^
ejEOGRAPHY
~"^ OF
NEW YORK
THE STATE -THE CITY
Class.
Book..
COPyRIGHT DEFOSm
NIAGARA FALLS.
(2)
GEOGRAPHY
OF
NEW YORK
THE STATE -THE CITY
BY
FLOYD R. ^MITH
AND,
ARTHUR C. PERRY, JR.
Oj»{<3
NEW YORK •:• CINCINNATI •:• CHICAGO
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY
Copyright, 1904, 1!)17, by
FLOYD R. SMITH a.vd ARTHUR C. PERRY, JR.
Enteeeu at Stationeks' Hall, London.
geog. new york.
•w. p. 6
4.&-
e
MAY I C 1917
©'^I.A4R0664
PREFACE
The many-sided importance of the state of New York, and
its predominance as a factor in the development of our national
greatness, have been too little appreciated by the pupils of the
state, and particularly by those of the city of New York. How-
ever, a decided advance was made in the Course of Study for the
Public Schools of New York City, adopted in 1902, which requires,
in the fifth year of the school curriculum, a definite study of the
geography of the state and of certain topics in the history of
the city.
It is the aim of this volume to present the topics of the New
York City "syllabus" — both geographical and historical — in
orderly arrangement, and in language adapted to the understand-
ing of the pupils of the grade.
The book therefore divides itself into two parts. The first
treats of the geography of the state, showing nature's many con-
tributions and the use man, in his tireless industry, has made of
them. The second part treatl*"ifi[ further detail of the city of New
York, by presenting both its chief geographical features and a
brief sketch of its early history.
5
6 PREFACE
It is hoped that the book may be of service to pupils through-
out the state, acquamting them with the various factors of growth,
showing them how these factors have made the state the foremost
m the Union, and thus implanting that local pride which in due
season shall ripen into a broad and intelligent national patriotism.
CONTENTS
PASE
The State of New York.
Location 9
Surface 12
Drainage 16
Size 27
Importance 28
Resources 28
Industries and Occupations . .31
Products 36
Commerce 41
Manufacturing Centers 52
Commercial Centers 54
Advantages of Location 58
Social Development 60
Government 64
Educational Centers 66
The City of New York.
Introduction 69
As an Industrial and Commercial Center 72
Physical Conditions determining its Growth and Importance ... 74
Means of Transportation and Comnmnication . .... 75
Public Works 78
Parks .81
Public Schools o 84
Other Public Institutions 87
Great Mercantile Concerns 95
Financial Concerns ............ 98
Manufacturing Concerns 101
Leading Factors determining Public Improvements 103
New York Harbor 107
Local History 110
7
MAPS
PAGES
Physical Map of the State of New York ..>... 10-11
Political Map of the State of New York 46-47
Map of the City of New York 70-71
THE STATE OP NEW YORK
LOCATION
New York is the northernmost of the Middle Atlantic states,
with Pennsylvania and New Jersey on the south and southwest,
Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut on the east, and the
Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec on the north and
northwest. The general
form of the state is that
of a triangle, with Long
Island added at the south-
eastern corner. The Cana-
dian boundary line runs
through the middle of
Lake Erie, Niagara Kiver,
Lake Ontario, and the St. tri-state rock, port jervis.
Lawrence to the forty-fifth parallel of north latitude, and thence
eastward to the outlet of Lake Champlain. The dividing line
between the state and New England follows the deepest channel
of Lake Champlain for more than a hundred miles, and then
extends overland in an irregular southerly line, finally turning
eastward through the middle of Long Island Sound. The parallel
of 42° north latitude and the Delaware River form the Pennsyl-
vania boundary line. From Port Jervis, where three states meet^
12
THE STATE OF NEW YOUK
the New Jersey boundary line runs southeast to the Hudson
and thence south to New York Ba^y. South of Long Island
spreads the Atlantic Ocean, the great highway for the common
use of the nations of the world.
SURFACE
If you look at a map of the United States, you will see that
the Appalachian Highlands, which for a great distance lie almost
parallel with the Atlantic
coast, extend into and across
New York. Hence there are
in this state long ranges of
mountains and many high
peak's. But these mountains
have been cut through by so
many powerful rivers that
the surface is everywhere
broken up into highland and
lowland. In general, it may
be observed that the eastern portion of the state is mountainous
and the western much more level. The chief Lowland tracts are
three in number.
(1) The Valley of the Hudson and Lake Champlain, narrow,
but 300 miles or more in length, extends north and south
across the state.
(2) The Valley of the St. Lawrence, a long strip of lowland of
varying width, descends from the level of the Appalachian High-
lands to the shores of the Great Lakes and their outflowing: river.
Copyright, 1902, by Detroit Photographic Co.
Long Lake, Adirondack Mountains.
SUKFACE
lo
MOHAWK ^
This descent is made by a series of terraces, two of which can be
plainly seen. The lower is called the Lake Ricbje, and the higher
the Mountain Ridge.
(3) The Valley of the Mohawk connects these two lowlands.
Its length is not much more than a hundred miles, yet it is of
great importance, not only as the most fertile valley of the
state, but because it is the only break through the Appa-
lachian Highlands south of the St. Lawrence and Lak
Champlain. In the early days it was used by the
Indians and fur traders, and to-day, by g^.v
means of canals and railroads, it is the
chief route of travel and commerce to and from
the great West.
These three great valleys together have the
general form of a figure 4. The chief Highland
regions are four in number.
(1) The Taconic Highlands extend across the southeastern
part of the state and lie mostly on the eastern side of the Hudson
River. They form the con-
necting link between the
Blue Ridge Mountains of
Virginia on the southwest
and the Berkshires of Mas-
sachusetts and the Green
Mountains of Vermont on
Highlands of the Hudson. t-hc northcast. At SOmC
places they reach a height 'of 2500 feet. The Taconic Highlands
include the Shawangunk and Delaware mountains, west of the
1. Taconic Highlands.
2. The Adirondacks.
8. The Catskills.
4. The AUeg-hanies.
14
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Hudson ; the Highlands of the Hudson, on both sides of the
river; and the Taconic Range, northeast of the Highlandso In
the Highlands of the
Hudson are many
peaks (as the Dunder-
berg, Anthony's Nose,
Storm King, and Bea-
con Mountain), which,
though not of great
height, are famous on
account of their his-
tory and their beauty.
(2) The Adiron-
dacks, the highest and
most picturesque mountains of the state, are bounded by all three
of the great valleys. The eastern slope, to Lake Champlain, is
very abrupt. ' Mt. Marcy, towering a mile above the ocean level,
is the highest peak. Some of the others are Mt. Mclntyre,
OiORM KiNa.
CopyriKlit, l!«il. hv S. R. Stmhliinl.
Mt. Marct.
SURFACE
15
Copy ni; lit, UHf, by Detroit Phntographic Cm.
Fishing in the Adirondacks.
Mt. Clinton, and Mt. Dix.
Among the Adirondack
Mountains are many favorite
haunts of the tourist. On
most of the lakes thousands
of people find accommodation
in the beautifully located
hotels, while many others set
up camps on private or gov-
ernment lands.
(3) The Catskills, rising some ten miles west of the Hudson,
slope down on the north to the Mohawk Valley. This mountain
region, second only to that of the Adirondacks in height and
beauty, is one of the
most popular of sum-
mer resorts. The high-
est peaks are Slide
Mountain and Hunter
Mountain, each with
an altitude of niore
than 4000 feet. East-
ward from Hunter
Mountain is Otis
Summit, from which
spreads a magnificent
picture of mountain, valley, and the distant Hudson. The
Otis Elevating Railway extends from the summit to the valley
below.
Copynght, inOl', by Detroit I'hoto!;raphic Co.
View from Otis Summit
16
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
(4) The Allegheny Plateau extends from tlie Catskills west-
ward across the state to within fiv^e miles of Lake Erie. On the
north this table-land ends within thirty miles of Lake Ontario.
Its elevation above sea level varies from 1000 to 2000 feetj
while a few peaks reach an altitude of nearly 3000 feet.
In addition to the three main low-
land tracts of the state there are many
smaller valleys, which in turn divide the
highland regions into smaller groups of
mountain ridges. Among them are : —
(1) The valleys of the Central Lakes,
which lie north and south in great
troughs in the central part of the Alle-
gheny Plateau.
(2) The valleys of the Susquehanna
and Delaware rivers and their branches,
which separate the Catskills from the
Allegheny Plateau.
(3) The valleys of the Hudson and Delaware, which separate
the ranges south of the Catskills, the Delaware, Shawangunk, etc.
'■ ^^^"^f
■p
B^S
ft
W
!*^'
■ mm
t. .py right, r.i(l2,l).v Detroit Photographic Co.
Kaaterskill Falls,
Catskills.
DRAINAGE
River Systems. — The lowland regions are in every case val-
leys formed by rivers which through thousands of years have cut
their way from mountain top to ocean level. Even the lakes are
really only wider rivers. The waters from New York all find their
way to the Atlantic Ocean, although through ocean arms as far
DRAINAGE
17
apart as the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Mexico. The
river systems represented are five in number: the St. Law-
rence, the Hudson, the Delaware, the Susquehanna, and the
Mississippi.
Rivers. — The most important of the rivers are as follows : —
(1) In the St. Laivrence system there are, first, tlie border
rivers, the Niagara and the St. Lawrence, the one feeding Lake
Ontario and the other draining it.
Then there are the rivers flowing into Lake Ontario. The
Genesee River rises in northern Pennsylvania, at an altitude
of 2500 feet, and is the only river flowing entirely across the
state. It is some 200
miles long, and in its
lower part, cutting its way
down from the Allegheny
Plateau, it flows between
great sandstone cliffs hun-
dreds of feet high. The
Oswego, formed by the
junction of the Seneca and
Oneida rivers, is* but
twenty - four miles long. ciKNKSKK kivkk.
yet as the outlet of the Central Lakes it discharges a very large
volume of water. The Black River rises in the Adirondacks and
is about 120 miles long.
The other rivers of the system are those flowing directly
into the St. Lawrence or through Lake Champlain, all of which
have their sources hiy:h in the Adirondacks.
18
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
(2) In the Hudson system is the Hudson River, the longest
river of the state. It lies entirely within the state, and flows
350 miles from the Adirondacks south into New York Bay.
For the last 150 miles of its course it is navigable for steam-
boats, and in the last hundred it makes a fall of only five feet.
To the lover of natm-e a trip up the Hudson on one of the
river steamers is a never-failing delight. Before leaving New
The Palisades.
York city, one may see the lofty Palisades rising on the left.
These immense cliffs extend from Weehawken to Nyack and
at one point reach a perpendicular height of 550 feet from the
river's level. The Palisades are to be kept by the states of New
York and New Jersey as a public park, with a fine road run-
ning at their base' along the river's edge for fifteen miles or more.
At the Tappan Zee, and again at Haverstraw, the river broadens
to a width of more than three miles. All along, on either bank.
DRAINAGE
19
are thriving villages, and a mile above Haverstraw there comes
to view the lighthouse at the foot of the battle ground of Stony
Point. Beyond, at a bend
in the river, near the vil-
lage of Peekskill, the Dun-
derberg Mountain stands
sentinel at the southern
entrance to the Highlands.
North to Newburgh the
river winds most beauti-
fully in and out between
the steep mountains. Be-
yond the Highlands it Stony point.
grows narrower, and its banks become more and more level
until we arrive at the
capital city, Albany.
At Cohoes, a few miles
farther north, its chief
tributary, the Mohawk
River, empties into the
Hudson.
The Mohawk has
an entire length of 175
miles, and from the
city of Rome descends
Mohawk Valley. eastward SOmC 450
feet. Many prosperous cities are situated along its banks and
are of interest both commercially and histori caller.
20
THE STATE OF :SEW YORK
The other branches of the Hudson are not of great impor
tance.
(3) In the Delaioare system the principal water course is the
Delaware River, which rises by two branches, the east and the
west, in New York state. As we have already noted, it forms
the boimdary line between Pennsylvania and New York for
about seventy-five miles of its length. Its chief tributary is
the Neversink.
(4) The Susquehanna system includes the headwaters of the
Susquehanna River and its tributaries. This river rises in Otsego
Lake, within twenty miles
of the Mohawk, but hun-
dreds of feet above it. It
flows into Pennsylvania
and back into New York
before finally leaving the
state for its course through
Pennsylvania. It has a
large number of tributa-
ries in New York, chief of
which are the Chenango
and Chemung.
(5) The Mississijjpi system. Tributaries of the Allegheny
River rise near the very edge of the Allegheny Plateau, within
less than ten miles of the Lake Erie shore. The waters of these
tributaries thus flow away from the St. Lawrence system, for
hundreds of miles, seeking an outlet which they finally find,
through the Mississippi, in the Gulf of Mexico.
fopvri-lit, I'.KKi, by D.tioit I'liotographic Co.
Susquehanna River.
DRAINAGE
21
Scene a>ion<; thk Thui sand Islands.
Islands. — In the St. Lawrence and Hudson river systems
are most of the islands of the state, which may be divided into
two groups.
The Northwestern
Group includes Grand Is-
land in the Niagara River,
several small islands in
Lake Ontario, and a re-
SuMMER Residence, Thousand Islands. markable CollectioU of
rocky patches, known as the Thousand Islands, in the St. Law-
rence. The Thousand Island region is a paradise for summer
excursionists. Iq the very
heart of the region, on the
New York shore, is Alexandria
Bay, whose natural beauty
has attracted visitors from all
parts of the globe. A sail
from this point through the ^ne of the thousand islands.
island channels presents a variety of scenery nowhere sur-
passed. Magnificent liotels, pretty cottages, and summer camps
NKW YOEK 2
22
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
lie amid the wildest and most picturesque natural surround-
ings.
Tlie Southeastern Groiqj is at the mouth of the Hudson
River. Manhattan Island, fourteen miles in length and less
than three in width, but the most remarkable island of the world,
is separated from the mainland on the north by the Harlem
River. Staten Island, three times the size of Manhattan, lies
five miles to the south of it._ Long Island, separated from Man-
hattan by the East River,
which is really only a strait,
is about 110 miles long and
varies from eight to twenty
miles in width. There are
also numerous small islands
near Long Island.
Waterfalls. — It must be
remembered that very few
rivers flow Avith a uniform de-
scent. A river may flow for miles with but a slight decline, and
then suddenly plunge over a rocky wall in a number of cascades,
or drop in a single fall. Many of the rivers of New York contain
waterfalls of great beauty and often, as we shall see later, of
great use.
The Niagara Falls are the most noted of these. The im-
mense volume of water from four of the five Great Lakes passes
to Lake Ontario by way of the narrow Niagara River. Over the
rocky bed of this river it flows, until in the course of half a
mile it descends forty feet, thus forming what are known as the
Copyright, 1888, by S. R. Stoddiud.
A Cascade
DRAINAGE
23
Niagara Falls.
Rapids of the Niagara.
Then it drops four times
this height in a stupen-
dous fall. Goat Island di-
vides the mile-wide stream
at this point so that the fall
is made in two branches,
the narrower American
Falls, 167 feet high, and
the broader, horseshoe-
shaped Canadian Falls,
158 feet high. Below the falls the river forms what is known
as the Whirlpool Rapids, and later, broadening into one of the
calmest of streams, empties into Lake Ontario.
In the Genesee River there are two groups of falls, one at
Portage, where there is a descent of 330 feet in three miles, and
the other at Rochester, where there is a drop of 200 feet in three
cascades. At what is
known as the Middle Fall
at Portage, the river has
worn out of the bank a
curious cave called the
Devil's Oven, large enough
to hold a hundred people.
In the lower course of
the Au Sable River there
is a number of swirling
Whirlpool Rapids. ^apids and dashing falls
24
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
beyond which is the famous Au Sable Chasm where the river
rushes for two miles between sheer walls of rock a hundred feet
in height and only fifty feet apart.
On the Mohawk there are the
Colioes Falls, seventy feet in height.
West Canada Creek, a branch of the
Mohawk, by half a dozen falls called
the Trenton Falls, descends 312 feet
in two miles. The Kaaterskill Falls
(see page 16) and Haines Falls in the
Catskills are also worthy of mention.
Lakes. — New York is noted for its
large number of lakes, many of great
beauty. Most of them belong to the
St. Lawrence River system. In fact,
the Delaware system has no lake of
any size, and the Susquehanna has only Lake Otsego, which, at
an altitude of 1200 feet, is at the source of that river. In
the Mississippi system
there is Lake Chautau-
qua, a beautiful sheet of
water in the extreme
western part of the state.
It is 1300 feet above sea
level — 700 feet higher
than Lake Erie, only lake Chautauqua.
eight miles away. The Hudson River system contains a few of
the famous x\dirondack lakes, but, as has been remarked, the sys-
Au Sable Chasm.
DRAINAGE
25
tern which iiichides the
greatest number of lakes
is that of the St. Lawrence.
Most important of all are
the border lakes : Lake Erie
with its surface nearly 600
feet above sea level, and not
navigable in winter ; Lake ^^^^ champlain.
Ontario, more than 300 feet lower than Erie, and never frozen over ;
Copyright, 1890, by S. R. Stoddard.
Lake George.
and Lake Champlain^, the northern gateway of the state, beauti-
fully surrounded by the Adi-
rondacks and the Green
Mountains. Tributary to Lake
Champlain is the picturesque
Lake George^ some forty miles
in length, and famed for its
clear water, its throng of little
Baby Island, Lake George. islands, and its wild, WOoded
26
THE STATE OF XEU YOllK
FoKT TiCOXnF.ROGA.
chores. Ticonderoga Creek connects Lake George with Lake
Champlain, into wliicli it empties, after a descent of 200 feet, not
far from the site of old
I'ort Ticonderoi^a. Al-
so iinding then- outlet
into the St. Lawrence,
through either the riv-
ers flowing directly into
it or those feeding Lake
Champlain, are most of
the Adirondack lakes,
brill ianth' set amid the
forests of the great mountains. In the central part of the state is
the group of lakes which from their
sliape are often known as the Finger
Laliex. We have seen that the Os-
wego River is their outlet into Lake
Ontario. The most important of tliem
are CaijiKja, Seneca, and Oneida, all
navigated by steamboats. At the
head of Seneca Lake are the wonder-
ful Watkins Glen and Falls. The
former is a great gorge in a rocky
plateau, about three miles in length
and reaching a depth of 300 feet.
Through the Glen a swirling moun- watkins glkn.
tain brook breaks its Avay in a number of rapids, cascades, and
falls. Near the western shore of Cayuga Lake are the gracefid
^ ;«-s
^
SIZE
27
Tmighannock Falls, fifty feet
higher than Niagara, which
rush into a ravine whose
walls are 400 feet high. In
the neighborhood are more
than a dozen other impor-
tant waterfalls. Indeed, the
whole region about these lakes
abounds in attractive scenery.
SIZE
New York is not by any
means one of the largest states
in the Union. In fact, of the
forty-eight states, twenty -eight
are larger than New York.
Yet its area is more than three
fourths of that of all New England, but less than one fifth of that
of Texas, and its water
surface is greater than
Taughannock Falls.
NEW YORK
NEW
ENGLAND
the entire area of Rhode
Island. The length and
width of New York are each over 300 miles,
and its surface is nearly 50,000 square miles.
A most important fact is that the state has
a water frontage of nearly 1000 miles. Politi-
cally, the state is divided into sixty-two counties, the most popu-
lous of which is New York, and the largest in area, St. Lawrence.
Relative Areas
28
THE STATE OF ^EW YOKK
IMPORTANCE
We have already seen that New York has advantages of
location, surface, drainage, and size, which, properly used, would
make the state one of great importance. As a matter of fact, it
is easily the first state of the Union — the Empire State, as it
is called. Its area is only one seventieth of that of the United
NY.
U.S.
U.S.
N.Y.
U.S.
N.Y
Area
Population Manufacturing Foreign Commerce
Banking
States ; and yet it has about one tenth of the population, the
vakie of its manufactures is one sixth, it handles nearly one half
of the foreign commerce, and it carries on four sevenths of the
banking business. Since 1820 New York has led the states of
the Union in population, having been fifth in 1790, third in 1800,
and second in 1810. It now has about 10,000,000 inhabitants.
More than this, the state has a foremost place in literature, art,
and education.
RESOURCES
We have spoken of the physi(^al advantages of New York.
Let us see more ch^sely what they are.
Water Power. — We have seen that the land is so shaped and
located that there is a long water frontage, — on lake, river, and
ocean, — that there arc rivers upon which boats may be rup.
RESOURCES
29
. Niagara Water Power.
and yet other rivers wherein are hnge waterfalls. These falls
are valuable as sources of power. Tn some cases, as in the falls
of the Genesee at the city of Rochester and in the falls of the
Oswego at the city of Fulton, the falling water is made to turn
mill wheels which set in motion all kinds of machinery. In
the case of the falls at the
city of Niagara Falls, the
water is led into 2i:reat
pits, where it drops on big-
wheels called turbines, and
escapes through a two-
mile tunnel under the city
into the river heloio the
falls. The revolving tur-
bines put into motion great
dynamos in the power Intekk.k ov Puweu House. Niagara.
80
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
house which make electricity. The power in this form is then
distributed through wires to a distance of many miles and used
in running factories, railroad cars, and other machinery.
Climate. — Another advantage which New York enjoys is a
temperate climate, neither too warm nor too cold except on a few
days in the year or in a few localities. The rainfall is moderate,
and well distributed
both throughout the
year and over the state.
Soil. — Again, a
large part of the sur-
face of New York has
a fertile soil. This is
especially true of the
great valley regions
along the Great Lakes,
along the Hudson, Mohawk, and Genesee, about the Central
Lakes, and at what is known as the Great Alluvial Plain of the
Susquehanna River in the Allegheny Plateau, where the river
has left a sediment of rich, fertile soil for miles around.
Minerals. — Li the earth itself are large resources, such as
iron ore, salt, petroleum, natural gas, granite, and marble.
Plants and Animals. — Again, let us consider the plant and
animal life of the state. Before Europeans came to New York,
dense forests covered the entire region. Chief of the trees is
the pine, and in the Adirondacks large quantities of other ever-
greens — particularly the spruce and the hemlock. These are
found, too, in other parts of the state, but mingled with hare!
Alluvial Plain near Binghamton.
INDUSTRIES AND OCCUPATIONS ?,]
woods. Especially plentiful are the oak. maple, hickory, chest-
nut, hasswood, and elm. Of the larger wild animals, few have
escaped the gun and trap. But small game, like rabbits and
squirrels, and game birds still a))Ound. Fish there are in
plenty — in the fresh-water lakes and rivers, trout, l)ass, pick-
erel, and whitefish ; and in the salt water, shad, bluehsh, mack-
erel, oysters, and clams.
INDUSTRIES AND OCCUPATIONS
But all these resources would be worthless without the in-
dustry of man. It requires effort on his part even to catch fish
or trap a wild animal.
All the different forms of
effort which man makes
to turn the resources of
nature to his own use we
call Industries. The chief
of these are : Lumbering,
Farming, Fishing, Mining
and Quarrying, and Manu-
facturing.
Lumbering. — The peo-
ple have been so active in
clearing the land of trees that almost all of the useful timber
has been cut down, except in the Adirondack region. In 1850
New York was the leading state hi lumbering, but to-day it is
outranked by about twenty states, and the wooded area is not
Copyright, l*iS, by S. R. Stodihird.
Lumbering in the Adirondacks.
'S2
THE ST ATI-: OF ^'E\V VUKK
more tlian a third of tliu total area. Howcxcr. limilxTini^ is still
an important industry, which tlirives chielly in the Adirondacks.
Here, during the winter, when the lakes, streams, and marshes
are frozen into firm roadways, the ax of the lumberman is buvsy,
and the delightful summer camps on the green banks of lakes and
rivers give place to the snow-bound lumbering camps, where the
huge pine, hemlock, and spruce are felled and dragged to con-
venient storing places on
the ice-bound rivers. When
in th'.' s])ring the ice be-
gins tt^ loosen and melt,
and the streams swell
into powerful torrents, the
exciting and dangerous
work of lumbering begins.
Agile and skillful lum-
bermen, armed with long
Logs ix the River at TIlfn-s Falls. ^q\q^^ direct the floating
logs in their course down stream, and many are the hairbreadth
escapes and deeds of reckless daring told at the evening camp
fires.
But it is necessary that a certain amount of forest land be
allowed to remain, as it holds the rainfall and thus keeps up
the water su])ply of the rivers. As the lumbermen in the past
were frequently selfish and reckless in destroying the trees, the
state goverinnent has acquired forest lands from time to time, so
that now about oOOO square miles is owned by the state and known
as the Forest Presei^ve.
1M)U8TKIKS AND OCCLM'ATIONS
Farming. — The fanner usually engages in both agriculture and
stock raising. The fertile valley regions he uses for raising crops
of grain, vegetables, or
fruit, while the hills
and rough places, which
are not so good for
agriculture, he uses as
pastures for his cattle
and other stock. Fully
half of the area of
New York is devoted
, ,. • rpi F\RMiNci IN Northern New York.
to tarmmg. J here are
over :>00,000 farms, and they average each about 100 acres in
area. The state is one of the leaders in agriculture, as in so
many other respects. It ranks high botli in crop raising and in
stock raising?. The farms of the state are valued at more than
$1,500,000,000, and their products in one year are worth a
seventh of this sum. The
counties that lead in the value
of agricultural products are
St. Lawrence, Steuben, and
Erie.
Fishing. — New York is
excellently situated for the
pursuit of fishing either as
Drying Fish Nets — Lake Ontario. a Sport Or as au industry.
Lakes Erie and Ontario., the St. Lawrence, the Niagara, and the
inland rivers and lakes, the Hudson, and the salt water about
34
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Loug Island, all yield great quantities of fish. The Lake Erie
fisheries are said to surpass those of any other body of fresh
water in the world. Here fishing is done either from small
boats, from the shore, or, in the winter, through the ice.
The state government has made laws fixing the times of the
year when certain fish may be taken and the manner in which
they may be caught, whether by line or net or spear. Fish
hatcheries are main-
tained, where 3'Oung
fish are raised and the
waters of the state
stocked \vith millions
of them every year.
Mining and Quarry-
ing. — Although New
York is not knowm as
a mining state, the fol-
lowing industries are
important : mining for
iron and a few other
metals ; quarrying for stone and other minerals ; drilling for oil
or natural gas ; mining for salt or getting it from the great salt
marshes.
Manufacturing. — But the products of all these industries are
of little value until they have been manufactured into articles
of use to us in our daily life.
Tjumbering, mining, and quarrying lead to manufacturing.
Of little use are the timber and boards until fashioned into
6alt Wokks.
INDUSTRIES AND OCCUPATIONS
35
thousands of articles from a sheet
of paper to a steamboat ; of little
use is the iron ore until melted,
refined, and shaped into its many
forms from a needle to a locomo-
tive ; of little use is the marble
until converted into its countless
products from a paper weight to
a city hall. Even fishing and
farming lead to manufacturing.
Fish are salted and preserved as
food, or their oil is extracted.
Grains are ground to flour, vege-
tables and fruits are dried or
canned, hops are used in making
beer, and tobacco is made into cigars ; and from live stock are
produced butter, cheese, condensed milk, and even canned meats,
leather, and buttons.
New York stands far in the lead in the matter of manu-
factures. The total value of the products is so great that an
exact statement of the number of dollars would give no idea of
it, as it reaches far up into the billions.
Occupations, — While the industries just described employ a
great number of the people of the state, it must be remembered
that certain other occupations are necessary in any civilized
community. So that we find here a great army of lawyers,
doctors, ministers, teachers, engineej's, iournalists, clerks, railroad
men, and others.
Oldest Sawmill in the State.
Built in 1805.
THE STATE OF XEW YOKK
PEODUCTS
Let us now consider the products of each of these industries
in turn.
Forest Products. — The forests in New York yield products
which in a single year reach a value of about $ 10,000.000.
The trees, as hewn and
trimmed by the ax of
the woodman, are
taken to the sawmill
where they are further
trimmed into beams,
sawed into boards,
planed into various
forms, or cut into shin-
gles, or into hoops,
staves, and headings
Interior of a Modern Sawmill. f^j, barrels. The prod-
ucts of the sawmills and planing mills go to the hands of the
builder or the manufacturer.
Agricultural Products. — Among the leading groups of agri-
cultural products are the cereals. In the production of buck-
wheat New York has first place, raising over a third of the
total crop of the United States. Great quantities are produced
throughout the Allegheny Plateau. In the value of the rye crop,
which comes largely from the Hudson Valley counties, there are
only a few states that outrank New York. Oats, wheat, and
corn are also produced in large quantities. Another group of
PKODT'CTS
37
A Vkcktaulk FAim.
important products is the ditt'ereut kinds of hay. Iowa is the
only state that yields a larger amount than does New York.
As to vegetahles,
nearly a tenth of the
entire United States
crop is raised in New
York. New Y^ork has
first place in the pro-
duction of potatoes,
onions, sweet corn, turnips, green peas, cabbages, and several
other varieties.
Almost a third of all the hops in the United States comes
from New York, and this state supplies also a small part of the
tobacco crop. The maple, in addition to furnishing a valuable tim-
ber, is raised for its sap to
such an extent, that New Y^ork
produces more maple sugar
than any other state except
Vermont.
In the raising of fruits,
New York is second only to
the famous fruit state of Cali-
fornia, and in the raising; of
apples it holds first rank.
Millions of pounds of fruits
are evaporated for the mar-
ket, and cider and vinegar are among the important products
of the state. The counties bordering on the Ontario are famed
NEW VOKIC 3
WnNiinniiiiimniimrauiiiiiwiiiiniiiiiiimiutinnnniHWW^
( I \ I 111 KlNi. ( 1 1, \ I'l
38
THE STATE OF XEW YOEK
for their orchards, and grapes and other small fruits are raised
in enormous quantities.
Agriculture includes, too, the cultivation of fruit trees, plants
and trees for ornamental purposes, and the raising of farm and
garden seeds, and here also New York is the leader, the lower
Hudson and Long Island counties selling nearly $3,000,000
worth of nursery products annually. Near the city of Roches-
ter are nm-series, said to be the largest in the United States.
Live Stock. — We have seen that the farmer finds it profit-
able to devote his hilly or rough land to stock raising. In a
single year the farmers of the state have sold about $ 30,000,000
worth of live animals. In the value of the manufactured dairy
products — condensed milk, butter, cheese — New York is a
leading state. Enough milk is produced in a year to supply
every person in the
state with more than
a hundred gallons.
In poultry raising the
state has high rank,
and in the culture of
bees it is surpassed
only by California in
the value of its honey
and wax.
Fish. — The chief
products of the fishing
industry are herring, sturgeon, trout, whitefish, catfish, pike, and
perch, from the border waters ; trout, bass, pike, perch, and pick-
Trcjut Fishing
PKODUCTS
39
erel, from the inland waters ; shad from the Hudson ; and in
the salt water about Long Island are captured great quantities
of bluefish and mackerel : nienliaden are caught oft" the eastern
shore ; and the bays are worke^ for lobsters, oysters, and clams —
the famous Blue Point oysters couie froui the vicinity of Blue
Point on the Great Soutn Bay.
Minerals. — As to the . mining industries, iron is the only
metal found in any quantity. Fine iron is mined in the Cham-
plain district, in the
Highlands, and at va-
rious scattered points
in other regions.
In quarrying, over
$7,000,000 worth of
building stone was taken
out in 1913. Granite
is found throughout the ^ brickyard.
Hudson region, marble in the northern and eastern counties, and
bluestone in Ulster. The hard sandstone from Potsdam is used
for paving. The only place in the country where red slate is
found is Washington County. Limestone is found in nearly
every section, and clay is widely distributed, so that cement is
made in many counties. Along the lower Hudson large clay beds
have developed important brick-making industries.
Petroleum is found at many places, chiefly in Allegany and
Cattaraugus counties. From Glean the oil is pumped through
pipes to distributing points as distant as Buft'alo and Long Island
City, Natural gas is found in the central and southwestern
40
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
parts of the state, and is used in Buffalo and other places for
lighting, cooking, and heating.
In the production of salt, New York has long held first or
second rank. Salt springs of value are in Onondaga, Wyoming,
and Genesee counties ;
and in recent years
rock salt has been
mined in Livingston
County.
M i n e r a 1 springs,
valuable as medicine,
are found throughout
the state, some of the
. ,..s..K. ss PAKK, sakat.,.;a s.hi.n.... ^^^^ kno^Yn being those
at Saratoga, Richfield, Sharon, and Avon. The village of Sara-
toga Springs, located two or three miles from the Hudson, is the
most famous watering place
in the United States. Its
population of 13,000 is greatly
increased during the sum-
mer months by visitors to the
hotels, attracted largely by
the wonderful mineral waters.
Manufactured Products. —
The products of manufacture
are almost countless. The ^ "^^^ i^" sauai....a.
leading branch is the manufacture of textiles, the products of
which exceed a fifth of the entire maimfactures of the state. The
COMMKKCE
41
Saratoga Lake.
iiianiifacture of food and like products comes next in importance,
followed by what are known as "hand-trade" products. In
the manufacture of metals
other than iron and steel,
New York is the first state,
and in this connection it
is interesting to note that
New York's production
of confectionery is now^
greater than that of iron
and steel. The state is
first also in the manufac-
ture of lumber products,
of chemicals, of liquors and
beverages, of tobacco, of paper and printing, of gloves, millinery,
carpets and rugs, and electrical machinery and apparatus. Very
extensive, too, are its shipbuilding, and its manufactures of clay,
glass, and stone, of leather, and of vehicles.
COMMERCE
It is not enough that the different industries shall take the
resources of tlie earth and change them into useful products.
These products must next be exchanged., so that each person may
work at his occupation and trade off his products for other things
which he needs but does not make himself. This exchange we
call Commerce, and here, too, nature has done much for New
York in determining the routes by which merchandise of various
kinds can be most easily transported from one point to another.
42
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
A Hudson River Steamboat.
Modes of Transportation. — We have noticed that the state iy
cut in many directions by valleys, which are of the greatest
importance as routes of travel. Along these lines the exchange
of farm products for the products of the factory, and the prod-
ucts of one town for those of another, has been made for years
and years. Roads were early built, that men and produce might
travel horseback or in wagons.
Steamboats were run on the
navigable waters. Then in
some cases where the rivers
could not be used for pur-
poses of commerce canals were
built. Later came the '' iron
horse," readv to haul alono;
steel rails great numbers of wagons or cars at a speed far greater
than ever before attained.
Routes of Transportation. — One feature of New York's sur-
face gave the state a great opportunity to grow in commercial
strength. Year by year the American colonists pushed their
settlements farther and farther into the great West and North-
west. Year by year their products increased until they had
more than they could dispose of near at hand. Then, naturally,
they sought the chance to trade with the people of the Atlantic
Slope, and even with the European nations. To carry on this
export trade it was necessary that in some way their products
slionld reach the Atlantic coast. Many seaboard towns with
their excellent harbors — Boston, New York, Philadelphia —
were good ports when once reached; but how to reach them?
COMMEKCE
48
For hundreds of miles there was no break in the Appalachian
Highlands through which the loaded wagons might be sent
to the coast, but well toward the northei-n end there was the
cut formed by the St. Lawrence and Mohawk valleys. Once
through this opening, to the right, lay the navigable Hudson,
inviting commerce to its mouth port, — New York. Thus New
York city became the great American port, and New York state
the commercial leader of the Union.
Roads. — The means by which commerce has been carried on
are the waterways — natural and artificial — and the roadways,
either open roads or
railroads.
In the construction
of roads for ordinary
use great progress has
been made. At first,
a road was hardly more
than a widened trail
through the woods, but
from that small be-
ginning has gradually ^^^^ Ocean steamer.
come the miles of well-built roads that to-day are found all over
the state. Especially as the bicycle and automobile have come
more and more into use, the greater has been the need for smooth
and lasting roadways, so that the length of these improved roads
is daily increasing.
Water Routes. — The easiest kind of route for man to establish
is a boat line, for nature has provided the " roadbed," as it were,
44 THE STATE OF NEW YORK
and man has only to furnish the vehicles. Steam, of course, is
almost entirely used to-day as the motive power, and so we find
steamboats plying regularly on all of the important inland and
border rivers and lakes. Tlie great shipping center, not only of
New York state, but of the western hemisphere, is the port of
New York city. Thence the vessels go out to the north, the east,
and the south. Many of the steamboats are of great size and
speed and as comfortably and richly furnished as any hotel. •
Canals. — We have already remarked that many of the valleys
are traversed by unnavigable streams. While large boats may
readily sail up the Hudson, their farther progress — up througli
the Mohawk Valley — is made impossible by the shallowness of the
Mohawk River and its rapids and falls. Again, even if this river
were navigable, there are many breaks in the chain of rivers and
lakes as you cross the state. Large ditches might be built to
connect these, you may say. Yes, but they could not be laid
out across entirely level country, and they would soon become
rapid - flowing; rivers.
CASCADE ^ ^
=f^ Even were a river
bed dredged and the
river thus deepened
and the falls cut out,
it would still remain
unnavigable on account of the swiftness with which the water
would flow. Thus it was necessary for man to devise some
kind of artificial river, on the plan of a large ditch, and to find
some method by which boats could be taken easily fi'om one
level to anothei'. AVhat he did contrive was a form of ''lock.
COMMERCE
45
L£V£L C
5
LOCK
2
. — — _.
LEI^EL D
s:r
FlOO/f or LOCK
by which a boat as it stands iu the water can be raised or
lowered from level to level — made, in fact, to go uphill or
downhill. If you study carefully the following description,
you can understand how this is done.
If a boat is to be taken from level C to level D (downhill),
gate B is closed ; water from level C is admitted until it stands
in the lock as high as
't does on level C ;
gate A is opened and
the boat floated into
the. lock ; gate A is
closed ; the water in the lock is let out gradually into level D,
so that it falls slowly to the level of that in level D ; gate B is
opened ; the boat now
passes out on level D
and is drawn on until
another lock is reached.
To go uphill from D
to C the operation is
reversed : B is opened ;
the boat goes into the
lock ; B is closed ; water
is gradually admitted
into the lock from C ;
A is then opened and
the boat is on level C.
It was on April 15, 1817,, that the legislature of New York,
Tmder the leadership of Governor Clinton, voted to build the Erie
Canal Lo( k, Litti.k Falls.
^.Siirijtvillj
p,
N
> Castle I ftl\
^^'^^J
V
'.FAflQUMAR, DEL.
NEW YORK
^ SCAL E OF MILES
6 it* 5i So 15 S) eS to so w loo
County Towns ^.i Hailroads Canals —
L_ 1
78 Longitude 77 Wes
46
f^
moIntpelie^-'
[ Middllbury
.Rutland
w
>
.as
p eV aijwXr e
-N..'
M\sr. ^
SULLI'
nUectin
.J „*
s s/k c
Springfield
Unton Port Jervigjc4^}!/
'^Y
™ibro«l7|
?oi^hkae)i3ie
s.YJ.k
stV-
t Chc o t oF-
IhartfoJ
\ x^'eff LoDiioq
4w Haver
4Lari;limi>nt_
I s
I>^
N p
,_1 fl D Green
48
THE STATE OF NEW VOFvK
Canal, from Albany to Buffalo. In spite of the ridicule which
greeted the " Big Ditch " on all sides, it was completed by
October 26, 1825. Since then the Erie Canal has been used
constantly except during the winter, when navigation is closed.
It fixed the path of commerce from the West through the state
of New York, and made the city of New York the chief port
for foreign shipment. In addition, many thriving towns have
been developed all along the route of the canal. From time
to time the canal has been improved in many respects. The
original length of 363 miles has been reduced to 353 ; the num-
ber of locks from 83 to 34, and the canal and locks have been
enlarged several times so tiiat larger boats may be used.
The last and greatest improvement, undertaken in 1903-1916,
transformed the Erie Canal into the main part of the New York
State Barge Canal, which includes also three other branches :
the Oswego, the Champlain, and the Cayuga and Seneca canals.
In this reconstruction of the Erie and other canals the routes were
changed so as to use lakes and canalized rivers for long distances.
The improvement cost more than $125,000,000. Rochester and
Syracuse, left off the new route, are reached Ijy short branches.
A smaller canal, also
built by the state, con-
nects the Black River with
the Mohawk at Rome.
Railroads. — Within
six years after the completion of the Erie Canal tlie first railroad in
New Y^ork was run between Albany and Schenectady. The
building of railroads has continued since then, and to-dav over
FiKST H.\i!-R(>Ar> Train.
COMMKKCE
49
Through courtc-y of N. Y. C. & H. R. R.R.
A Modern Railroad Train.
8500 miles of steam roads are operated in the state. The roadbed
and rolling stock have been greatly improved. One may now board
a train at one end of the state in the morning and arrive at tlie
other before evening ;
throuiJrhout the entire
trip, during which he
has had at his com-
mand the comforts of
parlor and dining room,
he need aiot leave his
train.
The chief railway systems of New York are : the New York '
Central and Hudson River, operating over 2000 miles of road in
the state; the Erie, with about 9U0 miles; the Delaware and
Hudson, the Lehigh Valley, the Delaware, Lackawanna, and
Western, the New York, Ontario, and Western, the West Shore
and the Long Island, — ranging from about 700 to about 400 miles.
It will be seen that tlie same natural routes which have been
used by canals have been used by the railroads, and that the
railroads generally follow the valleys. Man has not, however,
followed these highways of nature altogether, but has daringly
laid his iron rails acj^oss the mountain ridges, cutting through the
mountains and building long bridges over the valleys between.
The main line of the New York Central follows the east
bank of the Hudson from New York city to Albany. Here it
turns westward through the Mohawk Valley and follows very
closely the route of the Erie Canal to Buffalo. Other lines reach
many other parts of the state.
60
THE STATE OF :NEW YOUK
The West Shore runs along the west bank of the Hudson,
and from Albany to Buffalo along a route about the same as that
of the Central.
The Lehigh Valley and the Delaware, Lackawanna, and
Western extend from New York to Buffalo hj routes that lie
partly in New Jersey ajiid Pennsylvania.
The Erie, completed in 1851, is a wonderful piece of engi-
neering work. Its original western terminus was Dunkirk, on
Lake Erie. It now
runs west to Chicago,
and has branches to
Buffalo and many
other points. If you
follow the Erie from
Jamestown, a hand-
some city on Lake
Chautauqua where the
road makes its west-
ern connections, and
continue to New York,
you will notice how it has to cross all five of the river systems
of the state, and yet how it does this almost entirely by fol-
lowing up or down the river valleys. First it travels up the
Allegheny (Mississippi system), then down a branch of the Gene-
see (St. Lawrence system), then up the main stream, and finally
up an eastern tributary, passing out of the Genesee Valley, at
an altitude of nearly 1800 feet, into the Susquehanna system,
by way of the \'alley of the Canisteo River. Next it goes down
i |j;ii-; Haii.koad.
OOMMEIKJE 51
the Chemung, then up the Susquehanna, tlicn crosses the dividi'
into the Delaware watershed, following very closely the Delaware
River for the entire length of its boundary between New York
and Pennsylvania. At Port Jervis the road turns eastward to
climb over the Shawangunk Mountains down to the valleys of
the Hudson River system. In many cases, where the moun-
tains come down to the river's edge like this,
the roadbed for the railroad had to be cut for
miles out of the solid rock, thus
The New York, Ontario, and
Western follows the tracks of
tlie West Shore from Weehaw- \ /f/y£/f
ken to Cornwall. From here it
strikes northwest to Oswego.
The Delaware and Hudson extends from Binghamton and the
coal district of eastern Pennsylvania to Albany, Rutland in Ver-
mont, and Montreal, with branches to many famous summer resorts.
The Long Island Railroad runs from Brooklyn, in New York
city, throughout the length of the island along both the north
and south shores and also through the middle of the island.
The last few years have seen great progress in the use of
electricity, which has taken the place of horses as power for
street railroads, and replaced steam for local travel between
neighboring towns. About 3000 miles of such roads are op-
erated in New York. In some cases the power is led through
underground wires, in others by overhead wires, and in others,
mainly on elevated street railways, by a third rail alongside
the tracks.
62
THE STATE OF NEW YOliK
MANUFACTURING CENTERS
In New York, as in every other state or country, the people
have gathered themselves together into villages or into cities,
which are really only villages of a larger growth. In some cases
this is because these particular places were better fitted for carry-
ing on manufacturing ; in other cases because they made good
centers for trade. All of
the cities and many of
the villages now are both
manufacturing and com-
mercial centers. But most
of them owe their first
growth to one onlj' of
these causes. The cities
of New York are listed on
pages 129-130. In order
of their rank as manufac-
turing centers the leading
ten are : New York, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, Syracuse, Sche-
nectady, Troy, Utica, Niagara Falls, Albany. New York — by far
the greatest of these — is studied in the second half of this book.
Buffalo, at the western end of the state, has immense manu-
factures of iron, steel, brass, and copper goods, machinery, lumber,
oil, flour, sugar, beef, leather, shoes, etc. Slaughtering and meat
packing are extensively carried on. Near Buffalo are the manu-
facturing cities of Niagara Falls (with large chemical works),
Lockport, North Tonawanda, Tonawanda, and Lackawanna.
Grain Elf\ \ii'i:, Kn t \i.
M AN U FACT UlUXG CENTERS
53
Copyrife'lit, r.H)0, by Detroit Pliiitograph.e ^o.
Salixa Street, Syracuse.
Rochester, too, has many millions of dollars invested in
manufacturing, over a third of which is in the manufacture
of photographic supplies,
boots and shoes, and men's
clothing. Flour, beer, to-
bacco, and furniture are
among the other products.
Syracuse not only has
high rank as a manufac-
turing city, but it is rapidly
growing. Men's clothing,
automobiles and other
machinery, manufactures
of iron and steel and malt
liquors are the leading products. Auburn, to the southwest, and
Oswego, to the northwest, are both important manufacturing cities.
Between Syracuse and Troy
are the cities of Rome, Utica, Little
Falls, Gloversville, Johnstown,
Amsterdam, Schenectady, and Co-
lioes, all important centers of man-
ufacture. In Schenectad// the
chief manufactures are electrical
machinery and steam locomotives.
Utica manufactures textiles and
other goods.
Troy and Albany are extensive manufacturers of machinery,
mathematical instrunients, and shirts, collars, and cuffs.
A Collar Shop, Troy,
54
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
A Street in Ithaca.
Between Albany and New
York are the cities of Hudson,
Kingston, Poughkeepsie, New-
burgh, Yonkers, and Mt. Vernon,
all engaged in manufacture. Yon-
kers has large sugar refineries
and carpet and rug factories.
In the south central part of
the state is a group of manufac-
turing cities, including Ithaca, Hornell, Corning, Elmira, and
Binghamton. The last two are the most important and have
large flour mills, rolling mills, tanneries, breweries, iron works,
car shops, and factories of uiauy kinds.
COMMERCIAL CENTERS
We next consider the cities
as connnercial centers. The lead-
ing lake ports are Buffalo and
Oswego. Biitfalo is called the
" Queen City of the Lakes" ; for
not only is it one of the most
important cities of all the Great
Lakes, but, with its ])road, well-
paved, and beautifully shaded
streets, its many artistic resi-
dences, its well-ke])t lawns, its substantial public buildings, and
its system of pul)lic parks, it is one of the handsomest cities
of the northern country. It has a water fi'ont of seven miles
NiiKIH SiKKKl, lilFtALl
COMMERCIAL CENTERS
55
on lake and river, and its harbor, protected by breakwaters, is
one of the finest on Lake Erie. As a lake port, as one terminus
of the Erie Canal, and as the junction of a score of railroads,
it has an immense trade, especially in live stock, coal, and lum-
ber. Grain is brought in enormous quantities from the West
and stored here, and later reshipped to its final destinations.
Dunkirk, also a manufacturing city, has a large Lake Erie
trade.
Oswego is the chief port on Lake Ontario. It has an excellent
harbor, pix)tected by a large breakwater, and has miles of wharves
and many large grain
elevators. It has a large
trade with Canada in
lumber and grain and
in coal, which comes
across the state from
Pennsylvania. Its im-
portance dates back to
the days of the French
and Indian War, when
the English fort was captured, in 1756, by General Montcalm.
All the cities alonsj the line of the Erie Canal and the Central
and West Shore railroads are important trading centers. The
Mohawk Valley is famous as a dairy region, and besides its
immense exports of butter and cheese, hops and broom corn are
raised in large quantities. To the west is the great grain and
fruit producing region about the Finger Lakes and the Great
Lakes. The products of the farms for miles around are brought
Canal Lock \i Osw i.;g()
.")C
THE STATE OF NEW YOEK
to the cities, where they are shipped by canal or railroad just as
they are, or after they have been manufactured into other products.
Bochester is on the
Genesee River, not many
miles from its mouth, on
Lake Ontario. The city
is connected by a brancli of
the Pennsylvania Railroad
with the plateau region to
the south, so that Rochester
is the center of trade for
the whole Genesee Valley.
Syracuse is a railroad
LOWKK FA.LS, ROCHESTKU. ^^^^^^^ ^^^^ -^ COUUeCted
with the Erie Barge Canal by Onondaga Lake.
Home is an important market for cheese and lumber.
Utiea, beautifully located on a slight elevation, is the metropo-
lis of the Mohawk Val-
ley and a busy railway
and canal center. It
is the most important
cheese market in the
United States.
Schenectady is an-
other rail road -center in
the Mohawk Valley. It
is the largest city be-
tween Utiea and Al-
Main Stkekt, Kochkster.
C'UM.MKiaiAI. CKNTKKS
0/
hiiuy, and its commercial importance is increasing with its rapid
growth in manufactm^es and in population.
Albany, the capital city, with
its popidation of 1 UU,000, is located
a lew miles below the mouth of
the Mohawk and the junction of
the Erie and Champlain canals,
near the head of the Hudson
River navigation. It is connected
by rail with New York, Boston,
Montreal, and Buffalo, and has (x<.vern..r's REsmExrE, Albany.
always been a city of great commercial importance. It is the
greatest lumber market in this part of the country. On the oppo-
site bank of the Hudson from Albany, connected by a railroad
bridge, is the city of Rensselaer, formerly East Albany.
Troy has excellent com-
mercial advantages, connected
as it is by canals with Lakes
Champlain, Erie, and Ontario,
and located near Albany and
its railroad systems. Oppo-
site Troy is the city of Water-
vliet, where the lumber trade
is the • chief industry. At
Watervliet is located a United
States arsenal.
At PoKghkecpsie, an important railroad junction, the Hud-
son is spanned by an immense bridge. Trains passing over
NEW YORK — 4
The Poitohkkepsie Bripce.
.IS
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
this bridge connect the Pennsylvania coal region with New
England.
Nev:hur(jh is one of the leading commercial cities on the
river, dealing in the produce of the rich farm lands to the west.
In Newburgh is located
the Hasbrouck House, fa-
mous as the headquarters
of Washington during the
last years of the Revolu-
tion. Many relics of the
War of Independence are
to be found in the house
and on the surrounding
grounds, now preserved
as a state park. New-
burgh is connected by ferry with the city of Beacon.
The most important of the many railroad centers of south
central New York are BincjlLamton and Ehnira, trading largely
in flour, lumber, and coal.
Washington's Headquaki
-Xkweii: .11.
ADVANTAGES OF LOCATION
But it must be remembered that good reasons fix the loca-
tion of all cities, and that they do not grow up at random.
Even if you did not know that there is a city called Buffalo,
as soon as you had learned of the Great Lakes and the man}-
people that live near and beyond them, and of the remarkable
valley that extends from Lake Erie across New York to the
ADVANTAGES OF LOCATION
59
Hudson River, you would expect to find a large city on the lake
at the head of the valley. And, further, you would expect to
find it at that point on the lake shore which has the best harbor
for trading boats.
Again, we have seen that in the Genesee River are great
falls which can be used to run machinery. And at this point
on the river has grown up the city of Rochester.
The city of Syracuse owes its first growth to the salt springs
in the neighboring marshes which were known to the Indians,
it is said, as far back as 1653.
These cities and those of the Mohawk Valley all owe their
later rapid growth to the building of the Erie Canal and then
to the railroads, which
enabled them to ship
their products to dis-
tant markets and to
develop into great com-
mercial centers.
Many other centers
owe their manufac-
turing importance to
waterfalls — among
them, Niagara Falls, Cohoes, Glens Falls, Little Falls, Fulton.
Then there are the cities on the Hudson. Kingston, for
example, is the most convenient point at which the bluestone
from the quarries to the west can be taken and shipped down
the river. Large quantities of ice taken from the Hudson are
shipped from this port. Again, Kingston is the natural southern
Cohoes Falls.
60
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
gateway to the popular Catskill Mountain region, and so it gains
prominence as a railroad center.
At the junction of the Chenango and Susquehanna rivers, in
the center of that fertile alluvial plain, there could not fail to
grow up a town of importance as a manufacturing and trading
center — Bingham ton.
Olean and Wellsville
became important on ac-
count of the great oil field
in the neighborhood.
These instances are
enough to show you that
cities do not spring up by
chance. In every case, the
large city has had some
great advantage of location — near powerful waterfalls, near
natural waterways, or perhaps at the junction of two of them,
or at the central point of an extensive farming district, or near
natural resources.
BiNGHAMTON.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
The Early Settlers. — Think of the early settler in New York
as he pushed into the woods, cleared the trees off a little tract
of land, built a log cabin, and became farmer, fisherman, quarry-
man, and manufacturer, all in one. He and his family raised
their own grain, vegetables, and fruit; they trapped game,
caught fish, raised stock ; they made their own cloth and manu-
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
61
Log House.
factiired their own clothing and whatever else they needed in their
daily life. Soon, however, others settled near them, and then
each man began to devote
himself to doing the thing
he was best fitted to do.
If he could shoe horses,
he set up a blacksmith
shop ; if he could make
clothes, he set up a tail-
or's shop ; if he was a
miller, he built a mill at a
convenient waterfall, and
ground into flour the grain which the farmers brought him.
Others devoted themselves to carpentry, others to masonry, others
to manufacturing of one kind or another.
Naturally these different people grouped themselves together
in a village, and then was established the village store, where one
could make a great variety of purcliases — an iron pail, a lace
handkerchief, dried fish, or a box of axle grease.
The doctor and the minister and the lawyer settled in the
village, and schools and churches were built. Before many years
elapsed, the little village grew to a large town, or perhaps, if it
was fortunately located so that railroads or waterways made it a
commercial center, it became a great city.
Country Life. — All this while, many other people preferred
to remain in the country, making their living as farmers, so that
to-day, within the state of New York, we find miles after miles
of rich farm land and again hundreds of cities and villages.
62
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Modern Farmhouse and Barns.
And how different is the farm hfe from that of the city !
The boy who lives on the farm gets up very early, — perhaps at
four o'clock in summer, — helps with the "chores," milking the
cows ; feeding the horses,
cattle, pigs, and chickens
and other live stock ; fetch-
ing water from the well
or spring, carrying it by
the pailful several rods to
the house ; and bringing in
great armfuls of firewood.
The farmer's family, with
perhaps a " hired man " or
two, are the only persons
living in the good-sized,
two-story house, and the nearest neighbor is probably a quarter
of a mile away — often farther. After breakfast, the boy, with
¥'■
-K'^'^8tty|Hit
H
P^-^i^*^
S ""^
' ^^^^^m.
H
iifci^-'^'
H
m
^M
B
'S^^M
^m
^^1
i-^^^ljiy^^P-ji
iP
^^r
;, ;^''^
A Country Schoolhouse.
SOCIAL DEVELOrMENT
6b
his lunch pail in hand, will trudge a mile or so to school. The
sclioolhouse is a one-room frame building, and if there are
twenty pupils present, it is considered a large attendance. If the
country boy wishes to mail a letter or get any mail which may
have been sent him, he often has a long walk or ride to the
nearest village post office. If he goes out for the evening, unless
it is a bright moonlight night, he
will have to carry a lantern or
fasten one on his carriage or
sleigh. But he usually gets to
bed early so as to rise the next
day with the sun.
City Life. — What a different
story is the life of the city boy
or girl, who lives perhaps in a
house not more than twenty feet
wide, with other houses close up
on each side, and maybe with a
back yard some forty feet long,
or else in an " apartment " or
" flat " house where from three
to a dozen families all live. In this case each family has some
half-dozen rooms where its daily life is carried on. The city
boy's "milking" is not more than going to the front door and
taking in the bottle or pail of milk which the milkman left
there ; there is no fetching water, because the city reservoir sup-
plies every house ; there is probably no firewood to bring in,
because coal or gas is generally used as fuel. And so the city
An Apartment House.
64
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
boy has few " chores," and he does not get up so early as his
country cousin. The school ^vhich he attends may be but a few
rods away — a four-story building of brick and stone with 20UU
or more pupils in daily attendance. Living so near the school,
he can go home to his lunch. If he wants to call on his friends
or go " down town " to the large shops, he can go by street
car, electric or cable, or perhaps by an elevated road or a " sub-
way." If he goes out at niglit, he finds the streets well lighted
with public lamps, and there are many places of amusement open
every evening. His letters are brought to his- house by a letter
carrier, who makes sev-
eral trips a day, and to
mail a letter requires
but a few steps to a
letter box.
GOVERNMENT
In every govern-
ment a few of the peo-
ple are selected to make
laws for the good of
all and to see that
The Senate Chamber at Albany.
those laws are obeyed. The government of the state of New
York, like that of the United States, has three branches. First,
there is a legislative branch consisting of a Senate of 51 mem-
bers and an Assembly of 150 members, elected by tlu^ people of
the various districts into which the state is divided. The legis-
govp:knment
65
The State Capitol.
lators make the laws for the state. Second, there is the execu-
tive branch, consisting of a governor and other state officers who
are elected by all the people of the state. The governor, who
appoints many assistants, sees that the people obey the laws.
Third, there is a judicial branch, consisting of judges and other
officers of the courts, all of whom are elected by the people. The
duty of these is to settle disputes about the laws, and also to
punish people who break the laws, thus administering justice to
all the inhabitants of the state.
Besides this state government, each county has a govern-
ment to look after matters which relate only to its own county
66
THE STATE OF ^EW YOKK
— a board of supervisor^ for law-making, a sheriff and other
officers for law enforcing, and county courts for law judging.
As each, county is divided into towns, there is another set
of officials to attend to the matters of purely town government,
and in the same way each of the cities of the state has a city
government.
The headquarters of the state government is in the capitol
building at Albany. This magnificent granite structure, located
on the principal height of the city, is visible for miles around.
EDUCATI(3NAL CENTERS
One of the causes of the importance of New York state is
the attention given to ed^ucation. To-day not only has every
^, , ,, . _ child an opportunity of
getting a free schooling,
but he is compelled to go
to school whether lie and
his parents wish it or not.
Sixty-five million dollars is
spent upon public educa-
tion every year. Through-
out the state are more
than eleven thousand coun-
try schoolhouses. In the larger villages there is usually wliat is
known as a Union School, which contains a high-scliool depart-
ment. In the cities, boards of education make laws and require-
ments suited to the needs of the local schools.
Columbia University.
EDUCATIONAL CENTERS
67
Copyri-ht. I'.nii, hv Dctnnt I'luitosruiiliio Co.
CoRf^ELL University.
Besides these, there are
the colleges, most of which
are private institutions, in
which the students pay for
their instruction. When
a student graduates from a
college or university he re-
ceives a diploma on which
is written the degree or
standing which he has at-
tained. In New York there
are over thirty colleges that confer degrees on their graduates.
Of these colleges, Columbia University, organized as King's
College in 1754, the largest in the state, is situated on Morning-
side Heights in New York city. New York University, organ-
ized in 1831, situated on University Heights, and the College of
the City of New York, organized in 1848 as the New York Free
Academy, are the next in
size and importance in New
York city. Cornell Uni-
versity, beautifully located
at Ithaca, on Cayuga Lake,
is the second college of the
state. Poughkeepsie is the
seat of Vassar College, one
of the leading schools in
the United States for the
Vassar College. cducatiou of WOmCH.
08
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
There is at Albany tlie State Normal College which prepare^^
its pupils to become teachers, and eleven normal schools at dif-
ferent points throughout the state carry on the same work.
At West Point, commanding the Hudson to both north and
south, is the United States Military Academy, which is governed
by the War Department of .
the United States. Here
young men are trained to
become army officers, and
each graduate receives a
second lieutenant's com-
mission in the regular
army.
But schools are not
the only educational insti-
tutions. At Albany are
located the State Museum and the State Library, containing
thousands of volumes. There are many other large and impor-
tant libraries, all of which, together with museums and other
opportunities to increase one's knowledge, do their great work
in the education and refinement of the people.
United States Military Academy, West Point.
This study of our state, though brief, will serve to show how
well New York merits its proud title of Empire State.
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
INTRODUCTION
The city of New York is divided into five boroughs.
The borough of Manhattan includes all of Manhattan Island,
whose northern boundary is the Harlem River. It includes also
Governors, Bedloes, Ellis, Oyster, Blackwells, Randalls, and Wards
islands. The borough of The Bronx lies north and east of Man-
hattan and extends to the northern limits of the cit}'. The
borough of Brooklyn covers the area of Kings County, and is th(^
old city of Brooklyn It is surrounded by the East River, the
borough of Queens, New York Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean.
The borough of Queens extends from Brooklyn to Nassau County
on the east. The borough of Richmond comprises all of Staten
Island.
The city of New York is governed by a mayor, who is
assisted in each borough by a borough president.
The area of the city is 318 square miles, of which the largest
borough. Queens, covers 124 square miles, and the smallest, Man-
hattan, 20 square miles. The vast city has 5,047,000 people,
nearly half of whom are in the little borough of Manhattan.
Richmond has the smallest population, although it outranks in
area both the borough of Manhattan and the borough of Brooklyn.
Gi)
/'■^^^^A^^^WfJ
71
72
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
NEW YORK CITY AS AN INDUSTRIAL AND COMMER-
CIAL CENTER
Although we generally think of New York as a city chiefly
devoted to trade or commerce, we must not lose sight of the fact
that it is a great indus-
trial center as well.
Of course the indus-
tries common in the rural
pai;ts of the state are not
found here to any great
extent, although it is true
that within the limits of
the city of New York we
do find good fishing, and
even some farming is still
done. But every year sees
more and more of the old farms in the outskirts of the city
giving place to the real city life and to those industries that are
more common in a great city. The most important of these
industries is manufacturing, and it is due to this especially that
New York leads as an industrial center. When we consider that
in manufacturing. New York is the leading city of the world, we
have one of the best standards by which to measure its greatness.
This alone would lead to a vast commerce ; for we must dispose
of the manufactured products, and so we send them by land and
by sea to all parts of the globe. Tliesc we cnll our exports, and in
Loading Goods for Export.
AN INDUSTKIAL AND CUMMEUCiAL CENTER
73
the total exports of New York city we must include those goods
that come through it from the north, the south, and the west,
bound for foreign lands. The commerce of the city includes also
the great import trade, goods brought in ships to New York
from foreign ports, some of it to remain there and some to pass
through on the way to the inland cities of the United States.
These imports are taxed by the United States government, which
has what is known as a Customhouse, in New York city, where
the customhouse officers collect taxes, known as customs or
duties, on the goods brought mto the port from foreign countries.
The receipts of the New York customhouse are enormous, more
than those of all the other
customhouses of the
United States tosrether.
The post office of the
city distributes about
5,000,000 letters a day,
which shows us in another
way what an enormous
amount of business must
be done in the city.
An important aid to the business of the city is its great num-
ber of large banks, where merchants and others may deposit their
money and draw against it by check, borrow money when they
need it, and transact other business.
With all these signs of the business activity of New York
before us, it is not difficult to realize that in industry and wealth
it is truly the Imperial City of the Western Hemisphere.
The New Customhouse.
74
THE CITY OF NEW YOKK
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS DETERMINING ITS GROWTH
AND IMPORTANCE
Situated at the mouth of the Hudson River, New York
naturally receives from the north and west much of its commerce,
and most of the European trade reaches or goes through the city.
Its location on one of the finest harbors of the world made it
even from the very first a
natural trading post. Its
climate is uniform and
moderate, both in winter
and in summer, and it is
remarkably free from un-
healthful or weakening
surroundings. Again, the
city with its borough har-
bors and coast indenta-
Grand Centkal Depot, Manhattan. tions, haS 3, Water front
of some 3e50 miles, which gives it by far the greatest shipping
and docking advantages of any city in the world. When we
consider, further, that Ne\v York city is so located that it is
easily reached by all railroad lines, from north, west, south,
and east, it is not difficult to understand why it is the me-
tropolis of the Western Hemisphere, nor to prophesy with cer-
tainty that some day it will become the great world city, of a
size and importance far beyond that of any city the world has
hitherto known.
TRA:sSPOilTATiO:N A^sD COMMUNICATION 75
MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION
We have already seen how man in his efforts to make trade
and travel easy has improved the advantages offered hhii in
New York state ; how he has built highways, railroads, canals,
bridges, steamships. New York city shows, even more than
the rest of the state, what wonders the mind and hand of
man ma}' accomplish.
The ordinary means of travel within the limits of New York
city to-day are : elevated roads, surface cars, underground rail-
ways, ferries, and bridges.
Elevated roads, of which the first was built in 1876, are
found in the boroughs of Manhattan, The Bronx, and Brooklyn.
These were the earliest means of rapid travel in New York city.
For five cents, one may travel from the Battery by way of
Second or Third Avenue through Harlem, and well into The
Bronx ; or, from the same starting point, by way of Sixth or
Nintli avenues, to the Harlem River at 155th Street, where con-
nections are made with railroad trains for the city limits and
suburban towns. From the Manhattan end of the Brooklyn
Bridge one may journey on the elevated road to Coney Island,
to Ridgewood, or to Jamaica, and from the Manhattan end of the
Williamsburg Bridge, another route to Jamaica and Ridgewood is
open. The trains on the elevated roads are now operated by
electricity.
Surface cars on most lines are run by electricity, though in
a few cases they are drawn by horses. A great network of
76
THE CIT^' OF ^'E\V YORK
surface cars spreads over the city, making it possible for people to
travel al^out with speed and convenience to all parts of the town.
Subways. — Another means of transportation in the city of
New^ York is the Subway, which connects the City Hall with Van
Cortlandt Park, Bronx Park,
and the most distant parts of
Bronx Borough. Fourth
Avenue, Lexington Avenue,
Seventh Avenue, and Broad-
way are traversed in this way.
Early stkam fkkkvsoat. The Subway conucctiou with
Queens Borough is made through a tunnel at 42d Street, and from
Long Island City a branch runs through Brooklyn to the Eastern
Parkway. From the City Hall
the Subway tunnels the East
River, Flatbush Avenue, and
Eastern Parkway to the
Brownsville section of Brook-
lyn. The Manhattan end of
the Williamsburg Bridge is
connected with the Municipal
Building, where the Fourth
Avenue (Brooklyn) Subway F.nv.vr.ovT or thk pkkskxt timk.
starts over the Manhattan Bridge for Coney Island. New York
is connected by the Hudson River tunnels with three great rail-
roads in New Jersey.
Ferries, — As the boroughs of the city are separated mostly
by bodies of water, the ferries, of which there are forty, do a
TKANSPOllTATiO.N A^sD CUMMU^'iCATiUN
/ I
\ery important work. The oldest ferry in New York, dating
hack to Dutch colonial times, is the present Fulton Ferry, con-
necting Fulton Street, Manhattan, with Fulton Street, Brooklyn.
Bhooklyn Briixsk.
Bridges. — Finding tliat the ferries would soon be unable to
carry the increasing crowds between New York and Brooklyn,
the people of those cities decided to have a bridge, and, in 1870,
the famous Brooklyn Bridge was
built to span the East River. This
remarkable structure was one of
the world's wonders. Its entire
length is over a mile, and the
central span measures 1600 feet.
Its floor at the highest point is
135 feet from the river, so that
sailing craft can manage to go
under it easily. It has a road-
way, a promenade, and tracks
for elevated trains and surface
cars.
The Williamsburg Bridge
^VlLLIA.MSliL KG BkIDGE.
78
THE CITi" OF NEW VOKK
crosses the East River between Delancey Street, Manhattan, and
South 5th Street, Brooklyn. Manhattan Bridge crosses the East
River between Canal Street, Manhattan, and Nassau Street,
Brooklyn. The Queensboro Bridge crosses the East River
between 59tli Street, Manhattan, and Crescent Street, Queens.
Hio-h Bridge, crossing the Harlem River at IToth Street, was
built in 1842 to carry water from the Croton Aqueduct into
Manhattan. Washington Bridge, a handsome structure supported
by massive but graceful arches, connects West 181st Street with
The Bronx. The Harlem River is crossed also by drawbridges.
High Bridge.
PUBLIC WORKS
Water Works. — The water supply in Manhattan and The
Bronx is drawn largely from the Croton River and from lakes
in Putnam and Westchester counties. Immense dams have been
built, wliich raise the water in some places over 100 feet. The
water flows in great aqueducts to reservoirs in Central Park and
rUJJLIC WORKS
7U
at Jerome Park. Thence it passes through iron mains laid under
the surface of the streets. The higher portions of Manhattan are
supplied from the High Bridge reservoir, and one at 97th Street
and Ninth Avenue. Brooklyn is supplied mainly through the
Ridgewood reservoir, from the streams and lakes of Long Island.
The city of New York
has grown so rapidly that
tlie water supply has
been taxed to its limit.
To provide for future
needs, a new system has
been <?onstructed for
bringing water from the
Catskill Mountains. The
Catskill aqueduct has a
capacity of 500,000,000
gallons a day, and the
Ashokan reservoir, the largest in the system, once filled, could sup-
ply the city for eight months without any water flowing into it.
It is estimated that over 350,000,000 gallons of water are
consumed daily in Manhattan and The Bronx, and 150,000,000
in Brooklyn. All this water must in one form or another be dis-
posed of, and for this purpose immense sewers or drains, some of
them fifteen feet wide, extending under the streets of the city,
back and forth and across some 2250 miles, carry off the waste
and deposit it far out in the rivers.
Streets and Driveways. — Different commissioners are ap-
pointed to look after the opening of new streets and the closing
Reservoik, HuiH Bridge.
80
TllK CITY OF :N'E\V YORK
Washington Bridge and Harlem River Driveway.
of old ones, to see that
the streets are kept
clean and free from
snow, to build boule-
vards (like the Riverside
Drive in Manhattan,
the Southern Boule-
vard in The Bronx, and
the Eastern Parkway in
Brooklyn), speedways
(like the Harlem River
Driveway in Manhat-
tan), and cycle paths (like that on the Ocean Parkway in Brook-
lyn, extending from Prospect Park to Coney Island).
Docks and Piers. — The docks and piers of New York city
are controlled by one of the departments of the city government,
which builds, repairs,
and rents the wharves
that line the shores of
Manhattan and Brook-
lyn. There are about
230 piers in Manhat-
tan and 60 in Brook-
lyn. Along the Hud-
son, north of 12th
street, are piers of
most of the great ocean
liners, and below 12th driveway in central fakk.
PARKS
81
Street are the river and coastwise steamers. Farther down the
river the docks are mainly those of the ferries and freight Hnes.
Extensive shipping is carried on also on both sides of the East
River. At the foot of
Canal Street the Ocean
Steamship Company
has a steam - heated
wharf for the storage
of southern fruit. A
tour of the water front
of New York city would
be a trip of great value
even to the city boy
or girl. In such a
PiKKS AND DdCKS, EAST RiVER.
walk he might study
many things of inter-
est ; the names and nationalities of the ships painted at their
sterns, the different cargoes loading and unloading, and the flags
of the different nations afloat at the mastheads.
PARKS
The people of a busy commercial city whose lives are passed
in the hurry and rush of exciting events, must find some means
of refreshing body and mind. Foremost among these means are
our parks, many of them in the very heart of the crowded city,
where the people may enjoy open fields, green grass, and shaded
walks, without having to go out into the country. The most
82
THE CITY OF XKW YORK
View ix Central Park.
famous of these city
breathing places is Cen-
tral Park, which lies
almost m the center of
Manhattan, extending
in length from 59tli to
110th streets, a distance
of two and one half
miles, and half a mile
in width. Central Park
has been in existence
for nearly half a century. In the center of Brooklyn is Prospect
Park, over half the size of Central Park, and scarcely less famous.
Adjoining Prospect Park is what is known as the Parade Ground,
where one may see thousands of
men and boys playing baseball or
football during the season. Each
of these large parks has acres of
beautiful meadow and W'Oodland,
with miles of well-made, wide,
and shaded driveways, and charm-
ing paths across the fields, over
hills, and through ravines. Each
has a lake of several acres, on
which are launches and rowboats
in summer, and which, when
frozen over in winter, are thrown
open to thousands of skaters. Maryland Muxumext, prospect park.
PAllKS
83
Each, too, is made more beautiful by the addition of many
handsome stone arches and bridges, ornamental rustic houses,
and monuments of bronze
and of mar))le. Among
the monuments in Central
Park the most striking is
the Egyptian obelisk,
known as Cleopatra's Nee-
dle, which was presented to
the city by the Khedive of
Egypt in 1877. It is about
3500 years old, dating back
before the time of Moses.
In The Bronx there are e\tuan( k to pi!<)spk( t pakk.
several parks, two of them. Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay,
much larger than Cen-
tral Park, but as yet
not fully developed.
Van Cortlandt Park, in
the western part of the
Ijorough, is a beautiful
forest of 1100 acres in
which is located the old
Van Cortlandt Manor
House, now used as a
View in Central Park, museum. BrOUX Park,
which contains the botanical gardens, the zoological gardens, the
famous rocking stone, and the Lorillard Mansion, bids fair to be
84
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Van Cortlandt Manor House.
the most beautiful of all,
especially in the neighbor-
hood of the Bronx River.
Pelham Bay Park, twice
the size of Central Park, is
in the northeastern part of
the borough, and stretches
along by the Sound to
the northern city limits.
These three parks are con-
nected by magnificent road-
ways.
In addition to the large parks, there are more than a hundred
small parks or squares, each of only a few
acres, yet scattered about in such a way that
nearly every inhabitant has one of these open
spots somewhere near his home. Of these.
Union Square, Madison Square, Tompkins
Square, Bowling Green, Stuyvesant Square —
all in Manhattan — are perhaps the best known.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The history of education in New York city
may be said to have begun when the first
Dutch schoolmaster, Adam Roelandsen, set up
his little school in New Amsterdam in 1633,
and began to ring bells, comfort the sick, and
Thk Obk.ijsk,
Gentkal Park.
rrijj.ic sc'iiuoi.s
85
A Nkw \i'KI< School Building, Brooklyn.
take in washing to eke out a living. From tliis small beginning,
our great school system of to-day lias grown, in which 850,000
children attend the public
schools in 600 different
buildings where 20,000
teachers do their daily
work. In this vast system
pupils from the kindergar-
ten to the college are edu-
cated at the expense of the
city, and the money for this
purpose is raised almost
entirely by a tax on the
property owners of the city.
Some of the buildings used by the New York public schools
are magnificent and pos-
sess every advantage for
the comfort and education
of the school children.
Many of them seat 3000
children.
In tlie public schools,
besides the regular stud-
ies, English, arithmetic,
geography, history, etc.,
the girls are instructed in
sewing, and wliere [)ossible, the girls learn cooking and the boys
do (*arpentry work.
A Class in Cakpknikn Work.
86
THE CITV OF XEU' YOEK
Hall of the Board of Education.
The High Schools, of
which there are twent}-
five, furnish a more com-
plete education to those
desiring it, and prepare
many of their pupils for
college.
The College of the
City of New York is free
to the graduates of the city
high schools, and Hunter
College (formerly the New
York City Normal College) offers the same privileges to girls.
The elementary schools and the Jiigh schools are under the
control of the Board of Education, wliose imposing building is
located at 59th Street and Park Avenue, Manhattan. This
Board, consisting of forty-six members, elects a City v^u-
perintendent of Schools,
whose duty it is to see that
the laws of the Board are
enforced.
Summer schools and
playgrounds are supported
by the city for the chil-
dren of the more crowd-
ed sections ; and in the dif-
ferent boroughs there are
over a hundred evening
A I A N 1 ,\ i-MNl, Li.( II ;.J.
OTHKK IM r.LIC I NSTFTITJUNS 87
schools, where men and \vomen, as well as working boys and
girls, are given a chance to get an education. In many of the
schools, public evening lectures on all subjects are given, which
the parents of the pupils attend in large numbers.
OTHER PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
Libraries. — New York city has many other means besides
public schools and public lectures for the education of her citizens,
and probably next in importance comes the vast system of public
libraries. The efforts to provide free books for the reading
public of the city has resulted in the union of five great sources,
— the Astor Library, formerly in Lafayette Place, the Lenox
Library, formerly on Fifth Avenue and 71st Street, the Tilden
bequest, the former New York Free Circulating Library, and
lastly the fund of over $5,000,000 given by Andrew Carnegie.
The central building of the new library, which has branches in
all the boroughs, is located on Fifth Avenue, extending from 40th
to 42d streets, and it is one of the largest library buildings in the
world.
Museums. — The American Museum of Natural History
occupies the long block on 77th Street, between Central Park
and Columbus Avenue. This mammoth building, now only
about one third complete, has a frontage of nearly one sixth of
a mile,, and is a most imposing structure. Here may be seen a
wonderful collection of stuffed birds and other animals, and
many curious collections of fossils and mummies and relics of
living and extinct nations and tribes. It would take years to
8S
THE CTTV OF NKW YOT^K
The Museum of Natukal History.
study carefully all that is here exhibited. Ijut even a single visit
to it is very profitable.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located in Central Park
on the Fifth Avenue side, fronting on 82d Street. In it one may
see the works of the greatest of the world's painters and
sculptors, workings in
brouze, famous histori-
cal tapestries, vases,
pottery, and porcelains.
The Brooklyn In-
stitute of Arts and
Sciences, on the East-
ei 11 Parkway, includes
uuiseums, lecture and
concert rooms, and a
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. DOtaUlCal garden.
OTIIKR I'UIJLIC INSTITUTIONS
89
The Botanical Gakden.
The New York Botanical Garden occupies 250 acres of land in
Bronx Park on the Harlem Railroad. The garden is being filled
with hardy plants,
both American and for-
eign; the more delicate
specimens of plants,
not adapted to our cli-
mate, are exhibited in-
doors. Near by ' are
the New York Zoolog-
ical Gardens, where
many varieties of birds and other animals are kept in immense
cages, large enough for them to continue their accustomed habits
of life. Ranges are
made for buffaloes,,
dens for wolves and
bears, ponds for beaver,
seals, and alligators,
houses for monkeys,
and for all kinds of
reptiles.
While making the
round of the museums
one must not fail to
\dsit the New York
Aquarium at Battery
Park in the old immigrant building. Castle Garden. Here are
found fishes from all the waters of the United States, and
Thk Zoological Gardens.
90
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
the hundred and more
tanks occupied by
them furnish subjects
for study and amuse-
ment.
Among the other
free amusements for
the people are the
The Aquarium — Ikterior.
Thp: A<,>rAi{ii'M — Ex i i
Recreation Piers, immense
halls built out over the
entire length of some of
the large piers on the
rivers, where
the people of
the crowded
districts may
enjoy on the
hot summer nights the breezes that blow over the
river and the music which the city furnishes for
their pleasure.
Monuments. — To keep before the minds of our
busy people the memory of great men who have
died, many monuments have been erected
throughout the city. There are statues of
Columbus, Stuy vesant, Washington, Lafayette,
Statue OF Nathan Hale. Franklin, Webstcr, Lincolu, Grant, Shake-
OTHER ru HLIC INSTITUTIONS
91
The Washington Arch.
speare, Irving, Scott, Morse, and
man yotlier famous soldiers, states-
men, authors, and inventors. The
Washington Arch, at the foot
of Fifth Avenue on Washington
Square, was erected soon after the
centennial celebration of Wash-
ington's inaugural.
Charities. — An important
branch of the city government,
established to protect the health of
the poorer classes, is the Depart-
ment of Public Charities, which
provides stations where patients
may be treated for disease or undergo operations.
The Navy Yard of the United States is located at the head of
Wall about Bay on the
East River, in Brooklyn.
The immense grounds,
covering nearly 150
acres, present many
interesting sights.
Among them are can-
non and trophies of
many wars. The stone
dry-docks, capable of
launching a first-class
battle ship, are of spe- entrance to the navy yard.
92
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Nkw Vork Post Office. Manhattan.
cial interest. Many
vessels of the navy
are stationed here
at different times,
and may be boarded
by visitors by per-
mit from their cap-
tains. The yard was
fonnded in 1801,
and is under the control of one of the rear admirals of the navy.
Baths. — Many public baths are located along the river fronts.
During the summer months the daily average of bathers is
100,000, who are thus enabled to enjoy the benefits of salt-water
bathing without expense.
Public Buildings. — The New York Post Office building, com-
pleted in 1014, is on Eighth Ave-
nue, 31st and 33d streets. This
office has many stations and sub-
stations scattered throughout
Manhattan and The Bronx, and
handles millions of letters a day.
There are departments for the
care of city mail, domestic mail,
foreign mail, registered letters,
parcel post, and special delivery
letters, i^'everal mails are dis-
tributed daily, and several collec-
tions are made from the thousands iskooklyn Post offkk.
I
OTHER PI I'.I.IC INS'IMTI'TIONS
93
of letter boxes along the streets. The Brooklyn Post Office oc-
cupies a line, large building at the corner of Washington and
Johnson streets. With its stations and substations, the service
is as good as that in
Manhattan. The other
boroughs are also pro-
vided with post offices
In the City Hall
Park, between Broad-
way and the Brooklyn
Bridge, is the old City
Hall, one of the best
examples of early
City Hall.
nineteenth-century archi-
tecture to be found in the
state. In this building
are the offices of the
mayor, the Board of Al-
dermen, and the Board of
Estimate and Apportion-
ment. Near by are the
County Court House, the
of Records, and the lofty Municipal Building, completed in
In the Municipal Building are the offices of the heads of
of the city departments, and of the borougli officials.
Brooklyn Borou(jh Hall.
Hall
1913
most
94
THE r]Ty OF NEW YORK
The former Cit}' Hall of Brooklyn, now known as the Brook
lyn Borough Hall, is located in the triangle l)ounded by Fulton,
Joralemon, and Court streets. This fine, white marble building
faces a well-kept small park, and contains the offices of the
borough president, and of the other borough officers. The County
Court House is near by.
The State Arsenal, used for the storage of arms and ammu-
nition, is located at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 3-jth
Street, Manhattan. The city
has eighteen armories which
the various regiments of the na-
tional guard, the signal corps,
squads of cavalry, etc. , use for
meetings, drill, and storage of
arms and ammunition. The
national guard is composed of
enlisted citizens, who may be
called out to quell riots or to
defend the country. The finest armories in the city are those
of the 7th, 22d, and 71st regiments of Manhattan, and of the
13th and 23d regiments, and Troop C of Brooklyn.
Police. — For the purpose of preserving law and order and
for the protection of life and property, New York has established
one of the best police departments in the world. There are about
13,000 uniformed police on the force, and the system is divided
into eighty-seven precincts, with a captain in command of each.
The Central Police Office is at Centre and Broome streets, Man-
hattan, where the chief of police makes his headquarters.
Armory of the V2th Regiment.
GliEAT .MEKCANTll.E CONCERNS
95
GREAT MERCANTILE CONCERNS
From the very beginning of cities and large communities, the
(lift'erent trades, or as they were once called, the guilds, lived in
localities by themselves. This was tru^ in the old Dutch Colony
days in New Amsterdam, where different trades located in partic-
ular streets, that took
their names from the
trade or occupation of
the dwellers in it.
This grouping of
occupations, the growth
of nearly three centu-
ries in New York city,
is also true of the great
mercantile concerns of
to-da}', especially in the
borough of Manhattan.
For example, the great
wholesale dry-goods houses are along and about Broadway, be-
tween Prince and Reade streets. This district of about 135
acres is said to have stored in it a larger amount of merchandise
than can be foimd within an equal area anywhere else in the
world.
On the east side of Manhattan, south of the Brooklyn Bridge,
is the district known as the " Swamp," which is the center of
the trade in hides and leather.
In and near Maiden Lane is the wholesale jewelry district,
Lower Broadway.
96
THE CITV OF NEW YORK
while up town are the fashionable retail shops, in which are dis-
played rich collections of precious stones and metals.
Along Fifth Ave-
nue below 42d Street
are most of the im-
portant book and
magazine publishing
concerns.
Most of the o;reat
newspaper offices are
grouped in Park Row,
near the City Hall,
in what is known
as Printing House
Square, in the center
of which stands a
statue of Benjamin
Franklin, the greatest
of all printers.
Other districts are
especially devoted to
the sale of cutlery
and hardware, of fur-
niture, of clothing, of
automobiles, etc.
While retail shops of all kinds are to be found throughout
the city, there are certain (central localities where have grown ii])
what we call ''department stores." These concerns, occupying
WooLwoKTH Building, Municipal Building, and
Park Row.
(;im<:at MKiicAN'rii.K conckiins
Hki;ali) StjuvRE and Intkrskction of 1!kuaj)\\ av and Sixiu Avkm i;.
buildings of many floors and immense area, sell mider a single
roof almost any line of articles yon could imagine — dress goods,
jewelry, hardware, furniture, groceries, and even meats and fish.
In Manhattan there are great department stores on Broadway,
I'iftli, and vSixth avenues. The main department-store district of
Brooklyn is centered on Fulton Sti'eet below Flatbush Avenue.
Most of the goods which we have considered are staple
articles which may be kept in stock for a long time, but much
of our food, such as vegetables, fruits, and fresh meat, has to be
98
THE CITY OF NEW YOUK
brought to the city daily in fresh supply. The retail grocer ur
butcher goes every morning to one of the markets where he buys
his day's supply for his
local trade. There are a
number of these markets,
the chief of ^vhich is Wash-
ington Market, located in
lower Manhattan, where
more business is carried
on than in all the others
combined. In Brooklyn,
by far the most important
market is the Wallabout,
which occupies a convenient location on Wallabout Bay, and in
its blocks of stores constitutes a little village of its own.
Wallabout Market.
FINANCIAL CONCERNS
In any great city it is necessary that business should be car-
ried on quickly and easily, and those concerns that help in this
respect are very important. There are the regular business banks
where the business man deposits his money. By doing this he is
able to pay his bills by writing" checks," which are simply orders
to the bank to pay out a part or all of the money lie has de-
posited there. This is easier and more convenient than keepuig
large amounts of money on hand. These same banks, too, loan
money to the business man when he wishes to buy quantities of
goods and cannot pay for them until after he has sold them.
FINANCIAL CONCERNS
99
Brooklyn Savings Bank.
There are many of these banks
in New York city, and some
of them are housed in very
handsome buildings.
Besides this kind of bank
there are Savings Banks, where
people of limited means may
deposit their money, and by
leaving it with the bank for
months at a time earn interest
money on it.
There are so many banks
in New York that they have
what is known as a Clearing
House where the messengers from the different banks meet daily
to exchange the checks which their banks have received and
cashed for one another. The Clearing House is located in a
substantial building on
Cedar Street, the chief
feature of which are the
three wonderful vaults or
safes which it contains.
These safes are of great
size and strength, and are
provided with a most re-
markable system of pro-
tection against fire and
BowKKY Savings Bank. , burglary.
00
THE ClTiT OF NEW YUllK
Wall Street is known the world over as the financial center
of the United States. On the corner of Broad Street is the new
building of the Stock Ex-
change. It is in this
exchange that the stocks
of the great railroad,
steamboat, and manufac-
turing companies are
bought and sold — mil-
lions of dollars worth every
day. In and about Wall
Street are many banks and
the offices of brokers who
act as agents for people
On the street is the granite
A Bank Vault.
who wish to sell or buy stocks,
building of the United States Subtreasm-y, where millions of
dollars are stored. It was in the old Federal Hall which formerly
stood here, that Washing-
ton was inaugurated first
President of the United
States, and a statue of
Washington in front of the
present building commem-
orates the event.
For many hours in the
day this Wall Street dis-
trict is in a feverish excite-
ment of business bustle w.vll stkket.
MA.NUFACTinilNG CU^^CEU^S lOl
and worry. It is only as you look at the stately old Trinity
Church at the head of the street, with its peaceful graveyard and
its memories of two Inmdred years, that one is reminded that
life is not all money getting.
MANUFACTURINCx CONCERNS
The city of New York is by far the greatest manufacturing
center of the United States. It pi'oduces more than one half of
the manufactures of the state and more than one tenth of those
of the entire United States. New York and Pennsylvania are
the only states in the Union whose manufactures are as extensive
as those of this one great city. A total of 26,000 manufacturing
concerns gives employment to over half a million people. Even
on Broadway, which at first sight seems to be devoted entirely to
commerce, an immense amount of manufacturing, especially of
clothing, is carried on. This is the leading product of the city,
and clothing is made to the value of half a billion dollars
annually. When we stop to consider that 125,00^0 persons are
engaged in this line of work, we can begin to get an idea of its
importance. Workmen of all grades are employed, from the
hajf-starved. poorly paid toilers in the East side sweat shops to
the most fashionable of Fifth Avenue tailors. There are in the
city several large hat factories, the greatest of which are in the
borough of Brooklyn.
Next in importance to the clothing industry is the refining of
susrar and molasses. Immense leiineries are located along the
East liiver front in Brookl\ii. where boats laden witli ci-ude cane
102
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Sugar Refineries, Brooklyn.
sugar from the far south deposit their cargoes. Here it is boiled
in immense pans, and thousands of barrels of sugar ready for use
are produced daily. Seven eighths of the city's refining is done
in Brooklyn.
The printing and publishing of books, magazines, and news-
papers is one of the main industries, and in it New York leads the
cities of the United States.
Some factories make a
special business of setting
up the type and making
the plates from which
books are printed ; others
do only the press work ;
others only bind books ;
while some concerns carry on the whole operation from the type
to the printed and bound book. All the leading newspaper offices
do their own printing, using presses, into one end of wliieli is fed
A Newspaper Press.
FACTOUS J^ETiaiMlNl^'G TUULIO IMPROVEMENTS 103
paper in large rolls, and from the other end of which are sent out
the finislied newspaper of a dozen or more pages, all folded and
even counted, ready for selling to the newsdealers.
There are gas plants in which gas is manufactured for light-
ing, heating, and cooking, and sent out by pipes into residences
and other buildings to a distance of many miles.
Foundries, cigar factories, breweries, machine shops, bakeries,
carpenter shops, coffee and spice grinding mills, and many other
concerns, are to be found in large numbers, and often occupying
buildings of immense size.
Many of the large manufacturing concerns are located on the
water front, where the work is more easily carried on because
scows may land at their very doors, to bring coal for their great
furnaces and to carry off ashes, to land raw materials and to take
away the finished manufactures.
LEADING FACTORS DETERMINING PUBLIC
IMPROVEMENTS
The public improvements of our city are of such magnitude
as to lead us to inquire further into the causes that have deter-
mined them. The situation and physical features of the several
lioroughs are so entirely different, that different methods have to
be followed in planning improvements. In Manhattan, whose
shape is long and narrow, avenues have been laid out running in
many cases parallel to the greatest length of Manhattan Island.
Madison, Lexington, and the numbered avenues are straight
roads, each of them several miles in length. Except in the
104
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
lower part of the bor(jugli and in a few sections settled before the
rapid growth of the city really began, most of the cross streets
are known by numbers and run at right angles to the avenues.
This makes it very
easy to find most places
in Manhattan, and it
determines the loca-
tion and direction of
the main lines of trans-
portation.
In Brooklyn, fan-
like in shape ana
(■..p.vri_'lit. I'.HKi. hy Diiicit Photographic Co.
IMi'i.p.p;rry Bend, bkfork Im-
provements WERE MADE.
formed by the union of
many growing villages,
we find a very different
arrangement of streets.
In fact, the original
cow paths, lanes, and
roads, irregular and
crooked, form the be-
ginnings of many of
Mulberry Bend at the Present Time.
the important streets. Brooklyn therefore is much more difficult
to travel around in, and its shape requires many intersecting
car-lines.
NEW YUKK llAKKOli 105
The streets in both Manhattan and Brooklyn have been laid
out in regular order by squares whenever this has been possible,
and the tearing down of rows of wretched old buildings, irregu-
larly located, has given room for new small parks. One of the
most noted instances of this kind of improvement is the Mul
berry Bend Park, in lower Manhattan. The Building Department
of the city has condemned buildings in many other overcrowded
sections.
The ferries, of which we have spoken, are made necessary
of course by the fact that the boroughs are largely surrounded by
water. Bridges came about naturally when the ferries were
unable to handle the rapidly increasing traffic.
The increase in wealth and population of our city has made
possible the building of the immense libraries, museums, and
schools for the education of the people, and has made not only
possible, but necessary, the system of water supply, drainage,
and the other comforts and luxuries that we find necessary
to our life of to-day.
NEW YORK HARBOR
New York Harbor, one of the largest and most beautiful
in the world, excites the wonder and admiration of all strangers
who gaze upon its beauties for the first time. As it has been
a very important factor in the growth of the city, we will
devote a space to the study of its most interesting featm^es.
The harbor consists of the Lower Bay, outside of the Narrows ;
the Upper Bay, from the jimction of the Hudson and East
lOG
THE CITY OF NEW YUKK
NoKTH FROM Brooklyn Bribge.
rivers to the Narrows ; the lower Hudson, and the East River. The
Lower Bay, in which there are nearly 100 square miles of anchor-
age, includes Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, and Jamaica Bay.
Two channels near
Sandy Hook give en-
trance into the Lower
Bay to vessels from
the Ocean. The great
International Yacht
Races are held here.
The Upper Bay
may be entered from
the ocean in three ways, — through the narrow straits on the
western and northern sides of Staten Island ; through Long Island
Sound and the East
River ; and through
the Narrows from the
Lower Bay. The Staten
Island entrance is nar-
row and cannot be
used by heavy vessels,
and the East River is
turbulent and treach-
erous, so that most
vessels enter by way
of the Narrows, which south from Brooklyn Bridge.
is guarded by Forts Wadsworth and Tompkins on the Staten
Island side and Fort Hamilton on the Long Island shore.
NEW ^■()K'K IIAIv'l'.Oi;
07
The entrance to the East Kiver from the Sound is pro-
tected by Fort Schuyler, located on a long peninsula called
Throgs Neck, and by the fort at Willetts Point on the other
side of the river. Five miles farther on are North Brother and
South Brother islands, on the former of which smallpox patients
are quarantined. A beautiful sail of a mile or so brings us to
Randalls Island where are located schools, hospitals, and a House
of Refuge for children. Just south of Randalls is Wards Island,
which contains the city hospital for the insane. Blackwells
Blackwells Island.
Island farther south is a long, narrow strip of land, on which are
many buildings, used mostly as prisons and erected by convict
labor. The island, in spite of the gloomy uses to which it is put,
is beautiful in appearance, especially in summer.
In the Upper Bay are located Governors, Bedloes, and Ellis
islands, that look at a distance like little green dots in the glisten-
ing bay. All these islands belong to the United States govern-
ment. Governors Island, with an area of one hundred seventy-
three acres, contains a fort and is beautifully laid out with trees
and walks. A parade ground is used by the troops quartered here.
Here also is fired the " sunset gun." Ellis Island is now used as
the landing place of immigrants to New York. Castle Garden
108
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
near the Battery was formerly used for this purpose. On Bedloes,
or Liberty Island, is located the famous Bartholdi Statue, pre-
sented by the people of France to the United States in 1886. This
magnificent figure of Liberty Enlightening the World is a bronze
statue 150 feet high and
located on a pedestal as high
as the figure itself. Espe-
cially at night, when the
torch in the hand of the
figure gives forth its bril-
liant light, it may be seen
for miles around, a fitting
symbol of the giant city,
that in its growth of three centuries has witnessed the struggles
of brave men for liberty of speech and liberty of action.
Having now studied the metropolis as it is to-day, we will
look back and see how it grew from the little settlement of New
Amsterdam into the imperial city of New York.
^
\l m^^A.
jir«- m»iaa0saML^ f '■
■HMdHKIkr^
Liberty Island.
LOCAL HISTORY
Discovery. — Over three centuries have passed since Henry
Hudson, on his famous cruise along the eastern coast of Amer-
ica, first gazed upon the wild region where the greatest city
of the Western World now stands. As he sailed through the
Narrows into the Bay there rose before him a beautiful island,
forest-covered and crossed by streams that flowed, some to the
left into a mighty river, and some to the right into a wave-tossed
LOCAL lUSTOllY
lO'J
Henry Httdson.
strait. Behind him a range of protecting hills that seemed to
extend from the Jersey shore appioaclied so close to Long Island
that they formed an excellent harbor.
It was on September 12, 16 09, that
Hudson with his crew of the Half Moon
sailed past Manhattan Island and the
Palisades, and began his trip up the river
beyond the Highlands to the site of Al-
bany. Upon Hudson's return to Holland,
Hendrick Christiansen and Adrian Block,
stirred by his accounts, soon after fitted
out trading-ships and came to this coun-
try. Others followed, until the fur trade with the Indians be-
came an important Dutch industry. A fort was erected in
1613 at the very southern point of Manhattan Island. This
^.^^ was not only a fur depot
py^J 1,1^ j f ' but a point from w^hich the
exploring and trading expe-
ditions started along the
coast. Thus early we see
that Europeans were drawn
to New York mainly for
purposes of trade. A ware-
house, protected hy a fort,
was built at Albany in the
year 1614, and the United
New Netherlands Company thus began the work that later
changed the little colony into the Empire State.
Thk Half Moon on the Hudson.
110 THE CITY OF NEW YORK
First Settlements. — It was nearly ten years later, in May.
1623, that the good ship, Neio Netherlands, brought a number
of colonists to this country. Most of them were Walloons, people
of Holland whose fathers had fled from France on account of
religious troubles. Eight of these thirty families remained at the
fort and settled the village of New Amsterdam, the beginning of
New York city ; others settled in Albany, New Jersey, and Con-
necticut, while a few crossed the East River, and, at Wallabout,
where the Brooklyn Navy Yard is now located, built up a little
settlement, which, however, disappeared soon after. The first
permanent settlement on Long Island was made thirteen years
later at New Amersfoort, afterward called Flatlands.
Flatbush. — One of the most interesting of the former Dutch
towns within the present limits of New York city is Flatbush, set-
tled just before the middle of the seventeenth century, and known
as Midwout by the early Dutch. As long ago as 1654 it had a
church where the settlers came for worship from Amersfoort,
from New Utrecht, and from Brooklyn, then a mere hamlet near
the site of the present borough hall. It now comprises many
acres in Brooklyn, east and south of Prospect Park, where in
certain sections are still to be found some very old houses of the
Dutch style.
Peter Minuit. — For nearly forty years the Dutch West India
Company sent out governors to manage the affairs of the colony.
The first of these was Director General Peter Minuit, who arrived
at New Amsterdam in 1626. He was a shrewd merchant and was
very successful in directing the trade of the colony. But by fai*
the greatest bargain that he made, and probably the most re-
LOCAL HISTORY
111
^1^
f^*^^
ir^*"*l
Purchase of Manhattan Island.
markable real-estate transaction in history, was the purchase of
the island from the Manhattan Indians for twenty-four dollars'
worth of beads and
trinkets. And the
strangest part of it is
that both Dutch and
Indians were probably
equally sure tliat they
had the better of the
bargain. During the
six years of Minuit's
rule the coasting trade
became a great in-
dustry, and the town rapidly increased in wealth and prosperity.
Peter Stuyvesant. — Governors Van Twiller and Kieft, the
successors of Minuit, managed affairs so badly that in 1647 Peter
Stuyvesant was sent over by the company to
straighten out matters. He was the last and the
greatest of the Dutch governors, a very strict
ruler, and a very just man, according to his own
ideas of right and wrong. His idea of right was
to serve his employers, the Dutch West India
Company, no matter what the colonists wanted
or deserved. The people, not getting their rights
from Stuyvesant, appealed to the company, and succeeded, in
1653, in getting a city charter. This charter gave them the right
to govern themselves through officers — called burgomasters and
schepens — selected from the citizens of the town. Although
Peter Stuyvesant.
ill^
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Governor Stuyvesant kept the reins of power in his own hands
by appointing the officers from his own circle of friends, a step
had been taken in the right direction — New Amsterdam had
become a city.
In his dealing with the Indians, Governor Stuyvesant showed
great courage and common sense, and through his wise efforts
in this direction, the colony grew much stronger and better
able to defend itself a^-ainst attack.
New Amsterdam in 1656.
The English for many years had claimed this region by
right of the discoveries of the Cabots. Taking advantage of
the discontent of the Dutch under Stuyvesant, they sent Colonel
Nichols with a fleet to demand the surrender of New Netherlands.
It was found that most of the Dutch were glad to yield, and in
spite of the angry protest of Stuyvesant, the sm-render of the
fort and city of New Amsterdam was made on September 8, 1664,
the control of New Netherlands was quietly transferred to the
English, and New Amsterdam became New York.
After the surrender Stuyvesant went to Holland, where he
remained a short time. Upon his return to New York he re-
tired to his ^* bouwerie," or farm, which covered a large tract
LOCAL HISTORY
113
Stuyvesant's House on the Bowery.
uf land extending from the present Fourili Avenue to the
East River, in the neighborhood of 14th Street. Here the
doughty old governor passed the
rest of his life in peace and hap-
piness. He died in 1G72 at the
age of eighty, and lies buried in
the vaults of Saint Mark's Church
on 10th Street and Second Ave-
nue, where, among the monu-
ments of many great men, there
is a tablet to his memory.
New York in 1664. — A
strange picture indeed this quaint little town of New Amsterdam
makes in the background of our city's history. At its north-
ern extremity a wall, built to
keep out the English and the
Indians, extended from river to
river. At the eastern end was
the Water Gate, and at the west-
ern, end stood the City Gate, de-
fended by a blockhouse and a
little half-moon battery of two
guns. This wall was made of
twelve-foot logs, embedded three
feet deep in the earth, and strengthened here and there by towers
and blockhouses. Inside of the wall, to the south, were a ditch,
a rampart, and a broad lane, now known as Wall Street, bordered
by the rude cabins of the lowest class of the people. The princi-
The Old Wall.
114
THE CI
'ATY\-
OF KEW YORK
pal sti^eet of the citv was De II cere Straat, now Broadway, which
extended to the wall from the Bowling Green.
Bowling Green is one of the most interesting landmarks of
the city. It was laid out early in the history of New Amster-
dam as a common or
meeting ground for
the people. Here oc-
curred the marketing,
the signing of trea-
ties with the Indians,
the parades of the
military, and the cele-
^^^^^ bration of victories.
FiowLixG Gkkkn in Dutch Times.
Here the boys and girls
met for play, and on a
summer afternoon even
the quiet and dignified
burghers indulged in their
favorite game of " bowls."
It continued to be a fash-
ionable promenade for 200
years, and in spite of all the
changes that have taken
place in the city, the Bowling Green remains a public park to
this day. In the old days one could step from the grassy walks
of the Green into the inclosure of the little fort, within which
Coinri^lit, I'.iihj, by Oetroit Pliotographic Co.
BOWLIXO (ilJEKN AT PRESENT.
LOCAL HISTORY
115
The Fokt in 1664.
were the governor's
inausion, the jail, and
the stone church.
East from the fort,
a road known as the
Bridge Street led to
the bridge across the
principal canal which
flowed along what is
now Broad Street. On
the other side of the
canal this road became the High Street and ran north to the wall
at the Water Gate. Here began the river road to the Long
Island Ferry, which
was located at the
present Pecks Slip.
The entire city
then, in 1664, lay
south of the present
Wall Street. It con-
tained some 250
house? and had a pop-
ulation of about 1400.
The Bowery. — It was in 1660 that the Indians caused so
much trouble that the people living outside the city limits were
directed either to come within the wall or to assemble in a
villatro. This led to the formation of a little settlement called
the " Bowery" near the present location of loth Street and Third
Broad Strket, 1664.
116
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Avenue, not far from Stnyvesant's country house. A lane con-
necting the settlement with the city was also known as the
Bowery on accoimt of the bouweries or farms that dotted . its
length. Just below Canal Street was the famous Bull Head
Tavern, managed during
the Revolution by Rich-
ard Varian, a famous host.
On the site of the old
tavern was erected in 1826
the fashionable Bowery
Theater, rebuilt in 1806
The Bowery Seventy Years
Ago.
and known later as
the Thalia. The Bow-
ery's history is one of
great clianges. Begin-
ning as a forest road, it
became a country lane
and then a village
street ; later, a broad
avenue, the fashiona-
ble driveway and shop-
ping district of sixty years ago. To-day, with its four tracks of
cars, its elevated roads, its numerous cheap stores and places of
amusement, it presents a scene busier than ever, perhaps, but
in sad contrast to its appearance of years ago.
The Bowery at Present.
LOCAL HISTORY
117
Harlem. — In 1661, the road that extended from New Amster-
dam out through the Bowery to the little village of Harlem,
just established on the bank of the East River, was little more
than a forest path. For nearly two centuries the only direct
approach to Harlem
was along this forest
road, and the growth
of the village was of
course very slow. To-
day Harlem is a part
of New York city. It
has a splendid system
Oli> 11ai:i.i:.m.
of broad streets and
avenues, and contains
many elegant public
and private buildings,
and important manu-
facturing and mer-
cantile concerns. Its
population would
make it, by itself, a
city of the first rank.
Dutch Customs and Industries. — New Amsterdam, as we
have seen, was mainly a commercial city ; but on account of its
distance from large manufacturing centers, it was necessary that
its citizens should make many of the articles whicli were needed
Harlem at Fkksknt — 125th Sthkkt, Manhattan.
118 THE CITY OF NEW YORK
for daily use — so we find all the trades flourishing; and fre-
quent mention is made in the early records of brewers, bakers,
butchers, carpenters, glass makers, coopers, tailors, etc. Dairy
and farm products were brought in from the Long Island farms,
but each citizen had his own little garden alongside his house,
where he raised many of the necessities of life.
The shop of the tradesman was generally on the lower floor
of his house. We hear of one great department store owned by
Cornells Steenwyck, where shopping in all lines could be done.
It occupied the second floor of the owner's fine house on Bridge
Street, and offered bargains in meats and groceries, hardware,
cloths, silks, and "notions."
The tavern' keepers, of whom Martin Cregier, of No. 11
Broadway, was the most famous, did a thriving business. Daring
adventurers penetrated far into the interior to trade with the
Indians, bartering worthless trinkets for valuable furs. The
coast trade brought the burghers of New Amsterdam into con-
tact with Massachusetts on the north, and Virginia on the
south, and enabled them to exchange with the English colonists.
But by far the greatest and richest of the New Amsterdam in-
dustries were its shipping and foreign trade. Their ocean vessels
imported hardware and dry goods from Holland, sugar and
molasses from the Barbadoes, dyestuflls and fruits from Cura^oa,
and numerous other articles from distant foreign ports.
The old-fashioned Dutch house was built with the gable end
facing the street, and the front was generally of stone. The
houses of the better class, with their large rooms, sanded floors,
and heavy furnishings, were very comfortable and even elegant.
LOCAL HiSTOllV
119
There were, however, on the outskirts iii;iriy very cheap and
wretched houses, made of wood, the front yards often serving as
hogpens. The average monthly rental of the New Amsterdam
house was about ^1.25.
The Dutch as a class were very hospitable and enjoyed the
good things of life with their friends. Our merry Santa Glaus
celebration at Christmas, our
New Year's calling, and our
coloring of Easter eggs are all
inherited from the Dutch of New
Amsterdam.
New York under the English.
— When the colonists in 1664
yielded the control of their gov-
ernment to the English, it was
with the hope that they would
enjoy greater freedom under
their new rulers. There was
some improvement, to be sure,
but it did not come without a
continued struggle to secure their
rights from the English kings and their governors in New York.
In 1689, the lower class of the people rose in rebellion against
the city government, seized the fort with the aid of the militia,
and placed Captain Jacob Leisler in power, as governor. Leisler
ruled wisely at first, but as he gained in power, he began to op-
press the people, throwing some into prison, depriving others of
life and propeT-ty, and insulting in the most violent way all who
Old Dutch Houses.
120 THE CITY OF NEW YORK
were oi)posed to him. Many complaints against liim were made
to the English king, and Governor Sloughter, after a long delay,
was sent over to take command of the colony. Leisler at first
refused to yield, but was finally arrested and tried for treason,
of which he was found guilty. He was executed, and peace was
restored to the city that had suffered his misrule for nearly two
years.
In the latter part of the seventeenth century the ocean was
infested with swarms of pirates, who attacked trading vessels,
robbed and murdered their crews, and then boldly returned to
New York to boast of their exploits. Lord Bellomont, the new
governor, was ordered to suppress them. He fitted out a man-
of-war and selected for its captain, William Kidd, a respectable
resident of Crown Street (now Liberty), with orders to sail
against these sea robbers.
The governor's choice of Kidd was unfortunate, for within
a year this respectable gentleman ran up the black flag and de-
clared himself a pirate. In this career he was very successful,
and the story of his evil deeds soon spread throughout the world.
It is said that he buried immense quantities of gold which many
foolish people have sought for to this day, but in vain. After a
rather brief career of murder and robbery, he was captured and
sent to England for trial. His execution followed without waste
of time.
In 1725 occurred a most important event in the history of
the city — the founding, by William Bradford, of the first New
York new^spaper, the Weekly Gazette. As this paper took the
side of the governor in all his disputes with the people, the
LOCAL HISTORY
121
people naturally felt the need of a paper of their own. This
paper, the New York Weekly Journal, was started in 1734 by
Peter Zenger, a pupil of Bradford. The Journal began with the
Gazette that fierce newspaper war which is still going on, though
less bitterly, in New York city to-day. But Zenger was not
satisfied with fighting the Gazette only — he attacked the gov-
ernor, the mayor, and others in authority, for which he was
brought to trial. The result was a glorious victory for the
Shipping in New York Harbor, about 1776.
people, for Zenger was acquitted and the papers won the right,
for all time, to discuss freely any public question. Since that
time the press has been of great service in guarding the liberties
of the people.
And so the struggle for liberty went on, the people fighting
stubbornly against all kinds of setbacks and obstacles, until in
1776 they felt that they Avere strong enough to stand up in
bold and open defiance of their oppressors, and to claim in full
that for which they had been struggling for over a hundred
years — liberty to think, to act, and to govern themselves as a
free and independent people.
122
THE CITY OF NEW YOKK
At the very outset of the Revokition disaster came to oui'
city. The British were victorious in the bloody battle of Long
Island, so that Washington and his army were compelled to give
up New York city, which remained under British control for
seven years. Not long after Washington had retreated, a terrible
fire swept over the city, and
fully 500 houses were laid in
ruins.
Trinity Church. — In its
mad rush this fire completely
destroyed Trinity Church,
which stood on Broadway
at the head of Wall Street.
This famous church had been
built in 1697, when the Eng-
lish Episcopalians wished a
better place of worship than
the old stone church in the
fort. It was not rebuilt un-
ToMB OF Alexander Hamilton. til after the War. The pres-
ent building was erected in 1846. In the churchyard are
many tombstones dating back to the time of the first church.
Alexander Hamilton, New York's greatest statesman, lies buried
there.
St. PauPs. — Trinity Church exercised from the start a
great influence in New York city, and its power has continued
to increase. To-day it has a number of chapels or branches
scattered throughout the town. The most famous of these is
LOCAL H18T0KY
123
St. Paul's, built in 1764, on the upper end of
the land belonging to Trinity, and now the
oldest church building on Manhattan Island.
An added interest is given to St. Paul's
from the fact that Washington worshiped
there when President of the United States.
Fraunces' Tavern. — Prominent among
our relics of the past is the old tavern of
Sam Fraunces, " Black Sam," a patriot of
the Revolution. This old hostelry, built in
1730, still stands at the corner of Broad
and Pearl streets. It was in 1762 that
Fraunces became the proprietor, and from
that time until 1776, when the British got
control of the city, the tavern was a favor-
ite resort of those patriots who were combining in the cause of
American liberty. In its famous " Long Room," Washington
dined that glorious November day
in 1783, when at the head of his
army he took possession of the
city and saw the last of the Brit-
ish soldiers leave our shores. In
this room also occurred the final
scene of the Revolution — Wash-
ington's affecting farewell to the
brave officers who had toiled and
suffered with him through the
Fraunces' Tavern. dark days of that gloomy war.
Oi>D St. Paul's.
124 THE CITY OF NEW YORK
It is interesting to note that the building was purchased in
1904 by the Society of the Sons of the Revohitiou, many of
whose members are descended from the very officers who were
present at the farewell. By this society the old tavern is now
preserved as an historical museum — a constant reminder of the
time when our country was struggling for the liberties which we
enjoy to-day.
I
APPENDIX
STATISTICS
THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Population, 1910
Area, Land
Water
9,113,614 .
. 47,654 sq. mi.
1,550 sq. mi.
No. of people to 1 sq. mi., 1915
Population, Males
Females
Native
Foreign
White
Colored
(1915) 9,687,744
. 49,204 sq. mi.
. 197
(1910) 4,584,597
(1910) 4,529,017
(Estimated, 1910) 6,337,573
(Estimated, 1910) 2,776,041
(1910) 8,966,845
(1910) 146,769
No. of farms in 1910 .
Acreage of farms in 1910
Value of farm property in 1910
Value of farm products in 1910
Capital invested in manufacturing, 1909
Value of manufactured products, 1909
No. of manufacturing establishments in 1909
Aver. no. employed in manufacturing, 1909
125
215,597
22,034,013
$1,451,481,000
$209,168,236
$2,779,497,000
$3,369,490,000
44,935
1,203,241
NEW YORK 1
126
APPENDIX
COUNTIES
COUXTY
POPULA-
Land
Akea
Chief Agricultural PRODUfTs
TIOX, 1015
Sq. Mi.
Albany
183.330
528
Buckwheat, rye, apples, strawberries, honey.
Allegany
40,216
1.018
Live stock, dairy products, wool, buckwheat,
oats, potatoes, maple sugar.
Bronx
615.600
41
Broome
90,641
696
Live stock, dairy products.
Cattaraugus
72,756
1,330
Live stock, honey, maple sugar, apples, dairy
products, poultry and eggs.
Cayuga
65,751
722
Live stock, dairy products, poultry and eggs,
honey, wool, tobacco, buckwheat, wheat, oats.
Chautauqua
116,818
1,062
corn.
Live stock, poultry and eggs, corn, oats, dairy
and forest products, maple sugar, apples,
grapes, buckwheat, strawberries.
Chemung
59,017
391
Buckwheat, tobacco.
Chenango
36,648
847
Live stock, dairy and forest products, poultry
and eggs, maple sugar, hops.
Clinton
47.561
1,041
Live stock, potatoes.
Columbia
44.111
647
Live stock, rye, apples, grapes, strawberries.
Cortland
30,074
486
Live stock, dairy jiroducts.
Delaware
45,995
1.531
Live stock, dairy and forest products, poultry
and eggs, honey, maple sugar.
Dutchess
91,044
800
Live stock, poultry and eggs, corn, rye, fruits,
dairy products, apples, peaches, strawberries.
Erie
571,897
1,040
Live stock, dairy products, poultry and eggs,
apples, honey, oats, corn, wheat, grapes, and
strawberries.
Essex
32,461
1,834
Wool.
Franklin
46,181
1,717
Live stock, potatoes, hops, maple sugar.
Fulton
45,625
486
(ienesee
40,707
484
Live stock, wool, beans, apples, potatoes.
Greene
30,091
644
Kye. apples, wheat.
Hamilton
4.491
1,747
Herkimer
64,109
1,426
Live stock, strawberries, dairy products.
Jefferson
81,009
1,252
Live stock, dairy products, honey, maple sugar,
forest products, oats.
Kings
1,798,513
77
Lewis
25,947
1.265
Live stock, maple sugar, dairy products, hops.
Livingston
38,427
635
Live stock, wool, beans, potatoes, honey, rye,
oats, wheat.
APPENDIX
COUNTIES — Continued
12;
Land
County
Popula-
Area
Chief Agricultural Products
tion, 1915
Sq. Mi.
Madison
41,742
649
Live stock, dairy products, hops, blackberries.
Monroe
319,310
643
Live stock, poultry and eggs, honey, potatoes,
beans, strawberries, wool, rye, oats, corn,
wheat, apples, peaches, grapes.
Montgomery
01,030
399
Dairy products, hoj)s, buckwheat.
Nassau
116,825
252
Corn, potatoes.
New York
2,137,747
20
Niagara
108,550
522
Live stock, jioultry and eggs, wool, beans, oats,
corn, wheat, a]>ples, peaches, grapes.
Oneida
167,331
1,180
Live stock, dairy products, poultry and eggs,
hops, potatoes.
Onondaga
213,992
794
Live stock, dairy products, poultiy and eggs,
honey, potatoes, tobacco, alfalfa, rye, oats,
corn.
Live stock, wool, potatoes, beans, hops, nursery
Ontario
54,628
652
products, strawberries, oats, corn, wheat.
apples, peaches, grapes.
Orange
118,118
849
Live stock, poultry and eggs, dairy products,
peaches, grapes.
Orleans
33,919
396
Live stock, wool, beans, wheat, apples, peaches.
Oswego
75,929
974
Live stock, dairy products, jioultry and eggs,
tobacco, strawberries, nuts.
Otsego
48,534
978
Live stock, dairy products, poultry and egg.s,
oats, hops, buckwheat.
Putnam
12,767
239
Queens
396,727
129
Onions.
Rensselaer
121,330
664
Wool, rye, potatoes, strawberries.
Kichmond
98,634
57
Rockland
46,903
180
St. Lawrence
90,291
2,810
Live stock, dairy and forest products, poultry
and eggs, oats, maple sugar, i>otatoes, honey.
Saratoga
62.982
830
Rye.
Schenectady
98,625
210
Rye.
Schoharie
23,005
648
Dairy products, buckwheat, lioney, hops.
Schuyler
13,954
339
Wool, buckwheat, grapes, peaches.
Seneca
25,249
328
Wheat, peaches, grapes, beans.
Steuben
83,630
1,401
Live stock, dairy products, poultry and eggs,
wool, potatoes, grapes, rye, buckwheat, oats.
Suffolk
104,342
918
Poultry and eggs, corn, potatoes, peaches.
Sullivan
38,189
967
Live stock, poultry and eggs.
Tioga
25,549
518
Buckwheat.
128
APPENDIX
COUNTIES— Continued
County
Popula-
tion, 1915
Land
Area
Sq. Mi.
Chief Agricultural Products
Tompkins
Ulster
Warren
Washington
Wayne
Westchester
Wyoming
Yates
36,535
85,367
32,977
46,955
53,476
321,713
33,028
18,841
477
1,128
895
797
624
450
603
348
Live stock, eggs, buckwheat, peaches.
Poultry and eggs, strawberries, nuts, rye, apples,
peaches, grapes.
Live stock, dairy products, wool, corn, rye,
potatoes.
Live stock, poultry and eggs, beans, oats, corn,
apples, peaches, grapes.
Apples.
Live stock, dairy products, wool, wheat, potatoes,
maple sugar, beans, apples, oats.
Wool, beans, wheat, peaches, grapes.
APPENDIX
12!)
CITIES
No.
City
County
Popula-
tion, 1915
Chief Manufactures
1
New York
New York,
Kings, Bronx,
(Jueens,
Richmond
5,047,221
Clothing, printing and publishing,
machine-shop products, beer,
refined sugar.
2
Buffalo
Erie
454,680
Slaughtering and meat packing,
machinery, flour, automobiles,
soap.
3
Rochester
Monroe
248,465
Clothing, photographic apparatus,
boots and shoes, machinery,
printing and publishing.
4
Syracuse
Onondaga
145,293
Automobiles, machinery, type-
writers and typewriters' sup-
plies, clothing.
5
Albany
Albany
107,979
Beer, printing and publishing,
machinery.
6
Yonkers
Westchester
90,948
Sugar refining, carpets and rugs,
machinery, patent medicines,
marble and stone works.
7
Utica
Oneida
80,589
Hosiery and knit goods, machin-
ery, men's clothing.
8
Schenectady
Schenectady
80,381
Electrical machinery, locomotives.
9
Troy
Rensselaer
75,488
Men's furnishing goods, clothing,
shirts, collars and cuffs, beer,
machinery.
10
Binghamton
Broome
53,668
Tobacco manufactures.
11
Niagara Falls
Niagara
42,257
Chemicals, food preparations.
12
Elmira
Chemung
40,093
Foundry and machine-shop prod-
ucts, lumber products.
1:3
Jamestown
Chautauqua
37,780
Worsted goods, furniture and re-
frigerators.
14
Mount Vernon
Westchester
37,583
Brass and bronze products.
15
Amsterdam
Montgomery
34,319
Carpets and rugs, hosiery and
knit goods.
16
Poughkeepsie
Dutchess
32,714
Dairymen's and poulterers' sup-
plies.
17
Auburn
Cayuga
32,468
Agricultural implements, cordage
and twine.
18
New Rochelle
Westchester
31,758
Printing and publishing.
19
Newbnrgh
Orange
27,876
Men's clothing, including shirts.
20
Watertown
Jefferson
26,895
Foundry and machine-shop prod-
ucts.
21
Kingston
Ulster
26,354
Tobacco manufactures.
130
APPENDIX
CITIES — Continued
No.
City
County
Popula-
tion, 1915
Chief Manufactures
22
Oswego
Oswego
25,426
Matches, starch.
23
Cohoes
Albany
23,433
Hosiery and knit goods.
24
Rome
Oneida
21,926
Brass and bronze products.
25
Gloversville
Fulton
21,178
Leather gloves and mittens.
26
White Plains
Westchester
19,287
Planing mills, bakery products.
27
Lockport
Niagara
18,693
Flour-mill and gristmill products.
28
Olean
Cattaraugus
17,925
Petroleum refining.
29
Dunkirk
Chautauqua
17,870
Locomotives.
30
Ithaca
Tompkins
16,750
Printing and publishing.
31
Middletown
Orange
16,381
Cars, condensed milk, leather.
32
Glens Falls
Warren
• 16,323
Men's clothing, shirts.
33
Lackawanna
Erie
15,737
Iron and steel.
34
Watervliet
Albany
14,990
Iron goods, collars and cuffs.
35
Hornell
Steuben
14,352
Cais, general repair shops for rail-
road companies.
36
Ogdensburg
St. Lawrence
14,338
Luml)er manufactures, flour-mill
products.
37
Saratoga Springs
Saratoga
13,792
Druggists' preparations.
38
North Tonawanda
Niagara
13,498
Lumber products, iron and steel
blast furnaces.
39
Corning
Steuben
13,459
Glass.
40
Batavia
Genesee
13,278
Agricultural implements.
41
(xeneva
Ontario
13,232
Beer (malt).
42
Little Falls
Herkimer
. 13,022
Hosiery and knit goods.
43
Cortland
Cortland
12,367
Iron and steel, steel works and
rolling mills.
44
Hudson
Columbia
11,544
Hosiery and knit goods.
45
Rensselaer
Rensselaer
11,210
Felt goods.
46
Fulton
Oswego
11,138
^Vol•sted goods.
47
Johnstown
Fulton
10,687
Leather gloves and mittens.
48
Oneonta
Otsego
10,474
Machinery, knit goods.
49
Beacon
Dutchess
10,165
Bricks, rubber goods, hats, boilers.
50
Plattsburg
Clinton
10,134
Automobiles.
51
Oneida
Madison
9,461
Engines, wagons, hosiery.
52
Port Jervis
Orange
9,413
Iron ]>roducts, silk, gloves.
53
Tonawanda
Ihie
9,147
Iron products, paper.
54
Salamanca
Cattaraugus
8.:570
Tanning manufactures, furniture.
55
Norwich
Chenango
8.342
Hammers, carriages, furniture.
56
Mechanicville
Saratoga
8.20S
Paper, sashes and blinds, knit
goods.
57
Canandaigua
Ontario
7,501
Canned goods, tanned products,
agricultural implements.
ArrENJ>ix
181
LARGER VILLAGES
HAVING A POPULATION OF OVER 5,000 IN 1916
Popu-
Popu-
ViLLAGK
County
lation
1915
Village
County
lation
1915
Albion
Orleans
5,988
Malone
Franklin
7,404
Catskill
Greene
5,371
Mamaroneck
Westchester
7,290
Eiidicott
Broome
5,581
Medina
Orleans
6,079
Fredouia
Chautauqua
5,328
Newark
Wayne
6,468
Freeport
Nassau
7,465
Ossining
Westchester
10,326
Hastings -on-Hud-
Westchester
5,461
Peekskill
Westchester
15,502
son
Ferry
Wyoming
5,009
Haverstraw
Rockland
5,418
Port Chester
Westchester
15,129
Hempstead
Nassau
6,073
Rockville Center
Nassau
5,223
Herkimer
Herkimer
9,577
Rye
Westchester
5,339
Hoosick Falls
Rensselaer
5,406
Seneca Falls
Seneca
7,018
Hudson Falls
Washington
5,585
Solvay
Onondaga
5,886
I lion
Herkimer
8,900
Tarrytown
Westchester
5,752
Lancaster
Erie
5,094
Walden
Orange
5,196
Lestershire
Broome
5,400
Waverly
Tioga
5,119
INDEX
Adirondacks (ad-i-ron'daks), 14, 15, 17, 18,
24-26, :J0-o2."
Albany (al'ba-ui), 19, 48, 50, 52-54, 57, 64,
66, 68, 109, 1 10.
Alexaudria Bay (al'egs-an'dri-a), 21.
Allegany County (al'e-ga'ni), 39.
Allegheny Plateau, 16, 17, 20, 30, 36.
Allegheny River, 20, 50.
Amsterdam (am'ster-dam'), 53.
Anthony'.s Nose, 14.
Appalachian Highland (ap'pa-la'chi-an), 12,
13, 43.
Assembly, 64.
Atlantic Avenue, 76.
Ocean, 12, 16, 69.
Slope, 42.
Auburn (a'burn), 53.
Ausable Chasm (o-sa'bl), 24.
River, 23.
Avon (a'von), 40.
Barbadoes (bar-ba'doz), 110.
Battery, 75, 100 ; Park, 89.
Beacon, city of, 58.
Beacon Mountain (be'kon), 14.
Bedloes Island, 69, 107, "l08.
Bellomont, Lord (bel'a-mont), 120.
Binghamton (bing'am-ton), 52, 54, 58, 60.
Black River, 17.
Black River Canal, 48.
Blackwells Island, 69, 107.
Block, Adrian (blok), 109.
Blue Point, 39.
Blue Ridge Mountains, 13.
Boston, 42, 57.
Bowery, 11.5, 116.
Theater, 116,
Bowling Green, (bo'ling), 84, 114.
Bradford, William, 12 L
Bridge Street, 115, 118.
Broad Street, 100, 115, 123.
Broadway, 76, 92, 93, 95, 101, 103, 114, 118,
122.
Bronx (bronks). Borough of The, 69, 75,
78-80, 83, 92.
Park, 83, 89.
River, 84.
Brooklyn (-lln), 51, 69, 75, 77-80, 82, 91,
94, 97, 101, 102, 104, 105, 110.
Buffalo, 39, 40, 48, 50, 52, 54, 57, 58.
Bullhead Tavern, 116.
Cabots, the (kab'gts), 112.
California (kal'i-for'ni-a), 37.
Canada (kan'a-da), 55.
Canal Street, 80,^81, 116.
Canisteo River (kan'is-te'6), 50.
Catskills (kats'kils), 15, 16, 24. 60.
Cattaraugus County (kat'ta-ra'giis), 39.
Cayuga Canal, 48.
Lake, 26, 67.
Cedar Street, 99.
Central Lakes, 16, 17. 30.
Park, 79, 82, 83, 88.
Champlain Canal (sham-plan'), 48, 67.
Lake, 9, 13, 14, 17, 25, 26, 39, 57.
Valley, 12.
Chautauqua Lake (sha-ta'kwa), 24, 50.
Chemung River (.she-numg'), 20, 51.
Chenango River (she-nan 'go), 20, 60.
Chicago (.she-ka'gd), .50.
Christiansen, Ilojidrick (krM'y.an-sgn), 109.
City Cate, 113.
City Hall Park, 93.
1.32
INDEX
133
Clinton, Governor (klin'ton), 45.
Cohoes (ku-lioz'), 19, 52, 5J).
Falls, 24.
College of the City of New York, 67.
Columbia University (ko-lum'bi-a), 66.
Columbus Avenue (ko-lum'bus). 87.
Coney Island (ko'ni), 75, 80.
Connecticut (kon-net'I-kut), U, 110.
Cornell University, 67.
Corning (kor'ning), 54.
Ct)rnwall, 51.
County Courts, 66.
Court Street (kort), 04.
Cregier, Martin (kre-ger'), 118.
Croton Aqueduct (kro'ton), 78.
Kiver, 78, 79.
Crown Street, 120.
Curasao (koo'ra-so'), 118.
l)e Heere Straat (de har'e strat), 114.
Delancey Street (de-lan'.se). 78.
Delaware County (del'a-war), 51.
Mountains, 13, 16.
River, 9, 16, 20, 51.
River System, 17, 20, 24.
Devil's Oven, 2.3.
Dunderberg Mountain, 14, 19.
Dunkirk (diin'kerk), 50, 55.
East Albany, 57.
Eastern Parkway, 80.
East River, 22, 69, 76, 77, 91, 101, 106, 107,
110, 113.
Ellis Island (el'Is), 69, 107.
Palmira (el-rai'ra), -54, 58.
England (In'gland), 121.
Erie Canal (e'rl), 45, 48, 55-57, 59.
County, 34, 39.
Lake, 9, 16, 20, 24, 25, 34, 50, 55, 57,
59.
Finger Lakes, 26, 55.
Flatbush, 110.
Avenue, 76, 07.
Flatlands, 110.
Forest products, .36.
Fort Hamilton (bam'il-ton), 106.
Schuyler (ski'ler), 107".
Tompkins (tomp'kinz), 106.
Wadsworth (Wodz'wurth), 106.
France, 110.
Fraunces, Sam (fron's^z), 123.
Fraunces' Tavern, 123.
Fulton, 29, .59.
Street, 77, 97.
Uazette, The Weekly, 121.
Genesee County (jen'e-se'), 40.
River, 17, 23, 29, 30'^, 50, 59.
Valley, 50, 56.
George, Lake, 25, 26, 57.
Glens Falls. 59.
Gloversville (gluv'erz-vil), 53.
Goat Island, 23.
Governor, 65.
Governors Island, 69, 107.
Grand Island, 21.
Great Alluvial Plain, 30.
Great Lakes, 12, 22, 54, 55, 58.
Great South Bay, 39.
Green Mountains, 13, 25.
Haines Falls, 24.
Hamilton, Alexander, 122.
Harlem (har'lem), 117.
River, 22, 69, 75, 76, 78.
Driveway, 80.
Hasbrouck House (haz'bnxik). 58.
Haverstraw (hav'er-stra), 18.
High Bridge, 78, 79.
Highlands of the Hudson, 14, 19, 39,
109.
High Street, 115.
Holland, 110, 112, 119.
Hornell (horn 'el), 64.
Hudson, city of, 54.
Henry, 109.
Highlands of the, 14, 19, 3t), 109.
River. 12-15, 18-20, 22, 30, 33, 38-40, 42-
44, 50, 57, .59, 60, 78, 81, 105, 106.
River System, 17. 18, 21, 24, 51.
Hunter Mountain, 15.
134
INDEX
Illinois Cn-ll-noiz'), 33.
Iowa (i'6-wa), 33, 37.
Ithaca (ith'a-ka), 54, 67.
Jamaica (ja-ma'ka), 75
Bay, 106?
Jamestown, 50.
Jerome Park (je-rom'), 79.
Johnstown, 53.
Joralemon Street (je-rol'e-mun), 94.
Kaaterskill Falls (kaw'ter-skil), 16, 24.
Kansas (kan'zas), 37.
City, 76.
Kidd, William, 120.
Kieft, Governor (keft), 111.
Kingsbridge, 76.
King's College, 67.
County, 69.
Kingston (kingz'ton), 54, 59, 60.
Lafayette Place (la^fa-ef), 87.
Lake Ridge, 13.
Leisler, Captain Jacob (lis'ler), 120.
Lexington Avenue, (lek'sing-ton), 103.
Liberty Island, 108.
Street, 120.
Library, State, 68.
Little Falls, 53, 59.
Livingston County (ITv'Ing-ston), 40.
Lockport, 52.
Long Island, 9, 22, 33, 38, 39, 77, 79, 109,
110, 118, 122.
Long Island City, 39.
Sound, 9, 106.
Lorillard Mansion, 83.
Lower Bay, 105, 106.
Madison Avenue (m3,d'i-son), 103.
Square, 84.
Maiden Lane, 95.
Manhattan, Borough of (man-hat 'an), 69,
75-80, 82, 84, 86, 92-95, 97, 98, 103-
106, 117.
Indians, 111.
Island, 22, 69, 10.'!, 109, 123.
Maryland Monument, 82,
Massachusetts (mas'a-chQ'sets), 9, 13, 118.
Mexico, Gulf of (meks'i-ko), 17, 20.
Midwout (mid'wowt), 110.
Military Academy, U.S., 68.
Minuit, Peter (min'u-it), 110, 111.
Mississippi River (mis'is-sip'pi), 20.
System, 17, 20, 24, 50.
Mohawk River (mo'hak), 19, 20, 24, 30,
44, 57.
Valley, 13, 15, 43, 44, 55, 56, 59.
Montcalm, General (mont-kam'), 55.
Montreal (mfirnt're-al'), 57.
Morningside Heights, 67.
Mountain Ridge, 13.
Mount Clinton, 15.
Dix, 15.
Marcy, 14.
Mclntyre (mac'in-tir'), 14.
Vernon, 54.
Mulberry Bend Park, 105.
Street, 94.
Museum, State, 68.
Narrows, the, 105, 106, 108.
Nassau County (nas'a), 69.
Neversink River, 20.
New Amersfoort (am'erz-foort), 110.
New Amsterdam, 95, 108, 112, 113, 114,
117-119.
Newburgh, 19, 54, 58.
New England, 9, 27, 28.
New Jersey, 9, 12, 18, 78, 110.
New Netherlands (neth'er-landz), 110, 112.
New Utrecht (u'trekt), 110.'
New York Bay, 12, 18, 22, 69.
City, 18, 42-44, 50-52, 54, 57, 67, 69-
124.
County, 27.
Harbor, 105.
University, 67.
Weekly Journal, 121.
Niagara Falls (ni-ag'a-ra), 22, 29, 62, 59.
River, 9, 17, 21, 23, 33.
Nichols, Colonel, 112.
Normal College, State, 68.
INDEX
135
North Brother Island, 107.
Tonawanda (ton'a-wan'da), 63.
Nyack (ni'ak), 118,"
Ocean Parkway, 80.
Ohio (o-hi'o), 88.
Glean (o'l^-Sn'), 39, 60.
Oneida (6-ni'da), 61. /"
Lake, 26.
Lake Canal, 48.
River, 17.
Onondaga County (on'on-da'ga), 39, 40.
Ontario (6n-ta'ri-o), 9.
Lake, 9, 16, 17, 21-23, 25, 26, 33, 50, 55, 57.
Orange County, 51.
Oswego (6s-we'go), 29, 63-65.
Canal, 48, 56.
River, 17, 26.
Otis Summit, 15.
Otsego Lake (6t-se'g6), 20, 24.
Oyster Island, 69.
Palisades (pal-T-sadz'), 18, 109.
Parade Ground, 82.
Park Row, 92, 96.
Pearl Street, 123.
Peck Slip, 115.
Peekskill, 19.
Pelham Bay Park (pgl'am), 83, 84.
Pennsylvania (pen'sil-va'ni-a), 9, 17, 20, 36,
51, 55, 58, 101.
Philadelphia (fil'a-del'fi-a), 42.
Portage Falls (port'aj), 23.
Port Jervis, 9, 51.
Potsdam, 39.
Poughkeepsie (po-kTp's!), 54, 57, 68.
Prospect Park, 80, 82, 83, 110.
Putnam County (piit'nam), 78.
Quebec (kwe-b6k'), 9.
Queens, Borough of, 69.
Randalls Island, 69, 107.
Raritan Bay (r^r'it-an), 106.
Rensselaer (r6n'se ler), 67.
Rhode Island (rod),'27.
Richfield, 40.
Richmond, Borough of, 69.
Ridge wood, 75, 79.
Riverside Drive, 80.
Rochester (roch'es-ter), 29, 38, 52, 53, 59.
Falls, 23.
Rome, 19, 53, 66.
Saint Lawrence County (la'rens), 27, 33.
Gulf of, 17.
River, 9, 13, 17, 21, 20.
River System, 17, 20, 21, 24, 25, 60.
Valley, 12, 33, 43.
Saint Paul's Church, 122, 123.
Sandy Hook, 106.
Sandy Hook Bay, 106.
Saratoga Lake (s3,r-a-t6'ga), 41.
Springs, 40.
Schenectady (ske-nek'ta-dT), 48, 53, 56.
Schoharie County (sko-h5r'i), 67.
Senate, 64.
Seneca Canal (s6n'e-ka), 48.
Lake, 26.
River, 17.
Sharon (shS,r'on), 40.
Shawangunk Mountains (sh5n'gQm), IS,
16, 51.
Sheriff, 66.
Slide Mountain, 16.
Slough ter. Governor (slaw'ter), 120.
South Brother Island, 107.
Southern Boulevard (boo'l^-vard'), 80.
Staten Island (stit'en), 22, 69, 106.
Steenwyck Cornells (sten'wik), 118.
Steuben County (sta'ben), 33.
Stony Point, 19.
Storm King, 14.
Stuyvesant, Peter (sti'vg-sant). 111, 112,
116.
Square, 84.
Sullivan County, 61.
Supervisors, Board of, 66.
Susquehanna River (siis'kwe-han'g), 16, 20*
30, 51, 60.
System, 17, 20, 24, 60.
Syracuse (sir'a-kus'), 62, 63, 56, 60.
136
INDEX
Taconic IIi<,'liland8 (ta-kSnlk), 13.
Kaiigc, 14.
Tappan Zee (tap'an ze), 18.
Taughannock Falls (ta-gS.n'ok), 27.
Texas, 27, 38.
Thalia Theater (thal'e-a), 116.
Thousand Islands, 21.
Throgs Neck, 107.
Ticonderoga Creek (ti-k6n'dgr-5'ga), 26.
Fort, 26.
Tompkins Square, 84.
Tonawanda (ton'a-won'da), 58.
Trenton Falls, 24?
Trinity Church, 122, 123.
Tri-State Kock, 9.
Troy, 52, 53, 57.
Ulster County, 39.
Union Square, 84.
University Heights, 67.
Upper Bay, 105-107.
Van Cortlandt Pafk, 83,
Van 'I'willer, Governor, 111.
Varian, Richard (var'i-g.n), 118.
Vassar College, 68,
Vermont, 9, 13, 37.
Virginia (ver-jinl-a), 118.
Wallabout (wol'a-bowt), 110.
Bay, 91, 98.
Wallabout Market, 98.
Walloons (w61-lo6nz'), llOl
Wall Street, 100, 115, 122.
Wards Island, 69, 107.
Washington Bridge, 78u
County, 39.
Market, 98.
Square, 91.
Street, 93.
Washington, George, 77, 122, 188.
Water Gate, 113.
Street, 115.
Watervliet (wa'ter-vlef), 67.
Watkins Falls, 26.
Glen, 26.
Weehav?ken, 18, 51.
Wellsville, 60.
West Canada Creek, 24.
Westchester County, 78.
West Farms. 76,
West Point, 08.
Whirlpool Rapids, 23.
Whitehall Street, 76.
Willetts Point, 107,
Williamsburg Bridge, 75, 77, 78.
Wyoming County (wl-o'ming), 40.
Yonkers (ySgk'frz), 62, 64.
Zenger. Peter, 121.
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
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