The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-08-08
RIVERSIDE PARK CHOSEN.
A Picture of the Spot Where
Grant will Lie.
On Promontory on the Hudson.
Miles Away from the Heart Of
the Cftv..Rfghf of Sepulture
Given 10 Mrs. Grant Also.

the Cftv..Rfghf of Sepulture
Given 10 Mrs. Grant Also.
NEW YORK, July 29th.-Mayor
Grace received this telegram yester-
day morning:
MT. McGREGoR, July 2S.-Mother
takes Riverside Park. Temporary
tomb had better be at the same
place. +. ID. GRANT.
When the Aldermen met yesterday
President Grace informed the Board
of the decision of Mrs. Grant, and Of
fered these resolutions, which were
adopted:
ResolUed, That the right Of sepul-
ture in said Riverside Park be and
is hereby given to Gen. U. S. Grant
and his wife upon her demise, and
be it further
Resolced, That a proper deed of
ccssion for the purpose designated
be prepared by the counsel to the
corporation, when the exact locality
and dimensions of the ground are
fixed and the said deed be thereup-
on duly executed by the city author
tiles.
The site chosen is sort of prom
ontory, on the Hudson river, and
is the highest point of land in Man
hattanville. The outward swell of
the promontory begins at l22d street
and the river bank returns to its
regular line at 10th street. The
summit of this elevation is an al
most level plateau of little more
than twenty acres. On tue river
side the descent is abrupt. AT its
foot, 200 feet below, are the tracks of
that Branch of the Hudson River
Railroad which runs into the West
Thirtieth street depot. From the
edge of the bluff stone could be
thrown down to the tops of the cars.
On the northwest is the ferry to
Fort Lee, and ON the north and
northeast the red brick houses,
stores and manufactures of Manhat-
tanville cluster around the base of
the hill. A steep footpath permits
the pedestrian to shorten the road
from Manhattanville up. The regu-
lar road is the old Bloomingdale
road, made long before the Riverside
Park was planned. 1t winds up and
around the base of the hill and
reaches 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, he has
opened before him the long vista of
Riverside Park and its 1T acres of
driveways, hewn stone wall, and an
cient oaks and naples on the steep
slopes of the Hudson river.
On his right are the widening
surface of the Hudson and the dis
tant cities of Hoboken and Jersey
City, and on the left the spires and
tall buildings of New York city dis
appearing in haze. To the east
and southeast only pasture land dot
ted with oaks can be seen. 1t is
unimproved private property, and
will, it is expected, rise in value and
become the site of handsome villas,
with lawns, walks and shrubberv,
Manhattanyille to the northwest lies
in the valley running northwest and
southwest between Claremont and
the highland north of 10th street
At the bottom Of the valley Manhat-
tan street leads to Fort Lee Ferry.
The view up the Hudson to the
north is the finest view from Clare
mont All the windings of both the
east and the west shores Of the river
are as clearly revealed as in a mar
for twenty miles northward. On one
side are the Palisades, on the other
the heights which stretch from
Spuyton Duyvil to Sing Sing and be
You'd. A high and irregular line
of hills makes the horizon, AS to
the view from below, the monument
at Claremont, if it shall be at all
massive and elevated, will be prom
inent object in the landscape. With
a glass travellers on steamships ar
irving in Hoboken can distinguish
it. For many miles navigators on
the Hudson cannot miss seeing it.
The spot suggests Revolutionary
war memories. Fort Lee is a bold
promontory on the opposite side Of
the river, the old fort in Central Park
is on the southeast. Fort Washing
ton is on the north, and the high
lands near West Point shut in the
horizon beyond the Tappan Zee. II
has also been pointed out that the
water front and the park, being the
property of the city, must remain
undisturbed forever. No structures
can be erected to break the uniform
ity of the view from above and from
below. Furthermore, it is said thai
the fact that the entire northern enc
of Riverside Park is unimproved is
rather an advantage than a detri
ment to the building of the tomb
The twenty acres to be occupied ar,
now like ploughed field. The onl,
improvements thereabouts are thu
smooth driveway, the Claremont res
taurant, and the old fashioned hors,
shed, with six divisions invitingly
open toward the road.
The site is remote from lines O
travel and is nearly eight miles, al
line, from the City Hall, and 81,
miles at least by any practicable
route from the Grand Central Depot
To owners of carriages it is TWEEN
ty minutes drive from the north enc
OF Central Park. The driver MAJ
choose between the Riverside driv,
direct to Claremont and the Boule
ward to Manhattanvllc doublin:
hack up The hill by way Of the oil
Blooming,lalc road. This road how
ever will doubtless he regarded ant
made less PERCEPTIONS. Access t,
the site from cross streets abOv
10th street is to he had only a
125th street. The streets howeve
are either not cut through or no
, graded for carriages. From dow
town an hour is consumed in ridin.
to Claremont by the shortest route
This route is by the west side Gle
waited railroad to 125th street, theme
by the 125th street cross town car
to the Bloomingdale road, and theme
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