The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1895-06-14

sion OF New York's building ground.
and only wait the chance afforded by
theexcavator' pick to show that though
forgotten they are not dead. New
York city. and especially the lower
end Of II, appears TO be ground 80 solid
and Is covered with masses Of build
ings 80 enormous thht It Ia hard to be-
lleye that large portion OF It has been
built up on pools. swampa. streams and
made ground. Yet such Is the fact,
says a New York paper.
The peninsular tip Of Manhattan
island must have been as wet and
swampy as old Holland itself when
New Amsterdam was founded beside
the marsh which ran up to Broad
street from the East river. and. In all
probability. II was this very swampi-
meas that led the Dutchmen to select
II as their new home. This particular
piece Of marsh land ended In a
swampy pasture. which ran almost up
TO Wall street. and was drained by n
canal with two lateral branches along
Bridge street called the Common
Ditch.
This was the smallest OF the marshes
A short walk beyond the wall would
lead the burghors to a large wet field
called Beekman's swamp. which COW
cred nearly all OF the area bounded by
Frankfort. Fulton. and william
streets and the then water front. BE-
yond this. going east. came little
narrow neck OF solid land and then a
still larger swamp called the Roose-
welt swamp which extended almost up
10 Park row and covered all the area
now included by that street. the water
front as II was, and James and Pearl
streets. Through II ran quite a stream
called the Aud Kill. This stream be-
gan about the junction OF Roosevelt
street and Park row In narrow band
OF marsh. which on the other side OF
Park Row opened into a big swamp
lying around two pools Of fresh water
called the Collect ponds. This swamp
land. ran up as far as Grand street.
and which filled In nearly the whole
OF the space between Broadway and
the Bowery as far south M Franklin
street. narrowed TO a small outlet at
the junction OF Canal street and
Broadway. and then spread out into an
extensive sories OF swamps. One OF
these extended az far south as tho cor
ner OF Franklin and Hudson streets:
another, known as LiBpenard's swamp.
or meadows. ran almost up to Houston
street, while n third reached far In
land In n northosterly direction rs far
up as the corner OF Twelfth street and
Sixth avenue. II viii be seen, there
fore. that this series OF swamps. pools
and streams. extending diagonally
across town from the foot OF Roose-
welt street to the Hudson river, practlc-
ally divided Manhattan island into
two parts. and made a subsidiary isle
OF the downtown portion. Through tho
upper arm OF the great western chain
| OF swamps there flowed the stream
which has 30 bothered the contractor
referred TO In the opening paragraph
/ For some reason or other this stream
seems to have been subject OF al
much diversity OF opinion among the
early topographers as II has been
among the later gossips OF Greenwich
village. The Dutch map makers did
not apparently venture as far north
as this. but In n map made by Col
John Montresor In the winter OF III,
1 for the Hon. Thomas Gage major gen
eral and ommander-in-chief OF hli
majesty's forces In North America
this stream Is found set down. It Il
plotted IA creek which APPARENT,
drained the swamp land that reached
from beyond the obellsk road to thu
Greenwich road. that Is. from abou
Greenwich avenue to Greenwich stree
along the line OF Christopher street
between the high land on which Lad!
warrens house was built, and the hill
back OF which lay the Lispenart
swamps. The popularity OF the strean
was. according TO Montrcsor. that /
had neither source nor mouth; II jus
lay there.