The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-09-27
RESULT OF IA YEARS
OF UHREhITTIaG EFFORT
Saved for Pleasure Resort
Largely Through Work Of
WOmSn'S Clubs
IN AasocIatod Pressl

New York, Sept. % Fourteen ycars
of unremiltng efforts TO save the bean
Aful palisades Of the west bank of
fhe Hudson river from destruction hl
blasting were crowned with success 90
day when nc completion Oi he par
chase of the entire stlp OF palisade
from Fort Lee. n I.. 10 piCrmoni y
r. was announced This st-ip of
land and PERCEPTIONS cliff. fourteen
miles long constitutes ono of ibc
most picturesque bits of scenery iu
the ate. and under the plan hy which
the work of redemption has been Az
complIshed n viii become the Pail
sades Interstate park
n comprises 700 acres of level land
eivIng opportunity for beautiful
boulevard drive along the base al
the cliff and splendid opportunities
tor camping and other recreation io|
he millions of persons huddled in
ne tenements of New York and nea
10y cities One of the achievement,
remaining to hn accomplished i ihol
building of this proposed drive along
nt#r ledga "a tha base of ihe
sltl connecting New York b th
Fort Lee ferry with tbo good road
of the Yves bank Of the Hudson
The cost &c This park is bout Sf9I
oQo of which S5120cl was paid by h
tates of New York and New Jerse
and Sl25000 by cont ibuuon of J
pielu9n, Morgan
The acquisition of the property com
posing the park ana the disc0miuu
9Gce Of The work Of destruction hg
blasting which Eas rapidly In pr1gra
1as been accomplished by "a commits
sion of which George w. Perkins of
New York was president Mr. pol
ua today iD making his report. said
bat ihe first aneihle attempt to save
The Palisades was made in 1885 whcl
he United States Government wa
asked to AXE them for military pur
poses. This plan failed but fho New
Ie' e'scy state federation Of wOmeus
clubs took MP the fight With cnthu
siasm and the result of their 9ctiyc
campaigning was the appointment on
committees By Governors Roosevelt o
New York and Voorhees, OF New jer
iey 10 investigate HE opportunities o
protecting the Palisades
These committees recommended
and the legislatures of New York and
New Jersey authorized in 1900. q pcr
manent interstate park commission
As appoin ed by the governors named
The commission w4s composed O
gorge M. Perkins. J. Du Pratt White
Ralph Trautman d. Etauffer and Ma
than + Barrett, representing New
York, and Abran S. Hewitt. Edwin "A
stevens Franklin w Hopkins, vii
liam A. Linn ana Abram De Ronde
representing New Jersey The places
left vacant by the death OF Mr. How
t and Tnutman were filled by the
appointment of William i. Dana and
William II. Porter.
For expenses the Two states gave
he commission when first appointed
$4,000 Thee commissioner found its
most difficult problem at the 0uiso
was 10 S 0p the work Of destruction
Wisely it determined TO pay 100000
9f its expense fund for options on the
1uarries which We're destroying the
beauty Of the Palisades and then To
attempt to purchas the queries on
rieh for an additional $12J0G0 This
sum was TO be raised by popular sub
scrption, and after that the commits
sion estimated that the 7o9 acres of
level land p the base Of the cliffs
could be purchased at an expenditure
by the Two states Of $500.00 TO-DAY
the commission had the pleasure Of
eporiing that il had accomplished ii-
object within the estimated sum
With the payment of the option al
blasting ceased on Christmas Eve .
1900 The $125,000 necessary 10 bus
tho quarries was offered AIS q volun
tary contribution by J Pierpont Nor
gan and gratefully accepted The
| Legislature of New York appropriated
sl50.000 and that Of New Jersey $50
lca0 for the purchase of he land
Since then New York has given for
1 leXpenses $20000 aud New Jersey sl7.
COO This has been spent in the act
| nal work Of acquiring and improving
Ithe property Tho personal expensea
/ of the commissioners have amounted
to 1857.
The commission. however, would
not have been able to announce the
completion of the purchase at this
time had ii no been for the Gift BY
Mr.. Hamilton Mex rwombly Of So
acres of land and riparian tights val
ued at $4,000 which had been used az
a recreation spot for the poor OF New
York which use will continue upder