St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-09-18

New York has but recently discoy-
cred new summer resort right with
in the metropolitan district, and 1t is
only just beginning to utilize it. This
is the Palisades park, which belongs
| Jointly to the states of New York and
| New Jersey and stretches for miles
along the western bank of the Hud-
son. The ground from the top of the
cliffs to low water mark and several
places at the top of the cliffs were ac-
CURED five years ago in order partly
to stop the destruction of the Pali-
sades by stone quarters and partly to
prevent this, the choicest spot around
New York, from getting into the
hands of real estate dealers, and so
being cut up into building lots and
thus taken away from the general
public.
A commission, consisting of 10 New
York and New Jersey business men,
was appointed to look after it and one
or more of these visit the park every
day.
New Workers have just discovered
what an ideal spot this is for camp
Ing. All along the shore are tents, in
which boys and men and often wom-
en-, too, are living close to nature. The
debris washed down from the Pali-
sades by the waters of the ages has
formed beach, sandy and smooth in
some places, rocky and overgrown
with trees in others. Upon this beach
any one may pitch tent, except in a
few choice spots, where small fee is
required, but it is necessary for all
to obtain permit from the commits
sion and also to obey the rules that
are laid down by it.
The beach is reached by boat easily,
but one can walk along the shore from
the Fort Lee ferry. or. better still,
take trolley car to the turn at Main
street, Fort Lee, and then walk about
mile along the road in northwest
erly direction and down a flight of
primitive stone steps. There are also
other points further north at which
one can descend the cliffs. Along this
stretch of beach the campers may be
found. Their tents and fires are vis-
ible from the far upper west side of
Manhattan, say from about One Hun
dTed and SeVenty-second street up to
Spuyten Duyvi1. In some tents are
whole families, the father going to
and coming from business in a motor
boat and rowing across to and from
Manhattan or walking to and from
Fort Lee or Coytesville, N. J. In 9TH
ers are parties of young men. In
one group is band of volunteer life
savers, who keep beacon burning at
night and encourage the boys of the
other camps to learn to swim and
dive. There are boats that may be
hired by the day, week or month
There is excellent fishing for cells and
crabs; the water. while not quite as
salty as the sea, is more than brack-
fish and the river in many places is so
shallow that at low tide one may walk
half way across to New York.
Franklin Hopkins, the broker, of
No. 25 Broad street, is one of the most
active men on the commission that
has charge of this strip of park and
has really made it his hobby. A few
days ago he took the writer in mo-
tor boat for tour of the camps.
1.-TWO years ago these hills were in
a very, very bad condition" he said,
as he pointed out their beauty. Camp
ers used to come over in whole fami-
lies, set up great tents and take in
boarders. The sanitary conditions
were appalling and the conditions of
morality were little better. There was
really canvas tenement district here
in the woods and vandalism that
showed only too plainly that there
would be few natural beauties along
the shore left If these people were