The Hudson Part 27

No wonder that his countrymen today, led by the Congress of this great Republic, celebrate the transaction and the scene where Washington refused to accept a crown.

_William M. Evarts._

And now, while waiting to "throw out the plank," which puts a period to our Hudson River division, we feel like congratulating ourselves that the various goblins which once infested the river have become civilized, that the winds and tides have been conquered, and that the nine-day voyage of Hendrick Hudson and the "Half Moon" has been reduced to the _nine-hour system_ of the Hudson River Day Line.

Those who have traveled over Europe will certainly appreciate the quiet luxury of an American steamer; and this first introduction to American scenery will always charm the tourist from other lands. No single day's journey in any land or on any stream can present such variety, interest, and beauty, as the trip of one hundred and forty-four miles from New York to Albany. The Hudson is indeed a goodly volume, with its broad covers of green _lying open_ on either side; and it might in truth be called a _condensed_ history, for there is no other place in our country where poetry and romance are so strangely blended with the heroic and the historic,--no river where the waves of different civilizations have left so many waifs upon the banks. It is cla.s.sic ground, from the "wilderness to the sea," and will always be the poets' corner of our country: the home of Irving, Willis, and Morris,--of Fulton, Morse, and Field,--of Cole, Audubon, and Church,--and of scores besides, whose names are household words.

The Hudson's cable-tow of yore Bound gallant sire and st.u.r.dy son With hearty grasp from sh.o.r.e to sh.o.r.e For Robert Burns and Washington.

_Wallace Bruce._

THE UPPER HUDSON.

=Albany to Saratoga.=

_Delaware and Hudson Railway._

A pleasant tour awaits the traveler who continues his journey north from Albany, where the _Delaware and Hudson_ train for Saratoga is ready at the landing on the arrival of the steamer. A half hour's run along the west bank gives us a glimpse of Troy across the river with the cla.s.sical named hills Mount Ida and Mount Olympus. Two streams, the Poestenkill and the Wynant's Kill, approach the river on the east bank through narrow ravines, and furnish excellent water power. In the year 1786 it was called Ferryhook. In 1787, Rensselaerwyck. In the fall of 1787 the settlers began to use the name of Vanderheyden, after the family who owned a great part of the ground where the city now stands. January 9, 1789 the freeholders of the town met and gave it the name of Troy. The "Hudson," the "Erie," and the "Champlain" Ca.n.a.ls have contributed to its growth. The city, with many busy towns, which have sprung up around it--Cohoes, Lansingburg, Waterford, etc., is central to a population of at least 100,000 people. The Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst.i.tute, the oldest engineering school in America, has a national reputation.

=Cohoes=, where the Mohawk joins the Hudson, has one of the finest water powers in the country. Its name is of Indian origin and signifies "the island at the falls." This was the division line between the Mahicans and the Mohawks, and when the water is in full force it suggests in graceful curve and sweep a miniature Niagara. The view from the double-truss iron bridge (960 feet in length), looking up or down the Mohawk, is impressive.

Oh, be my falls as bright as thine!

May heaven's relenting rainbow shine Upon the mist that circles me, As soft as now it hangs o'er thee!

_Thomas Moore._

Pa.s.sing through Waterford, and Mechanicville which lies partly in the township of Stillwater, with its historic records of Bemis Heights and burial place of Ellsworth, the first martyr of the Civil war, we come to--

=Round Lake=, nineteen miles north of Troy, and thirteen south of Saratoga, near a beautiful sheet of water, three miles in circ.u.mference, called by the Indians Ta-nen-da-ho-wa, which interpreted, signifies Round Lake. The camp-meeting and a.s.sembly grounds consist of 200 acres. The air is pure and invigorating and the grove and cottages inviting. The drives in the vicinity are delightful to Saratoga Lake, to the Hudson River, to the historic battlefields of Bemis Heights and Stillwater.

=b.a.l.l.ston Spa=, thirty-one miles from Albany, is the county seat of Saratoga. Here are several well-known mineral springs, with chemical properties similar to the springs of Saratoga. Over ninety years ago Benjamin Douglas, father of Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, built a log house, near the "Old Spring," for the accommodation of invalids and travelers, and at one time it looked as if Saratoga would have a vigorous rival at her very doors; but its hotel glory has departed and the old "Sans Souci" of the days of Washington Irving is a thing of the past.

A gallant army formed their last array Upon that field, in silence and deep gloom, And at their conqueror's feet, Laid their war-weapons down.

_Fitz-Greene Halleck._

=Saratoga=, thirty-eight miles north of Albany, one hundred and eighty-two miles from New York, is the greatest watering place of the continent. Its development has been wonderful, and puts, as it were, in large italics, the prosperity of our country. The first white man to visit the place was Sir William Johnson, who, in 1767, was conveyed there by his Mohawk friends, in the hope that the waters might afford relief from the serious effects of a gunshot wound in the thigh, received eight years before in the battle of Lake George, at which time his army defeated the French legions under Baron Dieskau. It was not until the year 1773, six years after Sir William Johnson's initial visit, that the first clearing was made and the first cabin erected by Derick Scowten. Owing, however, to misunderstandings with his red neighbors, he shortly afterwards left. A year later, George Arnold, from Rhode Island, took possession of the vacated Scowten House, and conducted it with some degree of success for about two years. Arnold was in turn followed by Samuel Norton, who failed to make the venture successful, owing to the outbreak of the Revolution. Norton was succeeded in 1783 by his son, who sold out in 1787 to Gideon Morgan, who, in the same year, made the property over to Alexander Bryan.

Bryan became the first permanent settler after the close of the war.

The prosperity of the village began in 1789, with the advent of Gideon Putnam, but the wooden inns and hotels of 1830, which seemed palatial in those days, would get lost even in one of the parlors of the mammoth hotels which now line the main street of the village. Chief among these hotels, we mention the--

="United States,"= a grand and princely building of n.o.ble frontage with a bright and s.p.a.cious interior court, completed in June, 1874. It const.i.tutes one continuous line of buildings, six stories high, over fifteen hundred feet in length, containing nine hundred and seventeen rooms for guests, and is the largest hotel in the world.

=The American-Adelphi= near at hand, also fronting Broadway, always cheery and delightful under the management of its popular owner and proprietor, Mr. George A. Farnham, has one of the finest locations in Saratoga, combining comfort, good attention, a fine table, and every convenience of a first-cla.s.s house. One thing is sure, those who go to the "American" return again and again.

=The Speedway, the Race Track, and Driveways.=--Saratoga can justly feel proud of her material growth and progress in many directions during the last decade, and prominent among her varied attractions are the Speedway and Race Track. Mr. W. C. Whitney and many other prominent men have contributed liberally in this direction. _The Electric Line_ to Saratoga Lake is also one of the features of the village, and furnishes a delightful forenoon or afternoon's outing.

And boyhood's love and fireside-listened tales Are rushing on your memories, as ye breathe That valley's storied name,-- Field of the Grounded Arms.

_Fitz-Greene Halleck._

=The Springs.=--The most prominent springs in and about Saratoga are the Hathorn, the Patterson and the Congress. The popularity of the Hathorn is attested by the universal sale of its bottled waters throughout the United States. The Patterson has won a wide reputation which its excellence deserves.

=Historic Saratoga.=--But in the midst of this throbbing, gay and delightful Saratoga, we must not forget that it was here the fathers of the Republic achieved their most decisive victory. The battle was fought in the town of Stillwater, at Bemis Heights, two and a half miles from the Hudson. The defeat of St. Leger and the triumph of Stark at Bennington filled the American army with hope. Burgoyne's army advanced September 19, 1777. The battle was sharply contested. At night the Americans retired into their camp, and the British held the field. From September 20th to October 7th the armies looked each other in the face, each side satisfied from the first day's struggle that their opponents were worthy foemen. The Americans had retaken Ticonderoga and Lake George. Burgoyne had no place to retreat, and the lines were slowly but surely closing in around him. October 7th Burgoyne commenced the battle, but in half an hour his line was broken. He attempted to rally his troops in person, but they could not stand before the impetuous charge of the Americans. He was compelled to order a full retreat, and fell back on the heights above Schuylerville. The Americans surrounded him, and he surrendered. It was a decisive victory, and cheered the friends of freedom, not only in America, but in the English House of Commons.

The leaves were red with crimson And then brave Gates did cry, 'Tis diamond now cut diamond, We'll beat them boys or die.

_Ballads of the Revolution._

=Mount McGregor=, where General Grant died, a.s.sociates the Saratoga of the Revolution with the story of our Civil War. Near the monument to the old heroes at Schuylerville, where Burgoyne surrendered, a monument to the Boys in Blue was dedicated in 1904. It was the privilege of the writer to be the poet of the occasion, and in his lines "The Flag They Bore," to bind the n.o.ble memorials of those who made and those who saved the Republic.

Two monuments in triumph stand To catch with joy the morning sun, One chorus joins them hand in hand-- Heroes of Grant and Washington.

And wider yet the chorus leaps!

Two famous hills the song unites, As Mount MacGregor's anthem sweeps Across the plains to Bemis Heights.

In Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester's book, ent.i.tled "Historical Sketches of Northern New York and the Adirondack Wilderness," we learn that the earliest date in which the word Saratoga appears in history is 1684, and was then the name of an old hunting ground on both sides of the Hudson. Its interpretations have been various. Some say "The Hillside Country of the Great River;" others, the place of swift waters, while Morgan, in his "League of the Iroquois," says the signification of Saratoga is lost.

Whatever the origin of the name whether from the old High Rock spring or a "reach of the river," one thing is sure: Saratoga is the most attractive point in the country as a gathering place for conventions and large meetings, and, in response to the growing demand for adequate facilities, a splendid convention hall, with a seating capacity for five thousand people, has been erected by the town authorities. It is a striking architectural addition to Saratoga's attractions.