The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-20
SAVE The PALISADES
Efforts to Stop the Destruc-
tion of Hudson's PiCtur-
esque Scenery.
A PARK AND DRIVE
With the Hudson Boulevard a
Grand Drive From Bergen
Point to the State Line.

When the time came for the opening
of the special session of the Legislature
to convene last month, Senator Winton
of Bergen County journied down 10
Trenton with a bill in his pocket which
was of interest to more people OF this
county than any measur perhaps which
was ever introduced into either Cham
Der. 1t was a bill for the preservation
of the Palisades, and where is there an
American who is not interested in saving
from the hand of the modern vandal,o one
the most famous and picturesque por-
tons of the county, that noble, massive
wall of rock which gives to the Hudson
the greater part of its grandeur and
makes it the superior of the much vaunt-
ed German Rhine.
AS is well known the Legislature adj
journed Immediately Upon assembling,
and although Mr.. Winton made every ef-
fort to get his bill passed, he was UNI
successful. He intends, however, to in
troduce it the first thing he does at the
session which begins next January. His
measure provides for the appointment
by the Governor of three Commissioners
to be known as the Palisade Park Com
missioners, who are directed to investi4
gate the matter and report as expedil
tiously as possible, ways and means for
protecting the natural scenery Of the
Palisades, and for the purposes Of con-
demning a portion of them for park
purposes. All the members of the Legis-
lature have been communicated with
upon the subject and with few excep-
tons have all expressed. themselves as
being heartily in favor of the measure.
The question is entirely without politi-
cal significance and there is little doubt
that the commission will be appointed
whatever may be done with its report.
TAKING OUT THE ROCK.
The necessity for any such action as
this has been brought about by the men
who nave obtained possession of the
Palisades, and are now engaged in TAX
ing out the rock. Already they AVE
made a visible impression upon the face
of the Palisades and there is to be seen
great Gaping wounds which, if allowed
to continue to grow, will MAJ the historic
beauty of the. grand old rocks. One of
the worst of these is near Fort Lee, and
another is back of Englewood, while at
Alpines where Adjutant-Genera Stryker
makes his summer home, machinery is
being unloaded from barges, and active
preparations are in progress for begin
ming the work of destruction at that
point.
While the devastation of the Palisades
is of no recent beginning, and it is very
well known that since the early part of
the century, squatter-quarrymen nave
been at work there, yet it is only re-
Gently that the destruction has assumed
great proportions.
AT first only the loose stone deposited
by the action of time, and loosened from
the face of the cliff by the elements,
was made use of in road building. The
stone was then employed in the construc-
ton of piers and bulkheads on the North
River front in New York, Jersey City
and Hoboken.
BEGINNING OF THE DEVASTATION.
The real destruction of the .Steep
Rocks as they were then generally
called, began within the last twenty-five
years, and most of it has been accom-
plished within the last decade. The
quantity of stone used has increased
enormously as it's uses grew more mani
fold, until at the present day it is used
for well nigh every purpose from paw
ing stone and Belgian block to crushed
material for m-acadanizing and common
filling. And it has recently been forced
upon the public notice that, with the
use of modern explosives, at the present
rate of demolition, it will not be long
before The Palisades New Jerseys
| towering eastern boundary-the most
beautiful, grand and picturesque ridge
of cliff on the Hudson River in this
| State and affording one of the MOST at
t~ractive and marvellous sketches of seen
cry in America-it will not be long be-
| fore this beautiful spot shall be entirely
| destroyed by the blast and quarry.
Thu first quarries which ever blasted
the Palisades were those of John r.
Pettigrew, begun in the fifties. One was
in Englewood, the other in Ridgeield
| Township. Both were abandoned fifteen
OTHERS CROWD IN.
Ten years after the first quarries were
established, Others were opened at Motifs
| Grove, on the Laimbeer estate, and on
the Huyler property.
Some years ago, William 0. Allison of
ers of the Palisades, secured 800 feet of
water line. including an old quarry
formerly owned by Bedford and Thomp-
quarry to George W. ana aaron A. Car
penter of Port Chester. The lease re-
ouires that the quarry shall be worked
so thai the Palisades is left p~erpendicu-
lar, and so fan. as practicable, preserving
a straight surface horizontally"
This Carpenter quarry is one whose
wholesale methods of destruction lave
aroused such general regret and indigna-
ton. Here was exploded the gigantic
blast which at one time tore down 1000
cubic yards of rock. and shook up tie
people of New Jersey to a sense of ire
trievable wrong which was done. Siilee
that time Mr.. Allison has completed the
sale of this quarry to the Carpenter
MR.. ALBERT'S PLAN.
Mr.. Fleming P.aAlbert. whose cottage
is perched up upon the cliff overlooking
Yonkers, and upon whose property is
that old famous landmark, Pulpit Rock,
is much interested in saving the Pals
AIDES. He has given the matter much
study, and in talking with a correspon-
dent for 'tThe Jersey City News" Who
called Upon him at his picturesque home
last week, on the subject, Mr.. Albert
said
"Originally all this ridge formed the
wooded lands connected with the farms
in the valley below. and the property
lines ran from the valley up the western
slope to the edge of the Palisades, and
so on down to the river. making long
ribbon strips with comparatively small
frontage and great depth. At different
times sections below the. cliffs on the
river were frequently bought for the pur-
pose Of using the loose broken stone that