The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-07-20
KINk'S MOODS BEAUTIES.
Features of the New County Park
on the Hudson.

Z
Park. This, the first site formally Sc
lected by the Hudson County Park Com
missioners, aside from the historic ant
romantic legend with which It has beef
connected, possesses eli the natural al
vantages for a park, and when further
enhanced by the laying ont OF driveway
and roads. and the cutting Of trees afif
shrnbbery, viii be delight to lovers d
scenery
An idea can on1y be formed Of Il.
beauty by personal visit. It comprises
forty-four acres OF cultivated woodland
rising on a slore from the boulevard ID
Y eeAawken 70 a 5sun 200 feet above
the wafer level In the east. The entrance
TO the park at the present time most used
IS right above the CID Weehawken school
house; a dllapidaEea gate. which at one
f1fle Vas 4 barrier against ali intruders
| when the place WIS the private estate oE
John King, the banker, swings erea kiugfy
on its hinges. and does nor Impress the
visitor fagorably, bfs this path Is d mock
erysof all thar is beautiful within the rrarld
old grounds. Leading from the cate Is q
broad roadway. about fifty yards from
the gate the Favorable impression begins.
Old trees are barrier agains6 the sun
shine, but Old ST. manages TO peep
through, but only far an instant. On both
sides Of the road Il thick shrubbery and
| deep grass which children delight to uIav
upon This territry. however. IS not 4
portion Of the park. 1t belongs TO the es-
taee Of Oracle King although permission
/ TO use the roadway has been secured by
the Park Commissioners.
The park prope, commences on the
north side Of q bldge which crosses d
miniature stream, and right here is one
OF the many ceaullss Of the park Com
mencing at point directly beneath the
huge reservoir which supplies water to
H0bOken and the other northern towns
| two miniature strains are formed. As
the water comes dzshing down from the
reservoir the strem strikes on a huge
bowlder, which separates it, and while
one stream goes dsshing down the west
ern end OF the PARK the other is carried
along rocks and through shaded spots
through the centreof the park until its
course IS ehangG By another huge
bowlder and 1t giles swiftly toward the
edge OF the park where beneath the
bridge the two STRAINS again meet and
form rushing pul
Further up the Dad the natural beau
ties Of the park become more noticeable
Shaded hooks AMI quiet paths aboand
and the scene is "a fnspfriting one. On
| the eastern side Of the road steep bluff
extends along TO about two hundred
feet, which IS surrounded by a harbed
wire fence which seeins strangely out OF
I place. A sign warns off frespassers
Oracle King. Thee who brave the wrath
Of the owner Of tbs estate and VISIT it are
/ well repaid for thar journey.
The road confines, and the further the
visitor journeys nto the park the more
he is impressed Nth the beauty of the
scene. Two msre bridges. with the
sound Of the rilpaing waters blending
with the songs of9hs different birds, are
crossed. The frs sign of habitatioa is a
torn down gyoodei structure hidden In 3
eluinp Of bushes, nd covered with nnoss.
This building VS. used as 8 private ice
house by the ling family. and like
everything else ai3slt the ground has a
/ a story told ii0T one OF Mr.. KiHgss ser
| wants attemptd to end his
life here became of the refusal OF
/ q young woman to marry him This
story IS probabF untrue, however, al
| though nine-tents of the visitors at the
/ park believe it. Gear the ice house is a
plot Of ground Which is unusually YER
dant and Is fence in. This plot was for
nerly a lake andsne dam through which
the water howd is Still visible The
| Park Commissioners may locate a lake
| here, as it can done at little expense.
| This spot is a fSorite trysting place for
amateur photographers, as the ruins OF
the old ice hose hidden ia the high
shrubbery and ne broken dam make q
1 pretty picture.
The road leadsrom the old ice house
to the bluff. Ills is beyond doubt the
real attraction ofthe park and is replete
with historic aid romantic reminis-
cences- The scaery is unsurpassed in
any other part ofshe country.
Situated ia theniddle of the bluff and
| surrounded by stretch of level grass
that is a pleasureo look upon is the former
mansion Of the ling family. The house,
although nearlya century old, is yet a
/ solid ana substantial structure
1t is plain and Of old fashioned archi-
| lecture, and is QUILT of white stone. A
| broad pinzza Surround it from which the
view Of the rive is grand. A couple of
| outhousc5 and stables adjoin the old
mansion. The sh5les have suffered from
the ravages of iuA. and are broken
/ down and uait for use About
nine hundred yards east of the
mansion and directly on the
top Of the s00-fot bluff, is a spot which is
historic, A winning stone wall projects.
and is all that remains OF what was fort
/ in Revolutionar times. Here the heroes
! of Is poured She upon the enemy in the
! water beneath. And a few yards distant
( is a brown bowler on which is chiseled
"a. Hamilton and "a. Burr This Is
supposed to be ne spot on which Hamil-
ton poured out Is life blood after fighting
the duel with hrr This is not the real
4
! was fought is dEectly beneath this point
and the West Sore Railroad tracks now
cover it. But &c stone Is there and is
| approached vat a feeling of reverence by
visitors, who sently offer mp a prayer
for the young hero. aud carry away 3
chip of the stoE as a memento.
Another spot Fhich is a great source of
interest to vlsitrs. and particularly SO TO
youthful coupls, is a rock which marks
1 a spot called lovers Leap" A deep
| assure betweeuwo rocks Is supposed 10 be
the place in whEh a loving couple ended
their Young lies. The story goes that
| about fifty yeEs ago a young man took
his sweetheart view the spot where the
| Revolutionary duel was fought. The
couple sat anitalked until dusk. They
were surprised in an embarrassing posi-
ton, aud they 9TH Jumped to the rocks
beneath.
Hidden in tisFecesses of the park are
two orchards ad two natural springs.
John King, NO formerly lived on the
| grounds, died short time ago. He had
lived there wish his wife ana servants
until five yeas ago He was a retired
banker Wheshis wife died he went to
| live in New pFk The Park Commits
sioners are negotiating for the seventeen
| acres adioInag the present site.
which Is oned by Oracle King.
They intend 1 lay ont two driveways
around the pas, lay out walks and build
grating abot the bluff All OF the
dead trees WILDE cut down and the old
King mansionFin probably be selected
as park headparters. At the present
time the paris opened from daybreak
/ until eight oscack in the evening Two
1 policemen. A. G. Hessner and Frank