The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-09
Il SUBURBAN WILDERNESS.
Picturesque Bsthgate Woods, Just beyond
New York City's Limits.

Picturesque Bathgate Woods, Just hey ond
New York City's Limits.
There lies only half q mile beyond the city
limits OF New York. in the edge OF Westchester
county. q tract OF woodland 40 acres in area
and still wild enough to please even such re-
cluse as Thoreau. Few great cities. European
or American. have such bit OF native wilder
ness upon their borders. and anywhere in tn 9
Old World this woodland woad be called q
forest. The tract is still called the Bathg ate
woods. though the last OF the Bathgates is
dead. 1t has borne that name as long as tho
oldest inhabitant OF the region can remember.
aud doubtless since tho first clearing
OF the region left this tract a dis
tinct body OF woodland The tract be-
gins only q stones throw from the White
Plains road. at a point rather more than a
quarter Of o mile from the New ork city line
and extends northeasterly for the better part
OF mile. 1t Is compassed on all sides by the
village Of Williamsbridge. the villa GO OF South
Mount Vernon. and the newly created city OF
Mount Vernon. Highways lit with gas lamps
and punctuated with fire plugs run within Q
few yards OF the woodland on two sides. and
the whole tract Is SURROUNDED by "a dense sub
urban population. The trolley will buzz
within spis Rys n sHs aoeaand itself is ut
terly given over to nature. No village street
yet penetrates its depths. and not even n cart
irregular footways that characterize New Yorks
pEpulouTs suburbs alone ptleI guides to the ex-
nlator have not yet been laid upon the Bath
cutters axe is eldom hear I'd within thelrdepths.
save the presence OF Wild beasts. Birds there
are In plenty. bnt no bcast larger than a chip:
appears and reappears in u dozen different
places. tarn with waters the color OF tan-bark.
and two or three small clearinRs, one OF them
m smlinp Meadow of rich
like amid h is sdsns f Of tail forest tr e
Ton minutes after leaving the gewgaw cot
meath the cool shades Of this wilderness.
boring railway trains Is trans la ted to the ear
as the rush OF tempestuous winds or the thun-
a asn 81 81 s is s .s sS de ssd
there Is naught to suggest the proximity OF
Many Of the trees, In tho Ba,hgate woods
was settled before the middle Of the seven
nuts. beeches, hickories. tulip poplars. and
syeameres The largest tree Is tai chestnut
T n are many tripiot cRestnuts each fully
three feet, in diameter. The beeches, OF which
Of The insst IN u" eoun ss.
fEeTe srs aaEs Nearly three Feet IN
and colonies Of tall straight hckorles ms ss
ing from blx lncneS 10 nearly Two Ieet. Tnor0
are great ma Ties, q few tall elms many cedars.
and sprnkline Of white and black birch. be-
sides the dogwood and a dozen Towering
shrubs. In the gloom beneath Is mass OF
underbrush traversed by gray stone walls.
and concealing here and there narrow cow
paths used by tho cattle when insect pests be-
come 80 savage that they must be brushed of
by q rapid journey through the bush
Almost every species OF bird native to this
region finds q homo in tho Bathgate woods.
The tangle OF grapevlnes And other climbing
plants about the tarn Is thick with u dozen
kinds OF singing birds and the crane Is seen
now and then lifting its shel-like wings In
leisqrely flight aboye the dark waters Of the
pond. Morning and evening the woodland
ways echo with many notes.
This villa domain 30 strangely set amid re-
gion peculiarly the prey to the land speculat0r
10 q treasury to tho italian colony OF neigh
boring village. and the ram bier In the woodland
Is occasionally startled by curiously Eu-
ropsan apparitiop In group OF Italian women
clad In peasant costume and bearing on their
heads enormous bundles OF iagots, each
seemingly o load for a stout donkey No
Italian family living within walking distance
hundreds OF cords In fagots ana even consld-
The woodland Yields besides quantities Of
chestnutG While the woodland Is thus to the
Italians q source 81 material gain II 10 to
other residents OF the region an ample park
and everybody trembles for the time when 1t
snail DO Improved out OF existence