New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-04
THE OLD RED MILL REGION.

| QUANTITY plCTIEESQt J. ram "
ISLAND REACHED BY THE NECK ROAD
One Of the delightful trips of the weH-known
! routes which can be readily taken from the o'oon
Iyn cycle Path leads to the old Red MIL u Is
mos. eosiIv reached by the Neck Road. which
crosses the Cycle Path just beyond the milestone
marking the distance Of four miles from rrosp,''
PARK The rider turns 10 the Left or this anc ~
an excellent side path or a fairy eood Io"u"'S'
gees eastward. The first street crossed Is Co''eE
! Island-avc. in which are the tracks OF 'he Co'icS
Island route OF the Brooklyn and Concf ls'ai'
Trolley Co,cpary. few hundred yards iur'"e'
IN the Neck Road makes a turn 20 the right anu
q little further a sharp turn 10 the left Is neces-
sary II one should go straight ahead ne "ou'i
be on the Sheepshead Bay Road, leadihH 10 'h'
Village whose name X bears. But inc aoiCp' '"'"
into Neck Road gives a straightaway course 10
The vicinity of the old mill. The Brighton i'es-''
Railroad IS crossed OF grade are the Manhattan
Beach tracks Between the two Is an oi--fishi"'''u
Dutch house OF the last century, with great o'e
hanging caves At Ocean-ave. the trolley tracks
Of the Nassau company are crossed ana mere an
Improvement of the roadway OF that street by
mocadam,zing IT, In com e,ioa with the sale or
property In the vicinity, Is IN progress. TINS WORK
Is portion OF ;hat authorized last year from ina
Common Lands fund OF thu former town or Graves
end
East of OCean-ave the Neck Road passes vine
embowered cottages. quaint farmhouses ana
little rustic church. while the buildings and grand
stand Of the Coney Island Jockey Club can De
seen 10 the right Just before Ryder Ian" Is
reached the newly opened Avenue IS crossed a.
long angle At the Ryder Lane corner s'ahu"
one Of the pre- Revolutionary relies of Kings Couh-
ty 1t is an ancient milestone. on the face OF
which is inscribed "si2 miles TO Brookland Ferry.
Just how old II Is one knows. but the speliihs
indicates that ;he period OF its erection Is re-
mote one a short distance beyond Ryder Lane
and Just beyond country seat known by the
N.gl- Doc
bends sharply TO the right. and, after crossing
Avenue L. again turns to the left and again to
the right a little further on. with the MIL pond
in the foreground. Skirtng it, shore for shor'
distance the old Red Mil is reached. on the shore
of jamaica Bay. II stands In front OF \ CON,
Portable country mansion, long the nome 81 t'e
Garrc,tson family and sun owned ny tne he ,r
house bears the marks OF age. and the statues on
the lawn are lichon-covered and Gscolore: by
by the farmer OF the estate who prevents the
property from going 10 nun FROM lack OF occu-
The mill was by the tide in the days wh"n
the farmers Of the region round brought 10 IT
the grsts Of ground grain The lack OF water
power fOwirg streams mad II ncccssart ior
nils mills for the means Of gfindEg hour ana meal
There were n KINGS COUNT In former DAYS Two
latter STANDING in Flatbush until It was burned
few years ago. The Garifi,son mill has an
whee. has hung Idle since the choapness Of
western nour made i no longer lIolthble 10 make
strong stone dam extends across an arm Of
the bay. with opening IN the centre for the
tide 10 fiji up the pond, and gate TO be shut
down when Inc tide turned a smalec passage,
with q gate 20 regulate the flow. leads from the
pond to the wheel, which IS outside OF the mil!
Itself. So long has 1t hung idle that the copper
bolts used In fastening the timbers together be-
they Withstand the action OF salt water
better thar iron. are covered with verdigris. and
the timbcrs themselves beginning to decay,
When the pond IA full OF sea water II Is small
lake. nearly quarter Of a mile long and half as
County, the artificial In Prospect Park.
It's extent will be somewhat lessened when Avenue
I IS extended across the upper end. although
pond II vas from this water that the famous
NH Pond oysters secured n few years ago,
and some are still 10 no obtained from tho beds.
public is prohibited from fishing or getting oysters
or crabs from The pond. but below the dam there
e usually. some success in getting edible nhab-
itants of the salt There fishermen to be
seen frequently, ard some sailboats find their way
IN by the tortuous channel leading from the broad
or reaches OF the bay. Across the water Barren
the mainland cas-; Of the Red Mil, is a little
group Of hotels and houses, which is known by
the euphonious name OF IIemock city, while still
further away the Ferris wheel at Bergen Beach
marks that resort.
The charm of the old Red Mil region. which
draws those who have disc overod il 70 return Is
again and again to f. and those who do not return
keep II IN mind az one OF the places they would
RYDER Lane from the old milestone and ind a
couple Of miles Of fair sidepath riding through
potato fields and market gardens, to Kings High
way, which can be taken in one direction to the
Cycle Path and in the other 10 Flatbush-av ave
which viii bring one back Prospect Park IT
Is good riding in either direction; i is also pos
and by a tortuous route reach the Cycle Path not
far from the third milestone from the Park.