New-York tribune., 1902-12-14
JERSEY CITY LANDMARK.
Man from Boston Had to Tell Resident of
'the House of the Four Corners"
of Which Irving Wrote.

Have you heard of the House OF the Four
Corners?" asked Boston man who visiting
his brother, a Jersey City merchant.
Don't remember that l have" was the answer
Where is it?"
That's just the way" remarked the first, with
a shake Of the head. Here 1 have come from the
Hub. and 1 have tell you about a famous
landmark which is right under your nose. Why
1 the House OF the Four Corners that
Washington Irving wrote about. It still stands in
Communipaw. I took walk the place only yes
terday afternoon, but disappointed
What is it nova saloOn?" asked the native
Jerseyman.
Not quite so bad as that" said the Boston man
'No; it's a tenement house What was once
an imposing mansion is now row Of four slabsided
houses glued, as it were. solidiy together. Wash
ington Irving. you know. in his 'knickerbocker's
History of ew-York, makes all of fun
Of the staid and stately Dutchmen who first settled
in COmmunipaw. and he got his points for of
his brightest chapters from a visit to this very
house in the days of its pride. when it was the
home of John Van Horne
DO any Of the Van Hornes live there now?"
asked the Jerseyman.
NO; the Van Hornes have abandoned the place.
Van Horne would not be able what a
change time has wrought upon his old home with
out dying from apoplexy. The Van Hornes, ac-
coring to Irving, like the other early inhabitants
of Communipaw, could endure any change.
They stuck their old Dutch customs and modes
OF thinking
Inc massachusetts man mere stepped the
room to a bookcase. which he had previously ex-
plored, pulled out of Irving's books turned
few pages and read:
LAS citadel for the place and a stronghold for
the preservation of everything Dutch, Van Horne
erected lordy mansion, with a chimney perched
every corner. which thence derived the name
of the house of the Four Corners
1T here that the valiant Van Horne and his
compeers would sit for hours and days together,
smoking their pipes. holding councils OF war.
watching the growing city across the bay with
a ship launched and persuading
themselves that Admiral Van Tromp would one
day other arrive to sweep out the invaders with
the broom which he carried at his masthead Years
rolled by, and Van Tromp never came; but still
| they kept smoking and smoking and watching
and watching and turning the same few thoughts
over in perpetual circle, which is called delib-
Grafton. while they grew poorer and poorer until
they had hardly the wherewithal to maintain their
pipes with fuel
'Oh, yes. 1 remember having read that some
where, said the Jersey City brother after he had
suppressed q yawn with considerable difficulty.
The man from Boston not noticing the yawn,
wiped the dust off the book and then said
Il understand th2t the house stood pretty much
/ as the renowned Van Horne built it, with gable
roof one story IN height for the most part, with
spacious ireplaces and Railways until few years
| ago, when it converted into a foundry. This
| so incensed the and penateS of the place
| that they permitted the foundry fires TO leap too
| high and consume the roof Then the transforma-
| ton into tenement house made by the addi-
tion of another story. L guess it is good paying
| investment. now
We'll. that is interesting" said the Jerseyman
1 who, at the last sentence, started up and was all
| attention,