New-York tribune., 1903-04-26
TO MAKE DRINKING WATER IN THE BRONX PI1RER.
T4TERSHED OF W4lIPUS RIVER NEAR 4RNONK
TO BE PROPERLY PROTECTED FROM NJIS4NCES.

and Howard Townsend. of New-York. at once
got to work, and. during the last few weeks
have been hearing testimony in this city as
to the value of the land to be acquired.
The Wampus Valley is one of the most pict
uresque. fertile and longest inha bited of the
many in Westchester County The rock ribbed
hills that hedge it in are great masses of lime
stone and gneiss with numerous extensive dikes
of granite and marble. and at their feet are
thousands Of springs which flow with sparkling
water the year round. The valley abounds in
swales and bogs. from which the cool water
bubbles in great volume, and. besides, there is
a great accumulation of surface water from the
hillsides as a result even of summer showers.
The melting SHOWS and heavier rains of the
early spring swell the Wampus. which in sum-
mer is only brook. to the proportions Of a
river
Almost at the edge Of the wampus and its
tributaries, over territory of about five square
miles, stand all sorts of buildings and out
houses. There are graveyards SO near that when
the waters are high a newly made grave nils
almost TO the brink. Some of the dead in one
of these have been buried with the cofhns wound
in straw because OF the water IN the graves
The earth there seems thoroughly saturated With
water.
Armonk is quaint old village on the west
hank of the Wampus Its population is only
about five hundred, but the village has been in
existence since long before the Revolution
Of the brook. Half dozen buildings IN the
village proper are to be wiped out, and farm
houses and barns which swell the total num-
her Of structures to be demolished to nearly one
hundred are scattered about St. Stephen S
Episcopal Church. erected in the early forties,
stands near the Wampus as any other pullo-
ing il Armonk- Its churchyard containing
about four hundred and fifty graves, borders on
the brook. Both. il is said, are TO go, but the
present condemnation proceedings do not in-
cude them. The line of the second survey passes
lust outside the church building. but takes
II old rlR2 he
the carriage sheds adjoining. The older sur
vey. however, marked for condemnation both the
church and churchyard entire. and considera-
tions Of health seem to demand that the whole
churchyard property should go. The cemetery
is not the original burial place for Armonk. but
for the last sixty years has been IN use among
the other buildings to be raZed is the old Brook
side Hotel. at Armonk, barber shop d "heel-
vyright's shop and several cottages.
Much as Armonk will be changed by the con-
demnation proceedings. the old hamlet known
as Mills or Wampus Mills. d mile further up the
valley viii suffer more. The houses, save sin
gle residence high UP the bluff are ALREADY de-
serted The old Mills Church. abandoned a
place of worship many years ago, ana after
ward used d country store, IS In the last
stages of decay. and nearly all the other bulfd-
ings on both sides of the highway are tuInbIlng
down. The place IS a rnelaichoIy TulIl: LoI II
has not now a solitary inhabitant- 1t will pass
away altogether with the cleaning up OF the
Inst above Wampus Mills is the old millpond
and at the foot of d fiume about loo feet long,
low down in the hollow, stand grlstmiH and a
sswIniu in a fair state of repair. Both are still
in use. but modern methods OF hour proouctlon
have for many wears confined the operations or
the former TO grinding of feed and cornmeaI'
The gristmilI has stood for more than cen
1ury and / F. Knowlton, its owner. SAYS 1t mas
been grinding ever since it was built The saw
mill Is of more recent construction Both Will
go and the old millpond will be exclusively the
( property of New-York City. but the boys ana
girls Of Armonk will probably skate on It's Ice
! as before. , -,
Just above the mills. on the hillside. is the old
Halleck barn. Tradition says Major andre
the British spy. was imprisoned in the building
the first night after his capture near Norh
rTarrz-+o1yn The facts according to local his
tories come near justifying this assertion. Ihe
/ luckIess officer was imprisoned IN the Hallech
barn, which stood on the same site; ana was |
similar in form and construction TO that of the
rresant The building. however, was rebulll'
according TO Mr.. Knowlton about thirty years
ago. and contains some Of the rafteIs ana otleF
( tim bers of the original structure
one of the peculiarities OF the survey Is lIdt
Mr. Knowlton's farmhouse stands nearly twice
as far from the river as his barn put owing 10
The running of arbitrarily straight INES pH
F tbe surveyors the house is to be condemned
and the harm is remain. As the latter is within
abo,t one hundred feet of the brook, II seems 10
one who may have occasion TO drink WaHhpus
/ ,-ater as if a new survey would be conducive to
his comfort and, possibly, 10 his health
/ The nearest railway station is abouI e!snt
! miles from ArmCnk the country about Wfllch Is
~ r,ra+test in the county. The old dairy farms
have been generally devoted in recent years to
fruit and poultry raising ,, ~
] one of The pathetic incidents OF the hearing DS
! the condemnation commission was the stoI
William Searles a farmer residing near Al
! monk Mr. Searles said his age was Sky; anu am
that he has reared family or thirteen cllIlul 4
ON his little thirty acre farm MI Searles Wep5
as I7s told the commissioners that the farm hau
descended him from his great-gf eat ia III
father who \ Revolutionary soAuiei -,
that on account OF its associations ne Wds 3, 80!
=, IssI-a If II is so situated that its bulIolhsS
gro doomed however, for the security ol the
/ health Of Newcomers