The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-08-12
Riverside Park Chosen for General
Grants Resting Place,

ktverSIuC ParN CnOSCn nOE UcncIdi
Grants Resting Place.
aayor Grace, Of New York received the
| following telegram from Colonel Fred Grant
| On the morning of the 2Sth:
Mt. MCGREGoR, July 28.
Mother takes Riverside park. Temporary
| :omb had better be at the same place.
f. D. GRANT
When the New York hoard OF aldermen
net on the 18th President Sanger informed
The board OF the decision of Mrs. Grant, and
| offered these resolutions. Which were
adopted:
Resolved That the right Of sepulture in
said Riverside park be and is hereby given to
General U. s. Grant and his wife upon her
demise: and be it further
IcSotrcd That n proper deed OF cessinn for
the purpose designated be prepared by tho
counsel to tho corporation, when the exact
locality and dimensions Of the ground arc
| fixed; and the said deel be thereupon duly
execute by the city authorities.
The site chosen is on sort of promontory
On the Hudson river, and is the highest point
Jf land in Manhottanville, the upper part OF
Manhattan island. The outward swell Of the
promontory bagins at led street, and the
river bank returns to its regular line at l29th
street The summit of this elevation is an
almost level plateau of little moro than
twenty acres On the river side the descent is
abrupt At its foot, 200 feet below, are the
tracks of that branch of the Hudson River rail.
road which runs into the West Thirtieth street
depot. From the edge of the bluff stone
could be flung down to the tops of the cars
On the northwest is the ferry to Fort Lee
and Oh the north and northeast red brick
houses, stores, and manufactures Of Manhat
tanvillp cluster around the base of the hill A
steep footpath permits tho pedestrian to
shorten the road from Manhattanrile up.
Tho regular road Is the old BloomlnSdale
road, made long before the Riverside park
was planned. 1t winds up and around the
base of the hill and reache; the top to the
south of the accepted site Of the tomb
If the observer on the summit Of the hill
| looks to the south. lie has opened before him
the long vista Of Riverside park. and its III
acres Of driveways, hewnstone wall, and all.
cient oaks and naples OH the steep slopes OF
the Hudson river On his right are the
overwhelming surface OF the Hudson and
distant cities Of Hoboken and Jersey City,
and on the left tho spires and tall build
ings of New York city disappear
ing in haze. To the east and south
east only pasture land dotted with oaks can
be seen. 1t is unimproved private property,
and will, it is expected, rise in value and be.
| come the site of handsome villas, with lawns,
walks, and shrubbery. Manhaltanvile, to
the northeast, lies in tho valley running
|
and the highland north of l29th street
At the bottom OF the valley Man.
| haitian street leads to Fort Lee ferry.
| The view up the Hudson to tho north is the
! finest view from Claremont. All the wind.
! ing from bo,h the east and the west shores Of
| the river are clearly revealed as i'll map for
twenty mics northward. On one side are
lhe Palisades. % the other the heights
which stretch from Spuytcn Duyvil to
SIM Sins and beyond. 4 high and ir.
regular line of bills makes the hori-
| zon. As to the view from below, the monu-
ment Mt Claremont, if it shall be at all massive
| and elevated. will be prominent OBJECT IN
| the landscape. With glass travelers on
steamships arriving in fIoboken can dstin'
guish it. For many miles navigators on the
| Hudson cannot miss seeing it.
The spot suggests Revolutionary war mem
cries. Fort Lee is a bold promontory on the
opposite side of the river, the oil fort III Cen
/ tral Park is OH the southeast, Fort Washing
ton is on the north, and tho highlands near
! West Point shut in the horizon beyond tile
! 1nppan Zee 1t has also been pointed out that
! the water front and the park, being the prop
erty of the city. must remain undis.urbed for.
| ever no structures can be crcct.d TO break
| the uniformity of the view from above and
. from below. Furthermore, it is said that the
fact that the entire northern end OF riverside
I Park is unilnproved is rather al advantage
/ than detrilncnt to the building of the tomb.
| Tho twenty acres to be occupied arc now like
ap!owcd field the only improvements there
/! abouts are the smooth driveway, the Clare
mont restaurant and the old-fashioned horse
! shell, with six divisions inviting'y open to-
ward the road
rhe site is remote from lines of travel, and
is nearly eight miles. air line, from the City
| Hallaud six miles at least by any practicable
| bo (SrnNl Cnntrnl InnOt 10
! owners of carriages it is a twenty minutes
drive from the north end of Central park
The driver may choose between the River
side drive direct 10 Claremont and the
Boulevard to Manhattanville, doubling
back up the hill by way, of the
old Bloomngdale road. This road, however,
will doubtless be regarded and made less pre-.
cipitous Access TO the site from cross streets
above 10th street is to be had only at 1s5th
street, The streets between are either not
cut through, or are not graded for carriages:
| From down town an hour is consumed
! in riding to Claremont by tho short.
est route. This route is By the west
side elevated railroad to 125h street, thence
by tho 125th street cross-town cars to the
Bloomilgdale road, and thence about two
city blocks up hill. Tho. restaurant Mayor
Grace said, is en- the site where the tomb will
be placed, and the Old building vii! be razel
10 Tie HEUullu. 1Lc tcHlpOloy Coiio W ~
/ ceivo tho body of General Grant il to be built
| of brick near the restaurant.
General John B. Clark, the clerk OF tho
national House of Representatives, Oh the
2Sth designated this committee to represent
TINT body at the funeral of General Grant:
John G. Carlisle, of Kentucky, Samuel j.
Randall. of Pennsylvania, William r. Nor.
rison, of Illinois, J. Randolph Tucker, Of
| stxk~ ,Nf It--tss yyNNI
Frank Hiscock, of New York. Thomas B.
Reed, of Maine Thomas NJ Brown, of In
diana, Benjamin Butterworth, Of Ohio
At meeting Of the Fairmount Park Art
| association in Philadelphia Oil the 18th rcso,
| lutions We're adopted providing for the crca-
, tion Of fund, to be called the Grant memo
rial fund, for the erection in Fairmount park
! of suitable memorial statue Of General
Grant. Subscriptions Of any amount will DO
| invited, with view to mako tho Grant mo-
mortal popular tribute Of all the people OF
Pennsylvania
HE General In his Coffin.
A Mount McGregor dispatch of the 29th
! saws: Tho coffin came to tho mountain IN
! the omen observation car, in which were the
| four iundertaker's assistants and the soldiers
! of the artillery The car was pushe through
tho engine shed to q platform beyond, upon
1
Guilty Then it was placed upon q rough one
horse wagon and drawn up the hill TO the cot
tage, with the undcrtakcrs assistants walking
behind and holding it to keep it from siippihg
! out rs the wagon ascended the steep incline
1t was unloaded OIL the south veranda OF the
cottage, and was taken to the parlor at once.
| The coffin was enclosed in heavy oaken box,
with niclile-plated protectors at the corners.
On the top was a golr-piatel inscription
plato, OIL which was engraved:
u. S. GRANT, {:
! DIED JULY 2:;, 1885. ::
The transfer Of the body to the coffin was
made between 6 and Z o'clock hy ho under
takers assistants, aided by Harrison, who
dressed his master for the last time with his
own hands. The general is to buried III black
broadcloth, with Prince Albert coat. Inc
body wears low standing collar with black
nccktie tied in plain bow knot. In the SHIRT
bosom is single plain gold stud. On the feet
are white stockings and patent leather slip
L., <j- ha ht.nOSt