USA > New York > New York County > Manhattan > Manhattan: historic and artistic; a six day tour of New York city > Part 7
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HIGH BRIDGE, which crosses the Harlem a little further south, supports an aqueduct for
HIGH BRIDGE.
the waters of the Croton River. This stone structure is built with thirteen arches that rest on solid granite piers. The length of the bridge is one thousand four hundred and sixty feet, and the crown of the highest arch is one hundred and sixteen feet above the river's surface. Pedestrians only can cross the bridge.
McCOMB'S DAM, or CENTRAL BRIDGE, is located near the plain where the last general
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tion of turfmen were accustomed to speed their horses.
RIVERSIDE PARK consists mainly of a three- mile drive following the brow of the Hudson River bluff, from the meadows at 127th Street, formerly known as "Matje Davits' Fly," to 72d Street. Elegant residences adorn the eastern side of Riverside Avenue, and a good deal already has been done to beautify the park. At the right of the drive, where the ground slopes gently to the water's edge, grassplots and groves of shade-trees afford pleasant opportunities for a ramble. A mas- sive retaining-wall supports the bank, whereon thousands of chattering birds build their nests, undismayed by the screaming locomotives that fly past them, bearing trains of cars over the New York Central Road. But the glory of this pleasure-ground consists in its extended vista of the Hudson. At the west repose in grand- eur the Palisades,-a massive perpendicular wall of rock extending far toward the north ;- at the north the wooded shores of the promon- tory, Fort Washington; at the south the towns of New Jersey; and in all of these directions the majestic river, with its sailing crafts and steamers, its endless combinations of light and shade, and its ever-changing play of color.
CLAREMONT .- At the beginning of River-
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side Drive, a restaurant now stands on the height which once was crowned by a stately private residence known as Claremont, and occupied successively by Lord Churchill, Vis- count Courtenay, (afterward Earl of Devon), and Joseph Bonaparte, known as Comte de Survilliers.
THE TOMB OF GENERAL GRANT .- In the midst of this daily pageant of Nature, lie the remains of the great commander, General Ulysses S. Grant. After impressive ceremo- nies, and amidst a vast concourse of people, the body of this hero was laid to rest, August 8th, 1885, in the unpretentious vault which is placed at the east of the drive, in that portion of the park called Claremont Heights. A stately monumental structure soon is to be completed, which will add a dignity to this spot in keeping with its national and historical interest.
THE STATUE OF WASHINGTON, a copy of Houdon's work,-the one ornament of the kind yet placed in the park,-was a gift from the children of the public schools.
The residence of the late General Sherman was in West 73d Street, at No. 67.
CHAPTER IX.
THE FIFTH MORNING.
CENTRAL PARK, now the pride of the city, was a region of rock and swamp, but a compar- atively short time ago, over which roamed at pleasure, the pigs, goats, and chickens, that belonged to the "squatters," whose shanties
OLD SQUATTER SETTLEMENT ON THE CENTRAL PARK SITE.
were perched on the hillsides, or clustered in the hollows.
The establishment of the park, which was effected in 1855, was greatly due to the untir-
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ing efforts of the Honorable De Witt C. Little- john, then speaker at Albany, now living in Oswego. This gentleman says, when the park is mentioned; "Yes, I fought hard for it, and thought the day we passed the bill the bright- est in my life; but as I pass through it now, the trees that I planted thirty-five years ago do not know me, nor do the thousands of peo- ple who jostle me aside as they throng the beautiful roadways, heed me."
The value of the land appropriated to this purpose was estimated by the commissioners to be about five million, and two hundred thousand dollars ; this amount to be paid partly by assessments on adjoining property bene- fited, and partly by the creation of a city-stock, called "The Central Park Fund," for the pay- ment of which stock, the lands of the park should be pledged.
The cost of improving the grounds was pro- vided for in the year 1857, by placing the management and control of the property under a Board of Commissioners, and requiring the corporation to create a public stock to be denominated " The Central Park Improvement Fund," in such sums as should be required by the commissioners,-the interest on the stock to be paid by a general tax, which was not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars annually.
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The park, which now comprises about nine hundred acres, is situated very nearly in the geographical centre of the Island, and is in all respects well adapted to the recreative wants of both the rich and the poor. Pedestrians roam at pleasure over thirty miles of walks, -some fashionable and much frequented, others retired and quiet. Riders on horseback join the throng on the carriage roads, or con- fine their peregrinations to bridle-paths, on which no vehicle will be admitted. For car- riages there are over nine miles of broad, well-made roadway, affording in its course a view of nearly every object of interest, but no- where crossing on the same level, a footpath of importance, or any portion of the bridle-road.
In the improvement of the grounds the di- rections of the Board of Commissioners found expression through their executive officer, Mr. Frederic Law Olmsted, who made the designs, on which the arrangements were based, thus transforming the barren waste into a field of natural and artistic beauty, that rivals any sim- ilar pleasure-ground in the world. Incessant vigilance now maintains the park in perfect order, while the addition of trees, shrubs, and vines, continually increases the picturesque effect, and justifies the following of the wise counsel of the Laird of Dumbiedikes, whom
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Mrs. Lamb quotes: "When ye hae naething else to do ye may aye be sticking in a tree; it will be growing when ye are sleeping."
THE MAIN ENTRANCE to the park is at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street.
THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS .- In and about the old arsenal, a castellated gray brick build- ing, situated at the 64th Street and Fifth Ave- nue entrance, is located the menagerie, or by many now called the Zoological Garden.
During the summer months, the collection of birds and animals is small as compared with it when augmented by the travelling shows, that go into winter quarters here. The Mon- key House, a building filled with tropical specimens of the monkey race, usually is the most attractive feature of the menagerie to the children. Here, of late, Mr. Garner, with the assistance of a phonograph, has pur- sued his scientific investigations concerning the speech of lower animals. In the meteoro- logical observatory, also located in the arsenal, the self-recording instruments may be in- spected.
THE STATUES OF THOMAS MOORE AND ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT are on the banks of the pond, not far from the main entrance. The former was modelled by Dennis B. Shee- han, and given to the city by the Moore
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Memorial Committee; the latter was modelled by Gustave Blaeser, and presented to the city by German residents, on the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of the distinguished savant, September 14th, 1869. At the unveil- ing of this statue, Professor Louis Agassiz made a memorable address.
THE CHILDREN'S SHELTER, with a dairy, and an abundance of benches, seats, tables, and swings, is passed on the way to
THE MALL .- This prominent feature of the park is reached from the Zoological Garden by passing under the marble archway, a structure noted for the beauty of its architect- ural design. The mall itself is a broad prom- enade, one-third of a mile in length, ornament- ed on either side by rows of stately American elms, and terminating at the north in a richly decorated water-terrace and fountain.
The two exceedingly fine pieces of statuary, -Shakespeare, and the "Indian Hunter,"- that stand on the vestibule lawn at the southern approach to the mall, were executed by J. Q. A. Ward. A bronze casting of "Eagles and Goat," by Fratin, stands a little to the east. The other pieces, placed at either side of the prom- enade, are; Sir Walter Scott,-a copy of the original statue in Edinburgh,-by John Steele, Robert Burns, by the same artist, Fitz-Greene
ESPLANADE, FOUNTAIN, AND TERRACE IN CENTRAL PARK.
...
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Halleck, by Wilson MacDonald, and a bust of Beethoven on a granite pedestal near the music stand. Concerts, that are listened to by vast numbers of people, are here provided for Saturday afternoons in the summer.
THE TERRACE AND ESPLANADE, that border the lake at the north of the mall, form the principal architectural feature of the park. Three stairways lead to the esplanade, the central one being under the road, and termi- nating in an arched hall decorated with tiles. The railing and stairways are constructed of light brown sandstone, with panels elaborately sculptured in great variety of intricate design. Especially rich, in pattern and execution, are the carvings of birds and animals, flowers and fruit, with which the noble ramps of the side stairways are decorated.
BETHESDA FOUNTAIN .- Hovering above the upper basin, with wings outstretched, as if just alighting on the massive rock at her feet, the figure of an angel appears to be in the act of blessing the waters of the fountain, which stands in the esplanade between the terrace and the lake. Four smaller figures, emble- matic of the blessings of temperance, purity, health, and peace, support the upper basin, and are slightly veiled by the water which falls from above into the ample pond at their feet.
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This work of art was designed and executed by Miss Emma Stebbins, of New York.
THE LAKE, a handsome, irregular pond, con- taining nearly twenty acres of water, is seen to the best advantage from the terrace. In the summer time gondolas, and pleasure boats of every description, sail its waters, while the winter months bring to it the gaiety which skating occasions. For a row about the lake the fare is ten cents, but by the hour, the charge is thirty cents for one, and ten cents for each additional person.
THE CASINO .- Close by the carriage con- course, at the northern end of the mall, and east of the terrace, is a pretty stone cottage, containing an excellent restaurant.
THE RAMBLE, a rocky hill rising from the northern side of the lake, has been transformed into country freshness and beauty, by trees, of which there are; the ash, the elm, the lime, and the beech, with almost all of the coniferæ, -pines, firs, spruces, and hemlocks,-and by common wild flowers that blossom here abun- dantly. Wild birds build and breed freely, while swans, ducks, and cranes swim the streams of this sequestered grove, which bears within its solitudes the charms of wildness and unmolested freedom.
SCHILLER .- On a sandstone pedestal, amid
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all this beauty, stands a bronze bust of the poet, a work of art modelled by C. L. Richter, and presented to the city by German residents, in 1859.
THE PARK PHAETON .- At the terrace, it will be desirable to enter one of the carriages pro- vided by the commissioners for the purpose of conveying passengers over the entire park, for the moderate fee of twenty-five cents each. Three times during the route an opportunity will be given to stop and examine places of special interest; the Museum of Natural His- tory, McGowan's Pass Tavern, and the Metro- politan Museum of Art. By retaining the tickets provided at starting, passengers may remain at their leisure in any of these places, as the phaetons are passing and will stop on signal.
" THE TIGRESS AND YOUNG."-At the right of the road, just west of the terrace, stands this fine group in bronze, modelled by Augustus Caine. "The Falconer," a figure of exquisite grace, executed by George Simonds, stands on a bluff at the left, near the 72d Street entrance.
THE STATUE OF DANIEL WEBSTER, by Thomas Ball, stands on a high pedestal at the junction of the west drive and the 72d Street entrance. Handsome hotels and flats line the street at the left of the park. Within the last
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few years, apartment houses have multiplied to such a remarkable extent, that this mode of living seems destined to become as common in New York City, as it is in Paris or Vienna.
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, which. was incorporated by the Leg- islature in 1869, held its first exhibition in the arsenal, when the Verreaux collection of nat- ural history specimens, the Elliot collection of North American birds, and the entire museum of Prince Maximilian of Neuwied, were dis- played.
It was not until June, 1874, that the corner- stone of the present building,-situated in Manhattan Square, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, and 77th and 8Ist Streets, and con- nected with the park by a bridge,-was laid by General Grant. A new portion recently has been added, which is so rich in material as greatly to strengthen the effect of the archi- tectural design,-a not very pronounced ten- dency to the Romanesque. These buildings form only two of many that are to be erected as the collections require them, and the liberal- ity of the State allows.
The current expenses of this institution are paid by the city, the Board of Trustees, and private subscriptions. The Park Department, as the representative of the city and State,
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provides the grounds and buildings and keeps them in repair, the trustees in return furnish- ing the exhibits, and opening the Museum to the public, free of charge, on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, of each week, from 9 A.M. until 5 P.M., and on Wednesday and Saturday evenings until ten o'clock. A bill recently passed by the Legislature, pro- vides that the Museum be opened Sundays also.
THE HALL OF MARBLES AND ORNAMENTAL BUILDING STONES is on the first floor, the approach to which, is under the archway that divides the two flights of circular steps leading to the main entrance.
This collection, containing about fifteen hundred blocks, principally four-inch cubes, polished on the face, and variously dressed on the other sides, represents nearly every State in the Union, and includes samples of all grades of granite, limestone, marble, slate, and rocks, used for building or ornamental purposes. Foreign stones also are exhibited in this department, and it is gratifying to dis- cover that the Idaho marble is scarcely second in quality to the best that is found in Italy ; and that the State of Washington excels almost any area of similar extent in the world, in its capacity to produce the raw materials necessary
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to the upbuilding of improvement enterprises. This entire collection was donated by the pres- ident of the institution, Mr. Morris K. Jesup.
A LECTURE HALL, which opens from the hall of marbles, has a seating capacity of eleven hundred. During the spring and fall seasons, free public lectures are delivered two evenings in each week. A course of lectures also is given to the teachers of the city and State, and another popular course is provided for mem- bers of the institution and their friends. Public holidays also afford an opportunity for this same kind of instruction. For all of these discourses, specially prepared stereopti- con plates illustrate the subjects presented.
THE JESUP COLLECTION OF WOODS .- On the same floor with the exhibit just mentioned, another hall displays over five hundred speci- mens of wood, arranged in botanical order, with the diameter of each tree announced by plain figures. The cuttings are transverse, oblique, and longitudinal,-one side of the specimen being polished and varnished, while the remaining portion is left in its natural state. Water-color paintings represent the foliage, flower, and fruit, of the different trees, and their native place is indicated by green spots on the map.
Among the more ordinary woods are speci-
IO
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mens of spruce, maple, ash, oak, and the red and white cedar. The Alaskan cedar, -a wood much sought for ship-building purposes, as it resists the action of salt water,-also is found in this collection, recalling to mind the coun- try from whence it came, where a tree occa- sionally is hewn down which is worth as much as two hundred acres of the government land on which it grew. " Here are monarchs to whom all worshipful men inevitably lift their hats; to see one fall under the blows of steel, or under the embrace of fire, is to experience a pang of sorrow," said the eloquent Samuel Wilkeson.
Two transverse sections of redwood trees, now on their way from California, measure ten and twenty feet in diameter, and will extend from the floor to the ceiling, when mounted on platforms. These will make the collection of American woods complete. The Douglas pine, or red fir, which attains a height of three hun- dred feet, is as straight as an arrow, with trunk often nine feet in diameter. By many ship- builders, this wood is pronounced the very best for masts and spars, as it possesses a remarka- ble flexibility and tenacity of fibre.
Of the trees in California, Mr. Julius Starre writes; "In no place is an artist or artisan more freely rewarded than in California for-
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ests. The grace of foliage and the character- istic contour of the trees glow on many a painter's canvas, but few recognize the fact that the woody fibre of the roots and trunks, when manipulated by a skilful workman, pre- sents as charming lines and lovely colors as the most delicate flower which grows by their side."
A specimen of larch, which thrived over five centuries ago, another of hemlock, more than half as old as its predecessor, and a piece of the "Charter Oak," exhibited in a case near the door, are the greatest curiosities in this collection. An economic entomological series, illustrative of the destructive effect of insect life on vegetation, is a recent addition to this department.
THE HIGHER FORMS OF ANIMAL LIFE are represented by specimens exhibited on the second floor near the main entrance.
Here are the skeletons of Jumbo and Sam- son, the former the largest specimen of the African species of elephant ever seen in con- finement, and the latter an importation from India. The essential external differences con- sist in the shape of the head and the size of the ears.
THE SEAL COLLECTION, the best in the country, is provided from the seal islands of
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Alaska, the North Atlantic, and the West Indies.
THE BUFFALO CASE contains seven fine specimens surrounded by the pear cactus, the yucca, the old-man weed, and the prairie-grass.
Cats, foxes, and bears, also are in this apart- ment, and in the western wing are specimens of the deer, the antelope, and the camel.
Students of zoology find their progress greatly facilitated by the skeletons of the ani- mals that are placed by the side of their mounted skins.
THE HALL OF BIRDS, also on the second floor, is one of the most attractive departments in the building. The collection, which is one of the finest in America, contains twelve thousand mounted specimens, besides forty thousand arranged for study.
THE COLLECTION OF MONKEYS is located on the third floor. Here will be found goril- las, baboons, and chimpanzees, arranged in cases containing fac-similes of their native haunts. The chimpanzee," Mr. Crowley," once a prominent member of the Central Park menagerie, has a conspicuous position.
The porpoise, dolphin, whale, opossum, and kangaroo, are displayed in the wing of this floor; also a rhinoceros, and a baby hippopot- amus that was born in the park menagerie.
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THE DEPARTMENT OF FISHES AND REP- TILES includes casts of American food-fishes received from the Fish Commissioner of the United States.
A COLLECTION OF BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS is placed in the desk-cases that are ranged about the gallery of the new building. The specimens are numerous, and many of them very brilliant. Through the efforts of Mr. A. M. Palmer, who is securing subscriptions for the purpose, the Edwards entomological col- lection will be donated to the Museum by the citizens of New York.
The gallery of the old building is filled with American birds; among them some particu- larly fine groups are placed amid the trees and nests peculiar to their tribes.
THE MINERALOGICAL COLLECTION, on the fourth floor, is now one of the most valuable in the United States. It contains many fine gems, also specimens of native metallic forms, and exemplifications of the different systems of crystallization, meteorites, etc. Conspicuous in this department is the noted Tiffany collec- tion of gems, the brilliancy and beauty of which is superior to any collection in America.
THE GEOLOGICAL COLLECTION is rich with material, principally illustrative of this country.
THE COLLECTION OF SHELLS, which is near,
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is composed of a great variety of beautiful and interesting specimens, so arranged as to be studied in connection with
THE PALEONTOLOGICAL COLLECTION, con- taining nearly seven thousand type and fig- ured specimens, which is the richest and most extensive assortment of American invertebrate fossils in the world.
THE DEPARTMENT OF ETHNOLOGY AND ARCHEOLOGY .- In the upper story of the new building, a large hall contains the tools and implements of prehistoric man, as well as his articles of adornment, and of religious worship.
MODELS AND PRINTS OF THE CLIFF DWELL- INGS, and old Pueblo ruins of the Verde Valley in Arizona, from which very many of these specimens were taken, form a part of this val- uable collection. The States of Chio, Arizona, and Colorado, are rich with examples of these curious structures, those of the latter State being lined with pink gypsum. It is believed that human beings will yet be found inhabit- ing these caverns, but as yet only skulls and other bones have been discovered. These now are exhibited with the various relics from this unknown civilization.
Antedating the cliff-dwellings, are the mounds, usually covered with a growth of trees, indicative of at least a thousand years
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abandonment. Many of the mound-works evidently were designed as citadels of defence, or watch-towers in war, others as places of burial for the dead, or temples of worship. As they usually resemble animals very closely in form, they are regarded as symbolizing the totems, or beasts that bore a religious signifi- cance to the tribes. Totemism appears in every land where tribes have been in exist- ence, as, for instance, the wild ass of Issachar, the lion of Judah, etc.
One of the most remarkable of these works, the "Great Serpent" of Ohio, is situated on a hill in Adams County. The distended jaws, holding an oval one hundred and sixty feet in length, and eighty feet in width, seem to indi- cate that the creature is represented in the act of swallowing an egg. The mound terminates in a triple coil at the tail, the whole body. extending over about seven hundred feet of ground.
The implements and ornaments found in the mounds, usually are composed of stone, and, with the exception of the flint-spears and arrowheads, are wrought with skill and care. Some of the ornaments are of copper, but al- ways in its native state, and with the specks of silver found only in the copper of the Lake Su- perior region. Almost every mound contains
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pottery, generally coarse and crude, but some- times graceful in form and highly ornamental. Internal commerce is indicated by masses of galena, calc-spar, quartz-crystals, mica, marine shells, and other materials brought from dis- tant localities. There is also proof that the lead mines near Lexington, Kentucky, as well as the oil wells in Canada and Pennsylvania, were worked by the inhabitants of these queer dwelling-places. No tablets or inscriptions of any kind having been found, it is supposed that the mound-builders had no written language; and no bones have been discovered to indicate the domestication of animals.
The prehistoric remains, so abundant in Ari- zona, appear to be related to the civilization of Mexico, and the semi-civilized Indian tribes now found there, possibly are descendants of these ancient folk; but the mound-builders and cliff-dwellers were quite different from the nomadic Indians who occupied the coun- try at the time of the advent of Europeans.
Among the relics contained in the Museum collection are specimens of stone, shell, pot- tery, pipes (that compelled the smoker to lie on his back in order to prevent the burning material from escaping), bones, materials used in the construction of the dwellings, articles of apparel, cords, weapons, and many other
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novel and highly instructive souvenirs of an almost mystical past.
THE LIBRARY AND READING ROOM, now containing twenty-three thousand volumes, and with a capacity for fifty thousand more, occupies a portion of the floor just indicated. Study rooms for the use of students also are provided in this part of the building, the aim of the institution being to establish a post- graduate university of natural science, that shall be as complete in all of its appointments as any similar institution in London or Paris.
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