The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-04-17
Statue to Be Erected at the
Highlands of Navesink In
Honor Of the Great Ex-
plorer
1T WILL COST A MILLION
THE WORK WILL BE DONE
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE
HuDsoN-FULToN COMMISSION
OF NEW YORK.


1t has been proposed by the Hudson
Fulton Commission Of New York. at the
suggestion of General James Grant Will
son, to erect monument to Henry Hud-
son. The statue Of colossal proportions
is to be placed at the foot of the High
lands of Navesink in this State. 1t will
mark the spot off which the intrepid nav
igator's ship, the Half Moon, come to an
chor and her commander and crew first
gazed upon what is recorded in the yes
sells quaint old log as "a very good land
to fall in with and a pleasant land to
see."
1t is purposed that the pedestal shall
be 400 feet high from the foundation line
to dome. which will be surmounfed by
statue of Henry Hudson, measuring l0O
feet from boot soles to hat crown.
The commission having the matter in
charge has been provided for by New
York legislative act. and will in a few
days succeed joint committee. headed
by General Stewart L. Woodruff, which
was appointed by Governor Higgins and
Mayor Mcclellan. The charter for the
Hudson-FuIton celebration commission
will be in the hands of it's secretary, Col
onel Henry w. Sackett, wjhin few
davs. Then an executive committee will
be selected and it will go into action
without delay to carry out the plans Tor
the principal memorial, which IS to be
erected without financial aid from the
State or municipality.
1t will probably take several years 10
complete work of such magnitude 1t
will cost between 100000 and $1,000
OO0. It is estimated than by employing
modern methods of construction the gi-
gantic monument can be finished by the
summer of 1909. Steel caissons Will
be sunk in the soft or sandy soil to the
eastward until the bed rock that dips
down abruptly from the Highlands IS
reached. This will be necessary for the
front or easterly boundary of the pedes-
tai. which at the foundation line will
occupy an area about 400 feet square,
but the western and northern and part
Of the southern sides will rest on the nat
ural rock foundations. The PEDESTAL or
monument, will be constructed in accord
ance with the latest methods employed
in the erection Of lighthouses. 1t will be
of steel skeleton frame and it's girders
and pillars win be tubes filed with con-
crete, reinforced with iron rods.
The precise use to which its interior is
to be put will not be determined until
after the main plans are under way.
There will be ample room within the
monument for variety of purposes. An
dTtfSIC QOOrWdy WILL gave Sutt olSS " eAAa
first, or ground floor, which in all proba-
bility will be arranged as a historical
museum and reception ROOM
There will be forty possibly fifty
floors above the ground, to which. access
will be had by elevators, If later on it is
found that these upper floors can be put
to any practicable use.
The purchase Of land for site for
the monument will be considered soon.
General Wilson believes that there will
be no difficulty in enlisting financial aid
in New Jersey. It is expected that Gov
ernor Stokes, Senator Kean, Senator
Dryden, Cortlandt Parker and men of
like character and wealth. will assist in
the undertaking, and that the New Jer-
sey Historical Society win be glad to in
dorse the project.
nIYeM fsREslcIRlE MEETING