Morning journal and courier., 1886-08-05
Thursday, August S, 1856.
A NEW DIsOOVERK

| Au& AcSVs
NEW DISCOVERY.
A Cave Ten Feet square ON the south
| Side or East H eek Unearthed by
| superintendent Beebe - Curl stiles
| Found in ito 30 Enlarged and
| FOOtpatbs Run to 1.-THE Soldiers,
| Monument Reaches a Height of
Seventy-seven Feet-A Description
Of Work Completed The New
English Drive Ex.Mayor Lewis
Talks ON the Monument sites
Ex-Mayor Lewis, Captain Richard Peck
and many public citizens of leisure visited
East Rock Park yesterday ard greatly ad-
mired the natural beauties about the park
! and tho new Soldiers monument, which has
reached height of u feet.
The force of men under Smith & Sperry
were working like beavers when COURIER
reporter visited the monument site yesterday
Afternoon. A couple of horses to wind the
ropes which run the hosting apparatus were
tramping around the circle and the big stones
were being hoisted up and placed in posi-
ton. The work has progressed to the point
where the observatory will be located. The
| floor of the observatory will be solid block
| of granite, sixteen inches thick aud six feet
| in diameter and perfectly circular in form.
There is thirty three feet more to be built
7 up. 1t will take until September list to have
| the monument ready fer the statue, which
| will be ten feet high, making the total height
| of the monument no feet. On the east side just
below the cope of the base of the monu-
ment is the inscription, Bunker Hill, Ben
nington and Saratoga, 1775 to 1888"
On the north side, 'tLake Erie, Lake Cham
plain and New Orleans 1919 to 1876" is in
scribed. On the west side is '.Palo Alto,
| Moline Del Rey and Chspultepee." On the
south side is Gettysburg, Port Hudson and
| Fort Fisher, 1851 to 1865" The letters are
| cut out in bas-relief on the granite with the
| dates just below. There will be fourteen
ument. The stairway will be of iron The
room at the base of the monument is nine
feet in diameter. The tablet with the in
scr1ptiohs has not yet been prepared. 1t will
be 3x315 feet in size. Space has been re-
served for the bronze tablets on the outside
OF the monument just above the base. The
tablets will represent "Lee in the Act of
Delivering up his Swerd,' Battle of Lake
Erie" and "Battie Of Bunker Hill" The
fancy stone on the monument will be put on
at he observatory point. The corbels will
be very fine. About five feet from the base
coping there will be a wreath carved out of
granite, and five feet higher will be band
OF Is stars. The figure for the top of the
monument will not arrive from New York
for two weeks vet.
Ex-Mayor Lewis in commenting upon the
monument yesterday said: eff the site was
sixty feet east of the present situation it
would make a vast difference. The monu-
ment would be raised ten feet higher and the
ROAD could wind around on both Sides The
ground could be graded to a coping Just
west of the monument and handsome cafe
could be built near the present site of the
structure. But as it is, it will be model
of beauty" continued Mayor Lewis, "and
| ia iuS bo rio Mo foy fIoo
nit of one of the handsomest natural parks
in t g country. 1t will take many thousand
loads of earth to fill in in order to grade off
the place around the monument now, while,
if it had been built further eastward, no fill
ing would have been necessary"
Proprietor Purcell of the Park restaurant
reports greatly increased business. He says
the number of people who visit the park is
increasing on the occasion of each fine day.
The city looked beautiful yesterday from the
summit of the Rock as it lay half hidden in
the thick foliage of the elms. On the west
side of the Rock large landslide occurred
recently, bringing down many tons of earth
and stone.
Work on the new footpath and bridge
across Mill river and the meadows is rap
idly progressing. A gang of men under Su-
perintendent Beebe have charge of the job.
The stone abutnents of the bridge were be-
ing laid yesterday. The walk will commence
very near the pump house and crossing the
meadows diagonally will come our near
Burns street. The passage way will cost
about 81 600. It is expected before long that
a carriage bridge will be built across Mill
river from Rock Lane to the commencement
of Farnam drive. The footway now being
built will connect with footpaths which will
branch off in all directions. There will be
steps placed where needed. Superintendent
Beebe with gang of fifty men are at work
on the English drive, for the building of
which Governor English has donated So, 900.
The space between the Indian Head and
East Rock Park presented a busy scene yes
terdsy. The English drive has reached this
section, and the fifty laborers with their
picks, shovels and barrows, a blacksmith
shop in full blast and the horses, carts, etc.,
presented a western town like appearance.
Superintendent Beebe said: "We commenced
on the English drive early in the spring and
now have it nearly half completed. We be-
gan the road at a point on the old English
drive directly south of Indian Head. We
worked our way across in front of
Indian Head. 1t was very difficult
job. In front of Indian Neck we
piece of masonry so feet high and about $50
feet long. After passing the Indian Head
point the drive winds in between East Rock
and Indian Head and comes out near the old
Donnelly quarry, where it forms loop and
again runs straight eastwardly and forms
runs westward to Orange street bridge, con-
Meeting with Farnam drive. The road is
model one in every respect and one that am
not ashamed of, " said Mr.. Beebe. at will
compare with any race track in the country.
During the building of the road many curios-
tiles have been unearthed Indian tomahawks,
arrowheads, etc.
A watering cart was at work yesterday on
the roads and will be continued during the
summer.
The water pipes are to be run around the
English drive the same as those on the Far
nam drive. There will be hydrant placed
in the center of the open space between East
Rock and Indian Head. Twenty-seven diff
terent blasts were let off yesterday at one
time. Over fifteen different kinds of rock
were unearthed by the blast. The varieties |
included trap rock of different colors, sand |
stone (red and brown, mineral stone, clay |
and others. Superintendent Beebe, after |
explaining about the roads, etc., said that |
he had made little discovery which might |
interest the public. While exploring the |
face of East Rock near the old |
Donnelly quarry he came across what looked |
like waterfowl. By poking with his stick |
he discovered that the ground caved in grad |
ually. He called his men and they dug away |
from what turned out to be a cave, which |
ran into TIE face of the Rock for distance |
of about fifteen feet. The earth was leveled /
away from the entrance way and Mr.. Beebe |
entered. A thin layer of stone about two
feet thick all that protected the |
roof. The width of the cave was about |
twelve feet. On the ground Mr.. Beebe picked |
up a number of Indian arrow heads /
and two old coins, one dated 1885 and the |
other 1893. Mr.. Beebe will make further ex- |
cavations and enlarge the cave. Footpaths
will be made to it. 1t is situated about half |
way down the face of the Rock and in
clump of bushes and shrubbery. Its walls |
are of trap rock. On the ground there are a |
number of stones of a dark rusty color,
which crumble at the touch and fall to pieces
in layers. Mr.. Beebe, who is quite natu-
ralist, says that he has never before seen
anything to resemble them. A footpath will
probably be built from the cave to the top of
the Rock, coming out near the Sol
diers' monument. Mr.. Beebe pointed
out the place where two docks
we're built in 1880 by colored man on the