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The Hudson River from Ocean to Source (Bacon, 1903)

Bacon, Edgar Mayhew. The Hudson River from Ocean to Source: Historical, Legendary, Picturesque. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1903. 344 words

In one scale are beauty, sentiment, the delight of the eye, the restful, health-conserving qualities inherent in a harmonious landscape; in the other -- gravel. Gravel is a marketable commodity. Gravel pays. Gravel fills the pockets of the contractor, and must be secured for that purpose without regard to sentiment or local pride. The story of the Palisades over again? Yes, and worse; for while every one concedes the unic[ue character of the great monotonous rock wall -- " the

Spectres of the Tappan Zee 223

ice-worn bosses of gneiss," as Professor Geikie called it -- that stretches its long, parallel lines of base and crest above the river, opposite Yonkers, it is a question if any artist ever greath' admired its parallelism. The rectangular structure was tolerable only because of the robes of colour that clothed it in the ruddy sunlit morning and the purple-mantled evening. But the people of Yonkers and its vicinity love the Palisades, and were aroused to effective action against the vandalism that has attem^pted their demolition. In the case of No-Point the offence is greater, if possible, because the harm done is greater, and the loss more irreparable. Without seeking to condone the wrong done at the Palisades, it may be pointed out that in the course of years the foliage, springing up in the fissures and valleys that have been made, will cover the site of the blasting. But this palliative can never be applied to the conduct of those who are denuding the headland of No-Point. Its curving contours, from any point of view, are so nearly perfect that it is inconceivable that the work now going on can result in anything but permanent injury. No one can tell how long this outrage is to continue if the people of the State do not take measures to protect themselves ; but as there seems to be no limit to the gravel market, it is reasonable to suppose that a future generation may find a low and barren stone heap on the site of this ancient landmark.