The Cecil Whig., 1885-08-01

despatch was sent to Mayor Grace, of
New York, saying that Riverside Park
had been chosen as the place Of burial.
The Board of Aldermen met the same
day, and President Sanger announced
that a despatch had been received from
Colonel Grant stating that the family
had agreed to the General being inferred
in Riverside Park The following reso-
lutions were then adopted by the Board: ::
WHEREAS, The family of General L. s.
Grant have accepted the offer of the corp"r-
ation of the city of New York for sepulture
in one of the public parks of the city, and
have selected a site in riverside Park for
that purpose; be it, therefore,
ReSolred That the right Of sepulture in
said Riverside Park be and is hereby given
to General L. 5. Grant and his wife upon
her demise; and be it further
Rc$oircI, That a proper deed of cessiGn
for the purpose designated be prepared by
the counsel to the corporation when the eX-
act locality and dimensions of the ground
duly executed by the city authorities.
The site chosen for the tomb is on a
sort of promontory on the Hudson river,
and is the highest point iii Manhattan
vile. The outward swell of the prom
ontory begins at One Hundred and
Twenty second street, and the river bank
returns to lis regular line ut One Hun
dred and Twenty-ninth street. The
summit of the elevation is an almost level
plateau of something than more 20 acres.
On the river side the descent is abrupt.
Fort Lee is opposite; the old fort in Ceu-
tral Park is on .he southeast. Fort
Washington is on the north and the
Highlands near West Point. shut i'll the
horizon beyond the Tappan Zee.
RIVERSIDE PARK
Riverside park, where the remains of
General Grant are 70 reposc, is a narrow
and ire gular strip Of land lying between
Riverside avenue and the Hudson river,
from I2d St. to l3Oth st. Between the
western limit and the river passes the
road bed of the Hudson River railway.
The general width of the park is about
800 feet, while its entire length is some
three miles, the area being about 11S
acres, only a portion of which has been
laid ont in walks and drives, while the
rest still retains the wild pict,lreSpucness
of nature.
The surroundings Cf this park are so
lovely that it is believed it will ulti-
mately become the most aristocratic resi-
dence region Of New York. The ground
rises to a bold bluff above the Hudson
river, and the views from the river drive
are very charming. giving glimpscs of
the nndulting, tree-c0vercd park, the
shining stretches Of the river dimp!ed
into inrumerable wavelets, and the
Wechawken heights opposite.
The drives of Riverside begin at
Seventy second street and extend three
miles to e-Hundred aud Twenty ninth
street. There are several of these drives
curving gracefully along the bank of the
Hudson, in some places 300 feet above
the water. The bank slopes gradually
to the shore, and the Intervening space
between the drives and the river is filled
with groves of tall trees Little has vet
been done to improve this park, which.
i'll its primitive state is Il favolite resort
for picnic parties and promenadcs of peo :,
pie living IN the western portion of the
city. The drives are broad, level, and
macadamizei so as to be smooth as a
floor. a heavy stone parpct runs along
the brink OF the hill, with reccsses for
seats, passages and steps down into the
groves along the river bank. Workmen
are now engaged in the Improvement of
the park. At the Seventy second. street
entrance is a handsome bronze statue of
Washington, which was subscribed for
largely 10y the public school children of
New York, and was unveiled by them
last year on the Fourth OF July. The
hills continue to rise in an easy grade to
One Hundred and Twenty tif,i street,
and at Ohe Hundred and Twenty y-ninth
street deep cut separates them from
the range known as Washington Heights
on the northern end of Manhattan Island
At One Hundred and Twenty-fifth
Stt'Ip. ehS hSoV P'liiu, W iidl uSCu 10
be known as the Claremont House. 1t
was built by Lord Courtney. an eccen.
trio Eng glishman, before the Revolution,
named as'er Lord Clare; a royal colo
NAL governor. Recently it has been
fitted up by the park board for Il park
restaurant and is IL favorite resort for
bicycle riders and horsemen The old
building is retained entire, but piazza
,rappl il nd ,prnl.,,
Of George ILL.,, which used to ornament
the house, occupies an honorary place on
a shelf at the bifurcation of two huge
limbs of a giant oak near the house. 1t
was brought to this country by Dutch
ship, and antedates the famous one which
once stood on the Battery. Beyond and
up the river the view extends to Tappan
Zee. Forts Lee aud Washington are a
short distance beyond the park, and the
surrounding country is filled with asso-
Citations of the Revolution.
In tie letter that Mayor Grace sent to
Colonel Grant suggesting Riverside park
as the best place for the generals tomb.
the writer made the following points in
favor OF that site: "Becausc of the pc
culiar beauty of the place in it's location
on the river and the fact that monu-
ment in it would be visible far and wide
1t would give a distinct characteristic to
this quiet and beautiful park, and such
u monument as would vie in beauty and
fitness of location with the famous statue
of Gcrmania on the Rhine. The entire
park would become peculiarly in a sense
that Central park never can become
sacred and devoted to the memory of
your father. The park is SO youEg that
the character of its development would
be largely determined and its whole
future dominated by this fact. The
monument would be visible from two
states and for miles both up and down
the Hudson river, and would not only
borrow from but lend beauty to the noble
stream; and at no time could your fathers
remains be regarded as lying remote
from nature. In the heart of great,
busy city. in the rush and hurry of the
life of which death and its sacredness
may be forgotten, the remains of even
the great dead may be passed in thought
lCSsneSS.