Morning journal and courier., 1892-09-19

@e1' 9
The New West Rock Park.
TO the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER.
How many are yet unaware of the beau
tiful driveway to the Judges Cave and to
the top of our new West Rock park? It
is becoming more and more known. In |
the first cool days of summer there was an |
almost constant succession of fine car |
risges riding to our new park. As the |
warmer days came on people were tempted
more by the different seashore routes. At
our house we are so often inquired of to
give the directions to the new park that
sign boards at Rock and other streets
would be advisable. As SO many roads
lead there people get puzzled which road
to take, and are fearful they are not on the
right road.
A pleasant party left our house at three
In the afternoon for this walk to the new
park and Judges Cave. We selected q
charming day last month. when the heated
atmosphere had been cooled by shower
the night before and nature was at her
loveliest, 80 freshened by the welcome
rain.
A bright girl. who was visiting at West
Vile, had been promised this particular
trip for several weeks. Living near the
Rock, walk of few minutes, through
Rock street, brought us to the new foot
path to the cave. This road is romantic
most of tho way. Commencing at the
corner of Blake street near the bridge, it
winds around past the stone-orusher, and
soon We come to isolated houses on the
hill side. On the opposite side of the
street are the beautiful green meadows,
where cattle are calmly grazing or drink
| ing at the stream, for branch of West
river winds prettily through and around
| these meadows. In some places the trees
are thick and the stream narrow; but we
! stop to watch and listen to the cool CUR
| Cling of the water on its way to the sea.
Rested by the pretty scene, We start on
| again. Our attention Is called to the sign
board which points the way to the foot
| path to the cave. We commence ascend
/ ing; the sun shines hot, but not on US,
| for "woodman spare that tree" has been
| observed here. We notice with pleasure
| that convenient resting places are provi-
ded for the soon weary. Large stones are
placed about and around the trees. How
singular it seems to see the warning "ten
dollars fine for picking flowers, shrubs Or
1 LII
hood everything had been so free here.
We SPY some huckleberries. Dare we
pick them? How sweet the forbidden
fruit looks. We look for the mineral
| spring which used to trickle down near
| this path. Soon we find it captured in q
stone we'll. We are thirsty. Our climb
and our dinner has made us unusually SO;
but there is nothing to drink from, 80 we
bend, aud with our hand form drinking
cup, and although the water was not very
cool we felt refreshed.
As we move on we hear whirrinp
sound. A partridge flies from the ground
startled at our approach. We notice some
beautiful ferns growing of different varie.
ties. Some are already bleaching in the
dense shade. We see some specimens Of
flowers we would like to gather for ou1
botanist at home to analyze, but we pass
them by.
| A gentleman of our party just ahead
has come to the opening at the right; and
he calls to us to stop and look; and the
old yet ever new view greets the eye
How extended, how beautiful, how grand
it is. Mount Carmel in the distance, en-
veloped in the beautiful misty blue haze
| with the sleeping giant as he had lain TO
| centuries and will for centuries to come
the blue hills of Meriden in the remot
distance; West Rocks twin sister, East
: with her beautiful soldiers monument
Our eyes descend. and we zee Hamde1
t | with her church spires and houses dottet
here and there amongst the trees. Pin
, | rock seems near, and with her thickl
wooded sides makes a background for tn
a finely cultivated fields of our new tow
t farm. The town house at our left look
| like some large mountain hotel. 1t is
9 | commanding looking structure, one o
q which we may all be proud; and what
refuge of comfort it is to many a poor o
4 | sick one. And the people there are unde
3 the wise and good care of the genial So
!. | perintendent, Mr.. Sanford, and his wife
s who have long been in charge.
We are rested; we now take up the lin
l | of march again and soon the cave is il
n | sight. The first diseoverer shouts, "Her
it isI' There are a number of peopl
8 | there before us; some have got out of thei
@ | carriages and fastened their horses to tn
9 fence at the other side of the drivewa
i while they explore the cave. We bend on
heads and go through the Cave, trying t
: imagine how the regicides must have fell
l. isolated from the world; but how differ
emit then, shut in as 1t was by a growth c
l. dense trees, and with panthers and wolve
growing around at night in search of fooi
K and with probable misgivings as to whett
d or they would find the food which Nj
Sperry, from Sperry's farms, carried to
d certain stump of a tree every day and lei
for them. We climb up on the histori
J. rocks and We gaze about US at the beaut
% full views. On the highest rock a grea
o uncle Of the writer, the late Judge Hotch
d kiss of Cincinnati, formerly of Westvillt
It inscribed this motto, Opposition to ty
rants is obedience to God," whilst he wa
; for time. Judge Hotchkiss was CON
handing looking man, standing six fet
y two inches. He was a class mate at CO.
d lege of Daniel Webster, and they we,
most intimate friends then, and continue
g the intimacy all through their lives.
o As We stand gazing there comes fashin
y into the mind how, some years back, whe
a large party of us, all young people, ha
}, | come up for Saturday afternoon, we ha
n but just arrived at the Gave, when frol
an opposite direction came Professor Dan
d with class of students, all with hamme,
In their hands. We stopped to listen, fo
+ Professor Dana commenced his lectur.
7 How interesting 1t was to most of us. b
Q spoke of East and West Rocks as probabl
o thrown up by volcanic eruption; how
Y the early ages the waters of the Scum
t swept to the feet of these rocks; and no,
the glaciers as they swept from the mort
to the sea dropped the huge boulder
- which form the Cave; how the deep line
:. we see on the rocks were caused by tn
!, scratching of the glaciers across them
+ how these rocks are the trap rock, whic
is the hardest of all known rock; of til
different composition and different STRAIT
/ of rocks, etc. regret to say it was OF
q served that some of the students and som
:. of the young ladies of our party were MOI
J. interested in the genus-homo than in tn
geological formation and the different strs
ia of rocks. We were little puzzled t
find the old path leading to the face of tn
rock. The driveway had changed the oui
;; look SO much, but we take the new driv,
way. It is wide and as hard as adaman
A gentleman of our party exclaimed, 6
n never expected to see so fine a roadway o
ID the rock in my life time"
o Much praise is due to the park commit
{. sioners, and especially to Henry T. Blake
u who was indefatigable in pushing the Lay
3 ing out of this new park.
- We stopped again by the rustic fent
confning the road on the Woodbridge sid
We look at the Woodbridge hills. Thicl
ly wooded are they, with scarcely hou.
n | visable. We think surely here are the 9,