Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-12-11
WORK FOR THE
PALS S

1.-THE work now going on for the
| preservation of the Palisades and
| Hook Mountain from further destruc-
ton by the quarrymen is for the ben
eft of posterity," said a contributor
to the Hook Mountain fund yester-
day, land if the public are made to
realize more fully the truth of this
| statement, l think that the move
ment on behalf of these landmarks
| will be benefited. 1t should be borne
in mind also that those who are car
| rying on the fight and have been
working for some eight years to this
end have given their efforts without
remuneration, and that no greater
benefits from their labors will accrue
to them than to the thousands of the
public of the two states who will en-
joy the completed park.
"As for the part that the state has
in this movement, some day steps
will have to be taken to preserve the
entire Highlands of the Hudson on
both sides of the river from deface-
ment, and why should it not be done
now before the quarries that have al
ready defaced Hook Mountain be-
yond repair have attacked the DON
derburg,. Storm King, Gro Nest,
| Breakneck Mountain and Anthony's
Nose. The men who stand behind
the present movement will a~ssuredly
give their support to the greater
movement herein proposed, and it
will be better to begin now rather
than to wait until it is too late to
save the landmarks in their original
condition.
"While the Hook Mountain bill
was before the legislature last spring,
it's enemies attacked it by alleging
that the measure would benefit only
the rich men owning estates along
the river adjacent to the lands which
it was proposed to include in the
Palisades Park Reservation. These
attacks were effectively refuted at
the time, but a report of that sort
once started does harm. 1t has al
ready been shown that those who
contributed large sums to the Inter-
state Palisade Park fund could de-
rive no personal benefit from the
park because their estates are sc far
removed from the park site. No bet
ter additional proof of the benefit
that the park will give to the public
need be asked than the success which
the camping ground laid out by the
Interstate Palisades Park Commits
sion has already met with. The open
ing of the camping privileges in the
Interstate Palisades Park Reserva-
ton two years ago brought hundreds
of campers to the Palisades, and the
middle of the first summer found as
many as 1000 campers in possession
at one time. The signal success of
the first experiment caused the en-
largement of the camping area for
the second season, and before last
summer had ended the ground set
aside for that purpose was taxed to
its full capacity.
when the camping plan was first
made public the general idea pre-
vailed that it would probably be
taken advantage of only by residents
of New York, but experience proved
that the majority of persons who
availed themselves of the camping
privileges came from considerable
distances. The Palisades Park
camping ground means to the city
worker living in a vacation camp
through the entire summer within
reach of his work. To the visitor
from a distance 1t means camping in
rugged mountain land, still as wild
as nature made 1t, within sight and
easy access of sthe metropolis, which
may be visited daily if desired with
the greatest possible facilities"
In regard to the custom of charg-
ing a small fee for camping privileges
and policing the park to maintain
order, Mr.. J.. Du Pratt White, secre-
tary of, the Interstate Palisades Park
Commission, said: by the permit
system, we do not desire to tie the
whole camp up in red tape, but we
do what we can to see that the per-
mits get into the right hands. Once
we rejected an application from Que
man because he had caused trouble
the year before. but as a matter OF
fact there is very little disorder.