The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-09-09

one of the several beautiful coves Of
Lake Hopatcong, to visit a friendly tribe
in the South. He pulled up his canoe on
the bank of this cove and started toward
the lodge Of his friend, Comascoman
who lived on the Musconetcong, and
whom Inaqualiela desired as a compan-
ion on his journey. On his way Inaqua-
hela was attacked by bear. Now, the
token or tribal animal of Inaquahela's S
people was the bear, and he was forbid
den to slay it under the penalty of los
ing his life. The sachem endeavored to
elude the fierce attacks of the bear But
in vain! They grappled and a deadly
hand -to-hand battle followed. Inaqua-
hela killed the bear and immediately dis
appeared The next day the dead beast
was found. Near it lay the hunting
gear of the great chief But he was
gone. His people concluded that he had
departed to the spirit land. When the.
next full moon came a mist was seen
rising from tile mountains back of the
River Styx, and as the braves passed by
in their canoes they heard remarkably
clear and reverberating echo,
AT the same time the medicine man of
r.. 4..:lsS 4,ll ,f !, x-;e;o,, hf had
had In it the spirit of the saehem ap-
peared TO him and told that for killing
the bear he had been shut out of 5ae
spirit land, and that his spirit would al
ways follow the Nariticongs. For proof
of his presence the mist was pointed out
as the smoke from Inaauahela's wigwam
i'll the mountain, and the echo as the ever
ready answer of the departed great man
to his peoples hunting cry.
The mist is still seen there. The echo
in that part is heard to-day: but Ina
quahela and Inaquahela's people have
left the lake of crooked waters forever.
In my searchings | came across an old
graveyard in piece of woodland oppo-
site Point Pleasant. 1t is apparently
very old, for the graves are marked by
simple field stones which are well-nigh
all shattered. Few people know of it.
and those that do. very little about it.
picked up these few details. which | am
expecting to investigate upon my return
to Newark in September. 1t appears that
in 1917 the first white settlers came to
Lake Hopatcong. They settled OH and
around what is now called Bertrand )
Island. They We're Rogerians, religious
sect who believed that church services
on Sunday We're wrong. They became
offensive to the orthodox Puritanism of
New England by their noisy attempts to
break up Sunday services. For this rea-
son many were expelled, especially from
Connecticut. Some of these found their
way to Hopatcong. They were thrifty
and lived plain. strong lives Their dead
We're buried in the graveyard mentioned
and an old corduroy road, some of the
logs of which can still be seen rotting in
the swamp. tell of the labcrs of these
forgotte-, ifst white settlers. The last
interlnell i'll this old graveyard was in
1929.
| The carnival at Lake Hopatcong last
| Saturday night brought to mind the event
that marked the beginning of these an
nual festivals of boats and bowers. In
1891 the William A. Wood, the first and
| Oldest steamer on the lake, was consigned
For fifty years the Wood had piled its
waters. 1t was fitting that her final
resting place should be the bottom of
| the lake On summers night laden
with stones, the Wood started on her
last trip. Into every cove, through ev-
cry channel, by every island, she sailed.
followed by every craft on the lake. brill
liantly illuminated. Band played and
people sang. The procession ended near
the River styx, when she was stopped
| and surrounded by a large circle Of
steamers, launches, skiffs. rowboats. ca
noes-all magni6cently decorated-seut
tied and sunk, forrest with many known
and unknown things Of these Indian wa
ters. Ever since the carnivals Of Lake
Hopatcong are events Of the summer
seasons.