New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-03
TO SAVE HIGHLANDS
Efforts for Protection of Scenery
Along the Hudson.

Steps being taken to obtain the assurance
OF the permanent preservation OF the scenic beauty
OF the Highlands of the Hudson as a feature OF
the celebration of sooth anniversary of the dis
covery and ascent of the river by Henry Hudson
An identical bill was introduced in both houses
OF the Legislature for the appointment of a COM
mission TO accomplish this purpose and appro-
priating s25o o for the defraying the preliminary
expenses. The project has been brought to the at
tenton of the Hudson Fulton Celebration Commits
sion by the New York Produce Exchange, the Con-
soiidated Exchange and the Maritime Exchange.
winch have taken unanimous action in support OF
it. The celebration commission, OF a meeting on
April =, approved the general idea of the sug-
sestion.
Practically all OF the plans for the dual celebra-
tcn or the tercentennial of the exploration of the
Rhine OF America by the English explorer and the
centennial OF the first voyage OF the Clermont in
t1e wake OF the Half Moon are of temporary
character with this exception. The preservation
or the virgin beauty of the river which greeted the
eyes of Henry Hudson and filed him with wonder
ing delight as permanent monument TO the mem
DRY OF the man whose grave no one knows is the
object of the movement 1t is proposed to do for
the highlands what has been done for the protec-
ton Of the ma jestic beauty of the basaltc front
of the Palisades, and ultimately bring all OF the
scenic regions along the lower reaches OF the river
under the guardianship of the
Already at expenditure of less than $3.50 900
the entire front of the Palisades extending Pier
mont, distance Of thirteen miles. has been pre-
served from the destructive hand Of the Quarryman
the jurisdiction of the Palisades Commission has
been extended to Hook Mountain, whose beauty is
now in process of destruction, great gouges of
having been torn from its face, leaving a
that can be seen as far the mountain face itself
is visible.
The movement proposes practically to COM
piete the work of protecting the scenery which IT.
wing once said responsible for all the good
there was in him. The section which is included
IN The plan is that portion of the easterly face
or the Highlands on the westerly side of the Hud-
so rfa dino Srnt,
reservation to the north base Of Storm King and
the lands lying on the eastcriy face Of the High
lands bordering the easterlv side of the river be-
tween the north line of the state camp grounds
near Peekskill and the north of Breakneck
Ridge.
The method is TO be preventive 1t has been OBJ
served that driving the auarrynen from neigh
borhood, a method illustrated In the buying OF q
rock crushing plant the Palisades which cost
about s2opo for sl32o0 (of which $4,000 was sub
scrfbed by j. Pierpont Morgan). only find a
similar plant glued, leechlihe. the face of an
other scenic monument. is not the least expensive
method of accomplishing the end desired. In the
of the Highlands therefore, it is proposed to
obtain control the scenic features before paying
attention to the sections where the damage has
already been done. This will mean that when the
crushing plants forced from the scenic sections
they will not find lodging places in other equally
advantageous positions for des' oying scenery and
reaping rewards for doing. rhe damage done
10 the scenery the course of short time re-
Quires many years for obliteration, is illus
trated in portions of the Palisades which were de-
nuded more than thirty years ago and still show
the effects of the laying bare of the slope
The Hudson memorial bills" said q man inter
ested in the PLAN ARE framed on precisely the
lines the acts proposed by New York and
New Jersey for the preservation of the Palisades
1t is a noticeable fact that from the time the
Palisades passed, in 1900, to the present
no damaging interests have located along the
thirteen miles of waterfront within the jurisdiction
of the Palisades Commission but beyond it the
quarry operators rapidly spread. II is fair
to assume that the deterrent influence, whether
moral or legal | do not know, Of the passage Of
an act giving authority to take title in the name
where harm is threatened to the
scenery preventive of the spread of those enter
prses would be injurious, This is the purpose
of the bills just introduced; that they should be
more preventive than corrective Experience shows
that buying quarries in operation only tends to
increase damage to the scenery by their locat-
ing elsewhere and resuming operations. With the
authority which the bills propose TO confer on the
nermsnent Hudson Memorial Commission, il Is
safe 10 assume that the spread of the quarry1ns
interests will checked. Then as public opinion
extends throughout the state more extended au-
thoritv may be granted and the crushing plants
suppressed'