The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-06-20

want.
Seware of limitations. 251 JAMES PYLE. NY.
tangle of underground which existed
everywhere Ia that wild and lonely place.
I could tibet appreciate why Barr and
Van Ness, his second, were clearing the
plateau To accommodate the dueliers.
when Hamilton's boat arrived at seven
O'Clock A. NJ. from New York.
The Level top OF this grassy plateau is
about eight or ten feet above the level OF
the river Grated at nigh or low tide, as the
case might bel The river bank is hard
aud goes abruptly down into the water
which, anywhere along, is about deep
enough for Il small boat TO float and land
its passengers.
THERE IT Isl"
When we emerged on this plateau, our
guide said, There it isip aud sure enough
there it was and no mistake about IL.
Every stone and tree on the plateau was
| covered with rude cuttings of all sorts
patience and perseverance,. LII counec-
ton with some initials we could see
Boston" philadelphia New Or
leans.n "Albany,a etc. Some of the
cuttings on the trees had nearly closed
up bv the recuperatlve power of vege-
table nature. Most of the dates indicated
that the visits had been made during the
first decade of this century, ut least dur
ing the ten years Immediately succeeding
the tragedy. We examined everything
minutely. After doing this we
sat on o bowider to speculate.
Many stones, larger and smaller,
lay around. Some of the largest would
about make a good LOAF for Il one
horse cart. We could see that several
had heen rolled over the plump bank into
the river. One of these has been cnrfiei
up TO the top of the cliff and now lies
p ., ,4.r TIC krTnl ~. fha vrn N
the mansion lately owned by Mrs. King,
aud which was designated a year or Two
ago for a public PARK. This stone Is COW
cred with rude cuttings and is a fair
sample of those which formerly lay all
around over the dueling ground. Many.
of the trees were partially stripped OF
their bark ana were in process OF dying.
Perhaps we were sitting on the very
powders where Hamilton and Burr, or
PendIeton or Van Ness, or DIR. Hosack
had rested on that fatal morning about
hfty-one years ago-perhapS from the
very place where we SAT-, We could put
the top of our canes upon the very spot
where Hamilton lay gasping when he
said TO DIR. Hosack.s This wound is NOR
tai." Perhaps the boats had landed here,
there or ycnder, rs the Irregularities OF
the bank seemed to indicate Il possible or
easy landing place. After our surmisas
were exhausted we began to think about
Ali6Lh tnO 0POO IA ilOG oO Sdtp W.
could be sure about tindiuy it at any
future time. In default of tools, cutting
to n exteut was out of the question. 1t
was a COED thing, everything considered,
that we had nothing along with us to cut
with; IL we had, WI might have made
our rude record among II IA others.
AS it was, we planned a better and more
permanent record. We "bu ilded better
than we kEew.'
THE TRUE GROUND.
From where we sat, a few yards north
of the north end OF the standing ground
OF duellfsts, we could look straight along
the south house line OF Forty-second
street, New York, as far up as Fifth ave-
nue.. Going 200 feet south We found that
the north house line of Forty first street,
New YORK, extending TO this plateau.
WAS only a few yards south of the stand
ing ground of the duellists. The true
ground was therefore the plateau be-
tween two lines named above. The river
ba nix was clearly defined and permanent.
the foot OF the cliff the same. In case i'm
provements would come aud break up
the river margin, the Iraprock hill would
still remain, and was not likely to be dis
turbed very seriously. The true stand
ing ground or the duellists is therefore to
be found aaout sixty feet east of the
clearly defined foot of the cliff.
There was, at this time, no trace what
ever of the st. Andrews Society's mont
ment. An old tree of cedar. ABOUT seven
inches in diameter aud fifteen feet hign,
was at this tune growing at the northern
boundary line OF the standing ground,
The tree was considerably cut, barked
and disfgured, but iG seemed to be send
ing up vigorous shoots and looked like ii
pretty permanent fixture.
In visiting the place in 1856 / found a
rude wagon road close TO the foot of the
hill aud a single line of railroad track,
- s-k ~ E,t4 Da,I~1a1 l.1i
laid from the oil dock at Weehaw9en to
the Hba5toir and cattle yards at GutteD-
berg. Even theu the duelllng grouud
had not been disturbed seriously. The
old CEDAR tree had beea denuded of it's
branches, but was still strong and Wig
orous.
/ visited the grounds on Wednesi lay.
the nth Of this month MAY, 1893 } and
found not material changes. The old
cedar tree Is about gone. The remains of
it is Il barked, blackened stump ABOUT
three feet high; it has been cut off with
a saw, 1t has axe-marks near the ground,
rs though some vandal wanted to cut it
down aud carry it off. Several railroad
spikes are drivsu into the top. These
have acted as wedges and hive split the
the old stump into several sections. They
are firmly held by the spring of the old
trunk. Being driven in level with the
heads, they cannot be removed without
special tools.
AN HISTORICAL PLATEAU.
Instead or one line IF railroad track, l
found three; the additional lines had
been laid by the West Shore Railroad
Company. They are a par5 of the new
Junction Railroad, which was intended
TO connect the West Slore main road
from its terminus at the Weehawken w.
X. r. terry with the Continental lines
wAich have their terminus II aoboken
and Jersey City. Exactly 0 pposite the
dueiing ground, the talus Of the cliff has
Deen cut somewhat, not seriously, how
ever. The wagon road is gone. between
the slight cutting u the using Of the
wagon ROAD, the three railroad tracks lie
snuglv togsLher. as they sweep aroun | the
slight s v ell outward OF the hill opposite
he dueling plateau. The latter has not
been disturbed; the true standing ground
of the duelists lies close to the outside OF
e~asterly track. In making the railroad.
powders and other debris fonnd IN the
way were ratified over The edge OF the
bank illto the river: this has Droadened
me plateau several feef, at a point u few
yards north OF the true ground: at pres
ent that Is the br0adest poinf. Formerly
the plateau was bro dest ut the true
standing ground; however. the altera-
tion is so slight rs TO be immateriai Ia
altering the original fom OF the ground.
At present The historical plateau IS
rayereu with an uufierRfuRtl of alan