Steers yard, William III.
Browns yard, and Thomas Collycr's
yard, higher still. Many other builders
or repairers of ships occupied the same
interesting shore Of the East River at
about the same time or later: Mr. Geo.
IhOrburn, Il Well-knoWn spar maker.
who now uses Il part of the old yard OF
Snedcn and Lawrence, counted, the other
day, not less than thirty three of them,
whose yards resoundeQ with the axes and
hammers Of busy American ship-carpem-
ters, calkers, blacksmiths, and ioinrrs.
Above the northernmost yard the bank
of the river slOped into a beautiful beach
OF clear fine sand, where at evening scores
of men and women assembled to bathe
in Arcadian simplicity, Dandy Point,
or 'Pint," as they called it, was the
name Of this popular resort, and DO
summer night passed without witness
ing the arrival Of bathing parties Of
twenty or more persons of both sexes.
Down from the big wagons they jumped,
the men going to one spot, the women
to another not far Oft; and when their
clothes had been changed for older or
less valuable ones, without the protection
OF bath houses of any kind, down into
the water they ran, disporting them
selves as freely as dolphins. SANDY"
Gibson's tavern, with its supply of cakes
and drinks, was the tayorite resort Of
pleasure seekers on the beach. There
was considerable bathing also near the
foot Of COrlears Street a spot chiefly
distinguished, however, for the number
Of baptisms that it witnessed, the can
didates being brought 1hther in carriag-
es from the Baptist churches Of the city,
and submerged in the clear WateI-the
river drained no sewers then by their
respective pastors before a crowd Of
interested and we'll behaved spectators.
The Williamsburg shore, with its modest
cottages, gardens, and orchards, was the
tavorite fruit market of the calkers and
ship carpenters; they used to row across
the river in small boats, and steal the
apples that complemented their mid day
meals. Morning, noon, and evening,
Lewis Street was almost filled with the
multitude Of mechanics going to work in
the ship-yards, on returning thence; the
sidewalks did not begin to be wide
enough to hold them. The traveller
who sailed down the East River and
saw the spacious yards that lined the
New York shore, the noble vessels ON
the stocks, the thousands of busy work
men, and the huge collection of timber
white oak, hackmatack, and locust for
the ribs Of the ships, yellow pine for the
keelsons and ceiling timbers, white pine
for the floors, live oak for the "aprons' '-
might have been pardoned for supposng
that Manhattan Island was the head
quarters of the ship building of the
world; for such indeed it was The
glory has departed: not one of these ship
yards is left. In their places are ma
chine shops, sash and blind factories,
lumber yards, sugar retineries, and coal
wharves-a transformation 50 complete
'hi'e. ii' " iiio'iSl III ~ a. sun
ject for another 'Ichabod." [G. W
sheldon, in Ilarper's Magazine for July.
The democratic attempt to push forward
General Rosecrans by slandering Garfield has
miscarred. The Schuckers-O -Oberly correspond
ence has been riddled by republican papers,
| and has caused trouble IN the democratic camp.
General Rosecrans' letter criticisng General
Cist's account of the battle of Chicamauga has
called out a vigorous reply from the latter, in
which he reiterates the statement that Rose
Grams on his arrival at Chattanooga believed
that his army defeated and demoralizcd,
and that he sent no despatch to Garfield or
Thomas until he received Gartield's re-assuring
dispatch from the front. He says further that
General Thomas never responded to the toast
"Chicamauga" at any meeting of the Army of
the Cumberland, and could not have made the
speech attributed to him by Rosecrans. Cen
eral Cist declares that Rosecrans never had Il
better friend than Garfield, and in closing, eX-
presses the opinion that Garfield did not write
the much-talked-of confidential letter to Chase
dated Nashville, July 9th, 1868. His reasons
are that at that time Garfield was sick at
inah nstn hat h., Nh.