The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-09-24
old FORT COTTON
Now New york's Famous Aquari-
UNI at the Battery.
ONCE NAMED CASTLE GARDEN.
The historic Building In It's Day Has
Heard the Eloquenee OF Daniel Web
ster, the Fiery oratory of kossuth
and the Divine Voice Of Jenny Lind.

Before New lTk'S famous old build
Ing ut the Battery became the Aquar
lun 1t had changed from fort to r,rep-
ton hall. from chief amusement place
of the city To gateway of the promised
land. Long before ii became the home
Of the finny tribe the building resound-
ed with shouts for Lafayette. Andrew
Jackson. Tyler. Van Isuren. Ii heard
the elOqueice of Daniel Webster. the
fiery oratory of Louis EoSSuth, the
Hungarian patriot. and the divine
voice of Jenny Lind. the Swedish
Nightingale.
When the building was new ii stood
on little island separated from the
mainland by some 20O feet of water.
and waS reached by cruising draw
bridge. y great part of Battery park
was then water. and il was the filling
IN of this stretch that made the aqua
rum u part of the mainland. The rca-
son for building it Oh an island away
from the main shore was disclosed in
u government order to Colonel iona
than Williams. who had charge of the
construction of the proposed fort This
order said To construct the fertilization
so that the guns could he trained on
both the North AMI Fast rivers
~ foundation should be made around
the bnStion Of the old BATTERY. where
the flagstaff is placed. extcndn. forty
or fifty feet from the present. and
upon this foundation n battery should
he constructed in such manner that
the run on the right will take in the
North river while that upon the left
will range aiong the coGitinc of the DID
Battery"
! Such were the orders the govern
ment gave Colonel Williams ,. But
Colonel Williams said it was impos-
sible for guns to command the en-
trance to the North and East rivers IL
/ they were placed mt the cd Battery.
Two hundred feet out from the shore
WAS the least distance mt which that
result could he accomplished. and some
| time aftcrward the secretary of war
authorized the cOlOnel's plan for the
forts construction.
| In 1S22. eleven years after its cree
ton. when the military headquarters
was transferred to Governors island.
4 the federal authorities coded Fort Col
TOMAS the present aquarium was then
caled-bnck to the city. Throughout
| the war Of 1872 not one shot had been
fired mt IN enemy from this fort. nor
has one been fired since. The en-
br,lsures for the thirty and tliirty-twO
Founders that were never used against
an enemy can still he seen in the nine
foot outer wall.
/ 1t was then that the former fort he
came II place of amusement ana re-
ceived the name of Castle Garden. II
name which Ii retained for three quar-
tiers Of n century. Two years after the
shifting OF soldiers to Governors isl
and Castle Garden WAS the scene of n
great reception given to General La
fayctte when he visited america In
1924. 1t was also the scene of great
memorial service when he died ten
years later.
1t was there that Samuel +. Il.
Morse. inventor of the telegraph. first
demonstrated the possibility of control
those early years, too, it was the
scene Of the receptions given TO Ameri-
can presidents when they visited New
York. jackson. Tyler and Van Buren,
We're received there, and later on the
Prince of Wales Thcre also many
great political meetings were held
Some of Daniel Webstcrs greatest ora
tions were delivered there
Castle Garden was widely proclaimed
as the first real home of opera I'm
America. The great auditorium. now
occupied by fish. ordinary aud extra
ordinary. was then packed nightly |
with people who gathered to hear those |
famous artists of the middle nineteenth |
century: Malibran. Sontag. Mario. |
Grisi. the members of .Iulicn's orchcs-
ira and-best known OF all-Jcnny !
Lind. whom all the theatcrgoing public.
Of the United States and Europe wor-
SHIPPED. The first night IN 1870 that
the Swedish Nightingale appeared at
Castle Garden. under the mana cement
OF H. 4. Barnun. the choice seats sold
for several hundred dollars. Her ire
mendous popularity was made even
greater when she gave Ia local char
tiles the $4,000 which composed her
share Of the box office receipts
The next year Louis Kossuth. the
famous Hungarian patriot. came fr m
to the United States and made
m address to n vast and enthusiastic
'hrong IN Castle Garden.
This was one of the laSt great recep-
lions held In the historic old building
Four years later il was converted Into
an Immigrant station for the port ~
New York and from then until 1870.
when the immigration office was re-
moved to Ellis island. II served ms the
through which SONl00O of
,eople entered to work out their Dies I
inies In the new world. In lShi II he
anne the aquarium.-New York sun
The Far Horizon.
Little Arthur. taking part In n geog-
Apply examination. should he award. {