Morning journal and courier., 1886-07-10

First Exploration And Chart of Long
 Island Sound-Discovery of New
 Haven HarbOr-Named By Adrian
 Block Rodenburgh.
 [CoNoLUDED.l
 At this ferry melancholy accident oc- cured while a large party was returning from the ordination of the Rev. Nicholas Street, in East Haven, among which were many of the first citizens of the town. The boat in which they had embarked capsized during heavy thunder squan and several persons were drowned. This ferry was not used after the present bridge at Dragon (Fair Haven) was completed in 17S9-90, but the new ferry from Stable Point on the east side to Ferry Point on the west side was contin- ued until the completion of Tomlinson bridge, in 1796, when it was discontinued. This lower ferry, called the new ferry in Colonial Records, was operated for many | years by the Hughes family and finally took the name of Hughes Ferry and in 17S1 Hen | ry Freeman Hughes held it and the late | Beriah Bradley, Esq, informed the writer l years before his death that among his earli- | est recollections of his childhood no incident was more indelibly stamped on his memory than his first passage or portage at this fer " across the ice in March of aforesaid year, which was on his fathers removal from
 
 ed site in 8 gulch, still to be seen, and To- cated in grounds near the corner of Hamil- l ton and Water streets (Hoadley property), | and where he continued his occupation as a | shipwright for many years Mr. Bradley re | cites the start off: "Father and brother afoot with household effects, tools and pro | visions in OK carts and mother in the chalse with the elder brother and himself, arriving just at night at MT. Hughes ferry, which was frozen oVer."
 It was his fathers intention to remain on the east side during the night and make the crossing at early dawn, as the tides were running low and the ice rested at this hour firmly on the mud flats, but MT. Hughes ad- vised him to at once cross, there were signs of shift of wind from south to north west, which might break up the ice before morning and compel him to cross on farther up the river, which advicesswas accepted and the crossing was made without accident. He we'll remembered MT. Hughes going on ahead of the OK team and trying the ice with a long hickory pole, as air holes were ire quent and at this late season it had become very dangerous. It was dur ing this conversation that Mir. Bradley gave an outline sketch of the bank, as he called the water front between Union and Bridge streets, describing the Ferry Point with bluff with tall trees upon it, about the ner of Bridge and East streets, on which was built an earthwork and armed with six pounders, which had seen service at sea, and these guns disappeared one night, having been taken, as was supposed, on board of suspicious topsail schooner, which had been lying in the harbor for several days, and had suddenly sailed, probably on 8 priva- teering cruise.
 The bank seems to have been about thirty feet high and the road led along it's foot, which was faced with sand beach and crossed two gullies, one at Hamilton street, where his father located his shipyard and with his family occupied a little house on the bank; and the other at Olive street, known as the town shipyard and free for all inhabitants of the town to use and under the direction of a proprietors' committee, who granted applicants permission to build, heave down to repair or copper their vessel as re- quired.
 The first we hear of the river crossing at Gainesville was by stepping stones and used as late as 1918, when the bridge was built and highway, now Grand street, granted by MT. William Mansfield, through his farm from the ferry path to Mill river. Over the stepping stones the tide ebbed and flowed and it frequently happened that the attendants of the churches in town who lived east of the Mill river were obliged when the tide was up to take off their shoes and stockings and thus ford the stream, and it was not an unfreqnent occurrence to slip from these stones and soil their Sunday go to meeting best" At the Neck ferry 8 member of the Mansfield family, (our ances- to1) while on the way to the town for bap tlsm, dropped from his mothers arms into the sedge and was rescued as Moses of old some time before from the bullrushes, and for this miraculous escape his parents bap- tized him Gas his name appears on the town recor6 Moses Manifold.
 The West river was also crossed in colo nial times by means of boats from the end of the Oyster Point road (Howard ave.) to about the site of Gesner's shipyard, as old records, 1 am told, show. This river also had two lords above, one at" Allingtown, which was succeeded just before the Revolutionary war by the West bridge, and the other at Hotch- kiss town, now the site of Westville bridge. These rivers well as the creeks which drained the plateau on which the city Is built in early time were also forded by means of stepping stones. The two creeks were the east and west creeks, both of which have history and it is interesting to note their course, enclosing almost at right angles, an area large enough to allow the engineer or surveyor of the colony, John Brocket, to lay out the town plot, half a mile square and utilize these creeks by the transportation of around the outskirts of the town.
 We find recorded the pailes, the ditch cor ner, the Broadway, and might not these two .eeks, the east and west, which then nearly
 
 near the present Broadway by ditches or meats supported with pailes or posts on their banks, and at their angle of meeting have been the ditch corner of our day, then bridged and closed with gates of entrance to Broadway?* These names all coming togeth- CT i'll the records suggest some such proba- bility and present theory worthy of investi- gation which may prove that our town was once moated similar to towns in Holland MI 41a 1Oru1 11To4i Nf fr<N, which many of the early settlers came.
 These creeks, the record informs us, were in early times eXcavated for transportation, drainage and sluicage by means of tide gate, and so the channel along the wharf was kept open by suicing the East creek (See town records.)
 Mr. Malborn, MT. Lamberton and Mr. Evance, having petitioned the court August 5, 1644. on account of the damage this town doth suffer by reason of the flats which hin der vessels and boats at low tides," propos ed to the court if they will grant them four days work for every man in the town from sixteen to sixty years old, towards the dig ging of a channel and let them have the benefit of a wharf and warehouse, which they will build upon such terms as shall be agreed between themselves and a committee whom they desire the court then to choose to treat with them about they will dig channel which shall bring boats Cat least) to the end of the street beside Will Preston's house (corner Chapel and State streets) at any time of the tide, except they meet with some invisible difficulty which may hinder their digging the channel so deep.
 NorE-To show the value of the fur trade ap pend here the following statistical table from De Laets History not yet translated A large propor tion of these skins were taken in the Connecticut valley, and Roodenberg was frequented by the Dutch many years before these statistics were made
 Exports from New Netherland by the Dutch West India company of Holland 1624-1635:
 Value in Date Beaver Otter etc guilders 1624 24.--.-................ 4000 7Co 27,l25