The New York Herald Newspaper, August 25, 1872, Page 3

“on the midnight MYSTERIES OF FORT HILL. Chosts in Possession of a Part of Long Island One Hundred Years. Terror of the Old Farmers and High Times Among the Spirits. First Bloody Tradition of Big Injun Tecumwah. The Fatal Loves of a British Cap- tain and an Indian Girl. GHOSTS OF THE LOVERS STILL UPON DECK Tho Way the Ghosts Ku Kluxed a New York Poet. How Poor Pat McCabe’s Hair Turned White. FIGHTING SPIRITS WITH WHISKEY The Brave Lady That Built Fort Hill House. Forced to Leave by the Goblins or Somebody Else. How the Jesuits Fought the Ghosts and Won the Victory. SKETCH OF THE SPIRIT LAND. COLD SPRING, L. I, August 18, 1872. Few of the thousands who, at this glad and glow- ing-season of the-year, pass and repass daily the entrance of this little-known and altogether neg- lected inlet of Long Island Sound, dream of the strange old mysteries that linger by its woody shores and haunt its dark everglades, where the -long, reedy grass keeps time to the low, walling monotone of the evening winds. Since coming here my mind has been filled with the singular traditions that hang around the region of Fort Hill, Thave paid the old fort—a relic of the Revolution— and ‘the house that stands upon its site several visits, I have used up the whole topog- raphy of this spirit land, wandered on the- verge of twilight through the forest that surrounds it, trampling over monstrous toad- stools, passing beneath whitened willow trees and Startling the big bullfrogs by the horrible lake that lies in the deep glen below the ruins of the fort. The fort stood upon a high hill looking obliquely across the waters of the Sound. In the quiet of these Summer evenings the view from the sea wall of the fort, now converted into a smiling garden, out upon the distant headlands, is per- fectly enchanting. You may sit there for hours and find new beauties to admire; now it is the play of golden sunlight on the tree-topped hills yonder, then 8 gallant fleet of yachts fading, like a fairy vision, into the far-off purple. You may indulge in retrospections of the past of Fort Hill if so disposed, and thus en- gaged it is marvellous how the spirit of the hour and of the place conjures up that which is weird and mystic. Iam little astonished that the natives all around this region believe the place is haunted; that from THE DARK LAKE BELOW us on the right shrieks as from a drown- ing woman come up loud and piercing air; that horsemen, with streaming hair and naked swords, engage in combat by the lake shore; that sounds of revelry re heard coming from the house on the hill; that bodies of men have been seen pitched headlong from the fort into the lake and never after been found, and human heads, de- void of trunks, rolled through the woods in the gloaming, scaring the poor Long Island farmers to death. Talk to the old fellows around Huntington, along Lloyd’s Neck, Horse Neck, over at Bayville, at Oyster Bay, around Cold Spring and to the people of that ancient village and you get pretty strange impressions of the credulity of the human mind and the quantity of tomfoolery, hum- oug and superstition in the world. The Long Islander who knows anything of the mysteries of Fort Hill cannot be prevailed on to approach the place at night for any consideration in greenbacks or ottierwise. Some, it is sald, are afraid even to pass it in a boat, or even in a balloon half a mile away. Nothing isso hard to kill as superstition and humbug. Prejudice, fatth itself or political virtue may be destroyed, but superstition clings for ever, sticks like a pitch plaster to a pine plank, or as the aroma of the rose hangs to the fragments of the shattered vase. THE FORT AND ONE OF ITS STRANGE TRADITIONS. ‘The fort on Fort Hill was thrown up by the British to guard Long Island from an attack by a part of the French fleet under Rochambeau. The French failed to reduce it; but, as one story says, a small force of Americans, landing in small boats, and alded by some of the Wauwepek tribe of Indians, & very interesting people in their day, stole a march at midnight upon the defenders, and disposed of them according to the prevailing fashion, One tradition has it that a Captain Flanders, afterwards in command of Fort Hill, with a party of his men abducted a daughter of Tecamwah, a big gun among the Wauwepeks, who lived in the neighbor- hood of what is now known as Jones’ dock. The girl, as usual, was young and very beauti- fol, and Captain Flanders gave her the name of Viola, Tecumwah for a long time was ignorant of who stole his daughter—it was as much 4 puzzle as ‘who struck Billy Patterson’—or to what point of the compass she had been taken. Yrom what was subsequently revealed Flanders succeeded to some extent in weaning Viola from ber natural attachment to the old man. She could have readily escaped or contrived to convey news of her whereabouts to the camp of Tecumwah. The distance to day from Fort Hill to Jones’ Dock 1s only about three miles as the bird ft Flanders was a splendid horseman aud marksman, besides having some Knowledge of the [Indian language, and showing, by conatant word and action, the most devoted attach- ‘ent to his protégé. The story goes that one dav out hunting trough the woois Tecumwah came guddenly upon his daughter and Flanders, courting 84 usual. There was instant Might to the fort on pet an) of the clandestine lovers, who reached it In time to shut the gates on their flerce pursuer, From that day forth Tecumwah addressea himself to the task o! RECOVERING HIS RECREANT DAavanreR and revenging himself upon her abductor, He made a trip across the Sound to where there was a @mall encampment of American soldiers on the site ‘of what is now the Neptune House, at New Rochelle. He enlisted them in his plan to surprise the fort besides exciting their sympathy on behalf of his child, The attack was a stealthy one, Tecumwah him- eelf leading the way through the trackless wood @urrounding the fort. The wooden abattis and the adjoining buildings were set on fire, and as the fumes rose the attacking party jumped trom their ‘hiding place and poured a volley through THE REVEALING SHEETS OF FLAME {nto the scattered ranks of the surprised and stag- geting defenders. According to the narrator of ‘this veracious history, who appeara to have been one of the attacking force himself, it was at this ‘moment that Tecumwah enue sight of his dangh- rn Io {ser clasped in the arms of His blood ver, NEW YORK HERALD, SUNDAY, AUGUSY 25, 1872—TRIPLE SHEET. Teem burningwall and Sy iward throug Aone aad flame. Pander ad time thrown himself, sword in hand, in front 0 ray ‘Viola, unconscious o! who was coming, while she, recognizing the familiar voice and war whoop of her father, swung herself round to im- plore mercy for her lover. At that instant from out the spe nid curtain of smoke burst Tecum- wah like a tiger, and, beeps his terrible tomahawk at Flanders, missed him an SEVERED HIS DAUGHTER'S HEAD from her body. In next moment—for all these incidents were but the work of moments—Flanders’ sword went planging th the savage chieftain’s body, and father and daughter were left dead on the floor of the fort ther. Unnerved and over- thrown the Cap! was made a prisoner, >. being told that he had killed the yr of his Viola he burst from his capto lunged through the woods and drowned himsel! hh the dark lake in the valley. His body was never found and now the rural superstition, believed in as true as Revelations, is that at midnight the awful tragedy is enacted over again. and the air filled with the wild griefof the father and the ill-fated lover, while the severed HEAD OF THE HAPLESS MAIDEN rolls with lightning speed up and down the woods. ‘This te the most ancient of the traditions connected with the fort, but the crop of modern yarns is past counting, and the fun is, the more outrageous they are the sooner believed. Years rolled by when one fine day a party of young bloods from New York, who had been out fishing aud caught enough to make @ meal, hauled up their boat at the spot Where Lioyd's dock now stands, They proceeded @ short distance north on the strand of Lloyd’ s neck to select a good piace for cooking an al resco sup- per. All unconscious, and it is to be presumed equally unconcerned about the tact that they had pitched their tent directly UNDER THE HAUNTED FORT, they started to cook their piscatorial meal and open their Damapams of champagne, if they had any. The time passed pleasantly until nearly sundown, when one of the party, named Alick Gadsden, who 1s still living, proposed to climb the steep hill above to catch the hast glimpse of the setting sun. He had a poetic taste. The rest had little turn for sen- timent, and Gadsden was left to make the ascent on his own hook. It was @ tiresome job, a$ anyone may find who essays the task to-day. An hour rolled by and. gave no sign of Gadsden’s return. It was wing late, and @ controversy sprang up as to which was the most active man of the party to start and summon the truant fisherman back to his boat. Being more or less. cheerfully disposed at this stage of their picnic, it was finally concluded that all should go together. The head of the column, on reaching the front ditch of the fort, hallooed for Gadsden, but no re- sponse came back. The party then scattered to ex- plore, and soon A YELL OF. HORROR was heard from one who had proceeded to the ex- treme limit of the fort overhanging the lake, where an old bewitched apple tree now stands. There was Gadsden ging by his heels from the ranchea) stark naked, and a corn cob stuck in his mouth, He was taken down and found utterly uncon- scious, Berane hieroglyphics, done in something like burnt cork, were distributed over his skin. His almost lifeless body was hurried at rest speed to the boat, and by a vigorous use of stimulants— brandy nents -—he was brought to before reaching New York. Gadsden’s story was that he ‘was seized, the moment he put his nose inside the fort, by a pack of what looked to him like devils, such a8 are seen inthe neuralgic pills circulars, They danced round him, kicked him unmercifully e bulbous part of his anatomy, stood him on his head, pulled off his store clothes and then pitched him three times into the old apple tree, so that he might hang by his heels, an attitude that struck them, no doubt, as being supremely ludi- crous, Then Gadsden, being nearly unconscious. thought he saw them vanish in smoke—very likely ‘That is over a quarter of a ney ago. fe now come down to ir Ted when the mysteries of Fort Hill present us with phases alike of tragedy and comedy. Here I might as well indicate the LOCATION OF FORT HILL and the inlet on which it stands. The D. R. Martin, Capt. Clhrke, which leaves the foot of Market street, on the East river, every day at four P. M., proceeds through Hell Gate and along the Sound, stopping first at City Island, where the negro pirate was hanged m: ars ago. The scenery along the way is too familiar toneed any description. "Eres ently, however, distance of about thirty miles 3 from New York, we sight the boid headland of Lioyd’s Neck. e stranger on the boat at some distance fails to observe the presence of several deep indentations of the coast line. Near us is the inlet that takes its devious way to the beautiful villages of Oyster Bay and Bayville, Half lost in the liquid azure bloom of a crescent of sea, ‘The silent sapphire-spangled marriage ring of the land. We soon come abreast of a deep, wide, naked coc of land, from which the vesture of emerald earth has been incontinently stripped. A landslide must have occurred here at some not remote period, and exposed a hi sandbank, dipping abruptly into the sea, leaving no beach whatever. In the dark and silent night it is almost as luminous as a lighthouse beacon to the wayfaring mariner, Now the steamer wheels to starboa and before us we see, piercing far into the land, Cold Spring Canoe Toour left, as we glide fast and smoothly over the liquid mirror of the irlet, is the steep elev: where the Jesuits’ summer resi- dence stands, is Fort Hill House, the famous haunted house, standing on the ground that Ro- chambeau’s fect sought in vain to capture; where Tecumwabh fell in the furious struggle for the rescue of his daughter Viola; where Gadsden, filled with his love of sunset glories, found himself stripped and half hanged on a sour apple tree by a myste- rious and blackguard set of imps; where innumer- able farmers have seen their favorite horses turned into rooting hogs, cows disappear up maple trees, ats mounted on snake fences reading the New (ORK HERALD by mooulight with gold-bowed spec- tacles, mules taking lessons in gymnastics, the old spring well turned into an everlasting barrel of whiskey, and innumerable incidents beside, that are familiar as household words to the natives of Lioyd’s Neck and to those for forty miles around. GOING UP THE INLET. The steamer stops at Lloyd's dock to relieve her- self ofa dozen or 80 of passengers, some of them belonging to the proud old families that lie scat- tered about here, whose hands are generally in their pockets, and not! in their pockets but their hands. The jt are New Yorkers, a few who dabble at farming and make a poor fist of it, and others who seek in the mystic atmosphere of this strange land rest and bodily resuscitation. We are now moving directly inland, with aslumbrous sum- mer shore on either hand, A pity it seems to break the exquisite calm of this hal- lowed azure inlet. The shores begin to narrow, are equally attractive, and we are in @& puzzle to say on which we should care to cast our lot life. <A_ pier to the right, and a brilliant white quadrangle standing above it on the hillside, tell us we are coming toa spot where some among the passengers, eschewing the gayeties and fashion of the regular summer resorts, will disembark and rest coutent- edly foratime. The pier is freighted with an ex- pectant group of lightly-costumed ladies, who have run down from the hotel to gratify an innocent curiosity or to meet a father, husband, beau or brother. Eight or ten well-dressed males ashore, and presently the steamer, like a well-trained driv- ing horse, wheels away from her moor- ings, | and makes @ crescent line for Jones’ dock, near Cold Spring. Here is the Le in_ the inlet and the most interest- ing. The sun is dipping low. A tender haze rests softly as angels’ wings on the distant horizon of the Sound, Before us, as we steer straight for Jones’ dock, is a high and wavy range of hills. The line breaks in front of us; a glen appears running low down to the water's edge, and here, nesting amid the hill peaks, half hid amid the foliage, is the Wauwepek Hotel. The flag above its summit defines itself brightly =. tue background of the green hillsides. No other house appears near. Itisalone amid the silence of the woods; but the crisping rip- pies of the sea are at hand, and up and down stretches the calm blue inlet, inviting peace, repose and heavenly harmony. There is bustle for a while on the long pier. There isacoming and going of vehicles, a streaming out of passengers, a suoving to and fro of freight for this little piace and that. The hotel has sent down all its human life to wit- ness the great event of the day—the arrival of the steamer. The old Frenchman who has been trying for years to master the linguistic difference between “How is that for high” and “How is that for my- self’ is on hand, clad in a linen suit and a pair of spectacies. Now we are on shore, with Cold Springs village a mile and a half to our right, up where the waters of the inlet lose themselves amid sandbars and glittering green marshes. Closed uplikea wild flower in the depth of a mountain gorge is the sweet little VILLAGE OF COLD SPRINGS, almost two hundred years old, bigger a hundred years ago than when it was first established, but no igger to-day than a century since. It is delightful to get from the fresh ar of our new creation, our second Genesis—all brick, brass vanity and hollowness—down to this little gem of antique stil- ness, where the currents of life feel no artificial stimulus to exertion, but where “a!l is afternoon” and all things always seem the same. The old trees on the high hillside bend down and clasp in sympathetic embrace the old houses built when they were in their green and youthful prime. The seeming slumbrons ether floating over the venerable village lanes and streets disposes to obliviousness of the active present, and takes the fancy back to the early days of small contentmeuts and large meas- ures of happiness and virtae. A mile away from the village we strike two chalybeate spriugs within a few hundred feet of each other. They are at the extreme end of the inlet, and have been running for generations, iree to all, rich and poor alike, ‘They are on the property of a great manin these parts named Jones, who, Wrapt up in tle self-con- ceit of obstinacy that comes of secure broad acres and long lineage, makes himself the incubus on the Jand around, He is a 4 n-the-mnger kind of man. He will not improve the prospect himself nor will he give an opportunity to others to do so, Sentiment aside, Cold Spring might have a great, fee ee Present but for Jones, It might be noWn as extensively as Long Branch aud its beau. ties have as many admirers but for Jones. For our part we should prefer to see it as it is; but in the unselfish interest of its inhabitants and the public enerally we ask Jones to raise the blockade to nis sweet retreat and render it the resort of thow sands, in place of the handful that now seek by dusty roads and 1H conveniences to make acqualnt ance with one of the oldest and not least Interest Ing places of Long Island. THE YORT HILL PROPERTY. But back tO gar story of Fort Hill, As we sald be fore, it stands upon Lloyd's Neck. Lloyd, who gave next to nothing and nope to this headland, has been long since gathered to his fathers, The gen. tleman who now owns what is left of the nal Lioya’s prinetpatity is Mr, Henry D. Lioyd. ves in the old Lloyd homestead on the slope of @ hill separated by a shallow vailey from Fort Hill. He is a Mgt ey of leisure, and, tho his baronial hall has had some rude butfeti m time and the seasons, and its style of architecture has been sadly ecli in splendor of design by more mod- ern structures of the kind, it still preserves an air of aristocratic dignity. It is @ small model of Washington’s wonderful house at Mount Vernon, THE LADY WHO BUILT THE HAUNTED HOUSE. Some years since the wife of Mr. Lloyd conceived the idea of building a residence on Fort Hill. No one, for obvious reasons, had yet ventured to think of erecting a private residence on this the finest site along the Sound, Mystery Pg upon mystery shrouded the old fort, until its ruins seemed to wear as fearful memories as clustered round the Castle of Dunkeith., The brave lady, familiar with every rood of land on the whole area of Lloyd's Neck, fearing nothing and determined that such @ splendid situation should no lon; remain a howling and dreaded waste—a scandal and Reproarh to human intel nce—built a dwell- ing of no extraordinary pretentions, yet stitl im- posing and comiortably laid out, It was a ouse, Windowed on all sides and surmounte: by a cupola, It looked open, fair, frank and hospitable to the eye, and the last house tn all the neighbor- hood a stranger would be apt to credit was dis- turbed by supermundane agencies, How long Mra, Lioyd liVed there I am unable to sy. The time, however, was very brief. Lloyd himself never apent a night under its’ roof. Long before a year had elapsed after its completion it was deserted, and time rolled by without ever seeing its doors opened again. The ghost stories of former days were goon revived with tenfold intensity all over the Neck, Nairgyre a into the surrounding villages, chilling the hearts of village swains and maidens. After atime the dwelling on Fort Hill was pointed out to every stranger passing by on the boats as the haunted house, After dark no man in his aver- age senses would venture even on the extensive gronnns) around the place, not to speak of entering the house, TWO FESTIVE GHOST SEEKERS. Two men named Collins and Lamvert, of Brook- ye, who happened to be passing a brief season at yster Bay, determined one evening to venture over and tempt the terrors of the haunted house. They were eulogized as two very brave men and the best wishes of Oyster Bay, drunk standing, ac- companied them on their departure. Instructions were left the boatmen who landed them at Lioyd’s dock to call for them next day at noon if they failed to make their appearance, The precaution proved needless. They started, provided with @ liberal demijohn of whiskey, brace of revolvers and pipes. They returned at different hours next aay ‘and their stories proved of the wildest character, Collins said when he got in front of the house, with the Inten- tion of giving @ loud knock at the door, he was struck in the back with @ cannon ball, and he brought back the ball to corroborate his story, He also showed the mark it made on his back. Lam- bert, however, raliied Coflins on this incident and declared he only fell on a cannon ball and then picked it up to see what on earth it was. HOW LAMBERT BID THE GHOSTS DEFIANCE. Lambert said he went to the back of the house while Collins remained in front, pulled his revolver and swore loud enough for half the ghosts in Chris- tendom to hear him that if any son of a sea- cook attempted to escape hat way he would shoot him on the spot. At the same moment he heard a slight noise behind him like the filing of cld shoe leather, and, turning, saw a cow sheray away and moving over towards a barn. He said he experienced a slight shiver just then, asit was a pure white cow and looked ghostly. Directly followed another black as the ace of spades, another red as the comb of a turkey gobbler, and still another exactly red, white and blue. They walked into the batn, though he could swear on @ stack of Bibles the door was closed. This he determined to test, and taking one extra stiff six-inch horn of whiskey he went for the barn door, and, sure enough, it was closed and locked, Here he tried ANOTHER HORN uF WHISKEY, as he vowed he should see if the cows were inside or perish, The door was unloosened, but he found it hard work to open it wide enough to get in. He leaned against it with all his mi ight, crying out, SOpen it, you sons of ghosts, or I'll shoot every mother’s son of A aHG ‘ne door finally gave way. Lambert fell partly in and was.struck on the back of the neck and top of the head with a pile of rub- bish, old boards, tubs, buckets, saddles and what not. He fell down unconscious and was found by Collins under @ mountain of old_ truck. Collins said after getting into the _par- lor through the window he heard chains Tattling in the next room and low, angry rowing, like a dog’s. He cleared that window sill quicker than he went in bya ina? shot, droppil is re- volver in the room, where It was afterwards found. ‘The renown of thelr exploits went all over Bayville HOSPITALS IN NEW YORK. FOUR NEW INSTITUTIONS — BUILDING. The Pavilion System Generally Adopted. Philanthropy and Liberality of Our Citizens. |, PRINCELY GIFT OF MR. JAMES LENOX Presbyterian, Hahnemann, Homeopathic and St. Francis’ Hospitals. ‘The attractive force of large cities, causing the gathering of vast bodies of human beings, and with its constant tendency to still further increase, is @ prolific source for the necessity for hospitals in such places as New York. The philanthropy and liber- ality of all classes of our citizens are constantly in operation to make provisions for this want. Within 4 few weeks an institution has been opened for the reception of patients, without distinction of creed or nationality, under the auspices of the Jewish de nomination, and early in the present year the. Roosevelt Hospital was also thrown open for the protection and relief of the suffering sick. Several other enterprises, which it is our purpose to notice in this article, are now in progress, and when fin- ished will be the means of adding to the facilities for the prompt ard skilful treatment of all classes of diseases, particularly among the poor, Large cities have veen designated ‘the graves of mankind,” Vital statistics go to show that the population of several of the larger cities of the world is only maintained by the influx from healthier districts. In this respect New York, with its large foreign immigration, is hardly an excep- tion. AS @ general fact cities are the resort of many friendless strangers; casualties are frequent in the crowded streets and in various industria) pursuits; sickness in its prevailing forms there finds the most numerous subjects among the poorer classes, who are least able to procure or bear the expense of proper medical aid and attendance. Hence the necessity for places of refuge and relief for the sick and suffering in large cities is unt- versally acknowledged. And on reference to foreign cities it appears that wherever the government has not undertaken the collection and control of the alms of the community for such purposes, nor the ministers of religion by consent or appoint- Ment assumed the charge, the necessity has been met by organized action and the liberality of the people. Indeed, it is admitted that but for the private charities in New York, alded as they are by State and city donations, there would be @ vast amount of sickness and suffering go unrelieved. Foreign and American Hospita’ In London and Paris the hospitals both care for out and indoor patients; New York hospitals, with a few exceptions, for indoor patients only, There the hospital and dispensary being united under one general system and order, constitute one establisn- ment. Here the dispensary is separate, where the outdoor poor resort for medicine, medical and sur- gical advice and treatment, which are gratuitously given. The immense burden thus lifted from the hospitals by these admirable institutions will ap- pear by the following statistics: Patients. Five general hospitals, under control of the and Oyster Bay, and ghost stories were served up as regularly ag the oysters every evening. In this way the house was attaining a fearful reputation. Nobody cared to venture near it without carrying just as strong a force of spirits in @ bottle as he thought himself likely to meet at the dwelling on the THE VENTURE OF POOR PAT M’CABE. An Irish pilot, named Pat McUabe, from New Rochelle, star’ on @ wager of $10 to explore not alone the house, but the lake. It 18 said Pat's next was t morning, not from what he saw, but what, through the meaus of an accident, he suddenly expected to see. Pat the front of the house in safety and crossed the old fort to see the lake. The yee down is steep and rugged, and Pat was a little the worse of the distilled spirits. He missed his footing at the very top and tumbled clear down into the horrible waters below. When he reached the surface he was sober as a judge, yet all the worse for his peace of mind. He lost his bottle in the tumble, and was left to the indescribable horrors of his normal imagination. No wonder Pat's hair turned white. A PANIC-STRICKEN FARMER, ‘The road to Fort Hill is winding and puzzling. A farmer from ,Huntingdon, with his wagon, was caught there dne night after sundown, while it was raining. He got out to reconnoitre, to see if a friendly house was anywhere in sight. He had his ‘umbrella up, and his mind was in no enviable mood. Suddenly the umbrella was caught and held on the outside as if by an invisible agency, for the trees were wide apart. Feeling sure one of the ubiqui- tous oy of Fort Hill heid it in his grasp, he started fast as a deer from under and never stopped till, with torn clothes and terrified looks, he reached, through fences and marshes, a friendly shelter. The umbrella wag found hanging there next day, caught by some brier brambies depend- ing from the branches of a tree, FINAL FATE OF FORT HILL. Finally the Jesuits of Sixteenth street heard of this remarkable place, its splendid situation and its valuable area of @ hundred acres underwood. They wanted some spot where their overworked pro- fessors and teachers might retire and recuperate for a few weeks of theSummer. The Jesuit order is not given to extravagance in the expenditure of money. They found this place could be had for a mere song if they took it. They have made its immediate surroundings cheerful and lovely. They fell the forest trees themselves, sow and reap the corn, milk the cows and do all the menial labor of the farm and household. They sent a man to take possession of the place after they had made the oes Somebody advised this gay pioneer to ake A BOTTLE OF HOLY WATER with nim to drive the ghosts away. He slept in the house all alone, but a subsequent examination of the bottle he took along revealed the fact that the liquid it contained owed its potent influence to purely secular sources. The only ghosts now that can be seen are these ghostly Fathers of the Jesuit Persuasion. They seem to be no wise disturbed in mind or manner by the stories that still keep float- ing over the neighborhood about the haunted house of Fort Hill. In afew years from now the plastic hand of art will mould the grand forest around to @ picture of light and beauty. We may expect to see noble lawns where the dark woods, the toad- stools and ghosts lived together in the past, and with the spread of science and civilization even ane Islanders will cease to put their trust io ghosts. The Coming Fight for the Light Weight Champtonship. Notwithstanding the flasco attending the secon’ attempt of the heavy weights, O’Baldwin and Mace, to decide their superiority in the prize ring, there is much discussion in the sporting world regarding the coming light weight fight between Arthur Chambers and Billy Edwards. This combat will take place on the 4th of September for $1,000 a side, and the champlonsnip of America. Yesterday the men with several friends assembled at the Clipper office to make the final deposit of $600 a side and toss for choice of ground. Among those present beside the principals were Jim Coburn, Barney Aaron, Bob Smith, Mace, Dooney Harris, Sam Hurst, George Seddons, Patsey Hogan, and others | not unknown to pugilistic fame, The money was promptly deposited und the men without argument mutually agreed that representatives should select the place of fighting. There 1g no question about the desire of these men wanting to come together. They will certainly fight; and the battle will be scientifie and stubborn. | Edwards has @ capital record as a pugilist, some fighting men looking upon him as a wonder, Cham- bers in England stood at the head of the list of his weiglt; and since his sojourn in New York has made many friends by his quiet demeanor and qa York city government, reported in Five 18,919 405 One for emigrants (Ward? 7,904 One for colored persons. 435 Eight for denominatior tionalities. 6,085 Total Cleseredis SYS This shows twenty hospitals now in effective op- eration in this city. There are eight minor hospt- ~tais for special purposes, having an annual aggre- gate of about one thousand patients, There are algo in operation eighteen dispensaries, including four homeopathic institutions, which reported for 1871 an aggregate of 250,000 patients. According to the foregoing official figures the dispensary pa- tients in the same number of institutions were nearly sevenfold greater than the number of hos- pital patients. The Presbyterian Hospital. On the 28th February, 1868, an act was passed by the Legislature to found a Presbyterian hospital in this city. The object of the society incorporated was to establish and support an institution to af- ford medical and surgical aid to sick or disabled persons, and to provide them while inmates of the hospital with the ministrations of the Gospel agree- ably to the doctrine and form of the Presbyterian Church; but it is proper to remark that although the hospital is called Presbyterian, no distinction will ever be made as to applicants for ad- mission, It will only be under Presbyterian auspices, the same as St. Luke's is under ees auspices. The act of the Leg- islature named James Lenox, John Taylor Johnson, Robert L. Stuart, Morris K. Jessup, Mar- shall 8. Bidwell, Edward &. Jaffray, James Brown, William A. Booth, Aaron B. Belknap, Willian E. Dodge and a number of other gentlemen as a Board of Managers. Rev. Messrs. William M. Pax- von, William Adams, Thomas Dewitt and John N, McLeod were associated as members of the Board, MUNIFICENT GIFT OF MR. JAMES LENOX, Visitors to the Central Park must have noticed the handsome structure running from Seventieth to Seventy-first street, between Madison and Fourth avenues. This comprises the Administration build- ing and one pavilion of the Presbyterian Hospital, the ground for which and the principal fonds for erecting being the gift of Mr. James Lenox—a gentleman who has already provided for the erection of @ magnificent public library in the same looality. Mr. Lenox has had the co-operation of @ number of leading citizens in the philanthropic design, some of whom contributed large sums, These gentlemen can now point toa noble pile of buildings consecrated to the sick and suffering as the realization ot earn- est purposes and long-cherished hopes. Toa large majority of the patients the hospital will be a pure charity. Persons suffering from severe accidents are to be admitted at any hour of the day or night. Other patients must apply in person, when will be examined and admitted by the House | Physician. A certain number of free beds are pro- vided for, and there {s also @ certain number re- served for pay patients, THE SITE AND BUILDINGS. The ground Ee which the building stands, and made over by Mr. Lenox forever to the corporation, covers the entire block, and is 400 feet by 200 feet. On account of the prevalence of southerly winds during the summer, the south side of wae — will society ~~ few obstacles ag possible to the free qirculation of air, wi 19 position -will obtain che Ihe greatest aniieh of sunlight—two points of vital importance. The ad- ministrative building (one of the three central build- ings), now completed, fifty feet by ninety-two feet, is three stories high, with basement and attic, in Mansard roof; has the middle portion projecting, in order to gain @ carriage porch to main entrance, above which is the chapel, with its tall spire. Side entrance porches are also provided. The basement of this building contains the kitchen (which ex- tends through to the second floor), the bakery, ice, bread and store rooms. The first story is occtipied by the receiving and examination rooms, superin- tendent’s and matron’s rooms, the pharmacy, stafr- | cases, &c. The second and third stories afford accom- modation for the honse physician and other officers. Directly over the carriage porch is the committee the building in the third and fourth stories, with spacious staircases on each side (the main staircase, in the middle, not extending beyond second floor), In the attic, at either side of the chapel, are the servants’ rooms, BOILER HOUSE. sixty feet, contains inthe basement story (about straightforward conduct. Of him Bell's Life says “Chambers stands 5 feet 3% inches in height and can fight at 120 pounds. He is a good two-nanded fiwhter, and having immense stamina is 4 danger. | ous customer to tackle. He is a8 game as the great Tom Sayers, and a glutton to receive punishment. In fact, at his weight, he appears to have no rival, and although bao man he has a flattering list of perturimances placed to his credit,’’ FIRE IN THE OLYMPIC THEATRE, While lighting up the Olympic Theatre about hait- | | past seven o'clock last evening one of the em- Ployés accidentally set fire to the curtain of one of the private boxes. For afew minutes it looked as though the fire would be @ disastrous ono, but by (int of @ little energetic action the eimployés before any mater: about the build succeeded in extinguishing it was dong, | an open court, with entrance from § ten feet below basements of other buildings) a laun- dry, and @ botierand engine room. The drying and ironing rooms are on the first floor. All the heating and steam power required throughout the hospital is to be furnished from this building, The main chimney shaft, 10) feet high, has air chambers around it for the purposes of ventilation. Between the north pavilion (finished) and the boiler house is nty-first street for supplies, leaving as much space as pos- sible for the patients’ airing high evel @ ground, which is ona NORTH PAVILION. In the north pavilion we find the wards subdi- vided in order better to provide against the spread- ing of contagions diseases. There 1s accommoda- tion for 100 patients. Day rooms are located in the middle portion under the amphitheatre. Fire- places are in the wards, and the wings of this pa- vilion are fireproof, As regards the interior con- struction, the Walk gd ceilings have reccived @ | room. The chapel occupies the central portion of | The botler house, in the rear, thirty-four feet by | perfectly smooth, hard sand finish; hard if waxed, have been opens in {Rs Bhsgge avoiding the use of paint. ‘The basement story is devoted to the accommodation of hot air chambers, engine fan rooms, &c. The first floor is occupied by private wards, with all their necessary accessories; the three upper stories contain the ublic wards, A spacious and well lighted amphi- heatre (for surgical operations) occupies the third and fourth stories of the middle portion of the north pavilion. ” VISIT OF MANAGERS. The hospital when completed will have two ad- ditional pavilions, The portion above described— the administrative building, the boiler house and north pavilion—were visited last month by the Board of Managers and the various departments examined. The arrangements for ventilation—for supplying fresh air through the wards and for con- ducting the foul air to the lofts above the attic story—are very complete. It is expected that the hospital will be ready to receive patients about the first of next October. Philadelphia brick and Lock- port limestone have been used in the construction. be Ames for the building were prepared by Mr. R. UD! AN ENDOWMENT FUND. The Board of Managers, with a view to a perma- nent income sufficient for the scope of the hospital operations, have determined to effect its endow- ment. In accordance with this design the Presi- dent, Mr. James Lenox, at a meeting of the Board of Trustees in February last, inaugurated a move- ment for that purpose by announcing his intention to contribute $50,000, $100,000 or $125,000 as soon as @ like amount shall have been eontributed by others. Mr. Lenox has already contributed $250,000, and there is no doubt that his munificent offer will soon be made available. The entire cost of the building will be $350,000, The Hahnemann Hospital. About three-quarters of a century ago Dr. Hahne- mann, & German physician, originated the home pathic sytem of treatment in medical and surgical cases. It did not meet at first with great en- couragement, but it found devoted disciples, and after a time the remarkable number of cures effected brought the system into favor. Drs, Gramm and Herring were the pioneers of the practice in the United States. There are now nine or ten colleges in different parts of the country, and the institu- tion in New York graduated thirty-nine students at the conclusion of its last term. Tne Hahnemann Hospital, which now affords medical treatment to about fifty patients, has been for some time tem- porarily located on Fi(ty-fifth street, near Second avenue, but it has been found necessary to obtain larger and more suitable accommodations. The officers, directors and Medical Board are Ley the most prominent and philanthropic of our citi- zens and physicians, and through their exertions @ grant of fourteen lots ag a site for the erection of a new hospital nas been obtained, at a nominal rent, from the city, and a sufficient fund raised to en- able the work to be at once commenced. The success that has attended the treat- ment of the suffering sick under the homeopathic system has set at rest all doubts as to its excellence, ana as the pavilion system, which is conceded by the best authorities to be superior to all others for the protection it affords, i8 to be fully embodied in the new struc- ture the happiest results are confidently antici- ated. Mr. Hiram Calkins is the Presdent, and essra. D. D. T. Marshall, William Radde and R. B. Connolly Vice Presidents. The Medical Director is Dr. F. Seeger, LOCATION AND DESIGN. The new Hahnemann Hospital is to be situated on the east side of Fourth avenue, between Sixty- seventh and Sixty-cighth streets—the site granted by the city. According to the plans prepared by 'r. George Hathorne, the architect, it is to consist of a central building, with two wings, one on each side, which are entirely isolated from each other and from the centre build. ing, with the exception of a corridor to be on the first floor, running the entire length of the block and*nniting the three buildings. This will give a frontage on the avenue of nearly two hun- dred feet. The hospital is to be in the medieval, picturesque style, with handsome towers crowning the centre and corners of the edifice. The adminis- trative building, between the two wings, is to be slightly advanced, in order to give it greater prom. inencs. It is to be three stories high, with a front of fifty feet on the avenue and a depth of sixty feet. It is to be approached by a covered carriage way and road and will form the main entrance to the hospi- tal. The interior distribution is to be in spacious and well-lighted rooms, to contain all the cofi- veniences required. Resides offices and apart- ments for officers in this building there are to be library room, two private wards, a professors’ room, museum and a large clinical lecture room and operating theatre, A SPACIOUS LIFT or elevator for patients subject to operation is to be provided near the operating .tahie and openin, into the lecture hall. {[t will run to the diiferen' floorg, opening at the central corridors. By this means there will be a perfect connection between the operating theatre and clinical lecture hall with the wards of the pavilions. This hall is to be ar- Tanged with circular and rapidly descending seats toward the lecture table, without obstructing col- umns to interfere with a full view of the table from each seat. The hallis to have a domed ceil- ing, with light from above immediately over the operating table. The different stories of the ad- ministration building are each fifteen feet in height, with the exception of the upper, a lecture hall, which has a height of 25 feet, as it extends to the domed roof. THE PAVILIONS, The pavitions are to be north and south of the ad- ministrative building above described, and con- nected on the first floor by the cot to the wards, The male and female departments must be placed one in each pavilion, thus making the most complete separation. These pavilions are to con- tain the wards for the sick, located on the first, second and third stories respectively. Each ward is to be 70 feet long, 25 feet wide and 15 feet in height. There ts to be accommodation in each of them for twenty beds, thus giving each patient over one thousand thre: hundred feet of cubic air, INTERIOR ECONOMY, A small kitchen and a dining room are provided for ch ward for convalescent patients, thus avoiding the disag! le and injurious alternative of taking food constantly into the wards. The baths, lavatories, &c., are arranged at the rear of the wards and are to be so planned and ventilated that they can in no way affect the air, At each corner of the ward is an opening for a fireplace. A small passage or hallway is to‘connect the corridors of the pavilions of each floor with the circular balconies or vergndahs across thé front or Fourth avenue face of the pavilions, These are to be broad and am- ple, with a protecting roof, and are for the use of convalescent patients. As they are to be removed trom the main wards, they can be used without causing annoyance to the sick, and will not ob- struct the air and sunlight of the wards. On the third floor, and stretching across the entire front, and opening on to the bulcony, is to be a cheerful room, intended for a ward library. It is also in- tended to be used as a social or amusement hall, to contain newspapers, a piano, easy cnairs, and pic- tures—in short, everything conducive to the relief po comfort of the patients, mentai as well as pliys- ical. VENTILATION. The Hahnemann Hospital will be constructed of double brick walls, enclosing an air space to protect the interior from the sudden changes of tempera- ture and from dampness, Within the walls are to be series of tubes or flues intended for the wards, one for each bed, with openings at the floor and at the cetlin, These ventilating ducts are to termi- nate in the attics in large reservoirs for foul air. This system is similar to the one in operation in the Presbyterian Hospital. The reservoirs are to con- tain coils of steam pipes to further rarify and accel- erate the removal of the air through the ventilation of the roof, The great importance of pure air has received special attention from the architect, HEATING. ‘The heating of a hospital 1s a question involving much of importance. Defective arrangements for this purpose must result in atmospheric deteriora- tion or contamination. The new building is to be heated by steam, to be conveyed in pipes to the sub-celiars, which are to contain the alr reservoirs and the coils of steam pipes. From these run the ducts containing the heated alr intended for the different wards and departments. These are tobe controlled and regulated by valves in the rooms, and are to be so constructed as to admit cold ag well as warm air, according to the season and the temperature required, ‘The air for these reser- voirs will be supplied from a large shaft, specially constructed outside the bulldings, and which 1s to take the air from a height where it is not liable to CONLAMIDAUON, mene 5 + CAPACITY, The capacity of the entire hospital is estimated at 150 patients. “This number can be easily increased to 200 if thought desirable to add an additional story to the pavilions. It is considered that 150 are as Many.as a hospital should contain. ‘ihe ten- dency now seems to be to break up jarge institu- tions and construct smalier ones at points more or less remote from one another, According to Mr. G. Hathorne’s plans, one of the pavilions of the Hahnemann Hospital may be constructed without the centre or administrative building, and answer all immediate purposes, administrative .as well as ward work. It thus avoids a large present outiay until such time as it is convenient for the building of the whole, and enable work to be commenced at once and the hospital put in early operation, Ad- mission to patients will be free, The estimated cost of the first pavilion is $80,000; of the entire building $300,000, Homeopathic Sargical Hospital. At the last session of the Legislature a new char- ter was granted to this institution, The ineorp rators have secured a site adjoining the Ophthalm Hospital, corner Twenty-third street and Third avenue, and the preliminary work, now in progress for the erection of a new building, is tobe vigor- ously prosecuted antil it is finished, Itis expected to be in readiness for occupation in about four montis from this date, The institution commends itseif to the benévolent, for it will establish upon the line of one of our greatest thoroughfares, and in the immediate vicinity of a crowded manufac- turing district, a hospital in which the victtm of an injury or an accident may receive both immediate relief and permanent treatment. Those especially who have learned to attach a high value to the homeopathic treatment of disease will feel that this charity is highly deserving, since it offers to the maimed and suifering poor, free of charge, ad- vantages which are now tor the first time in this city placed within their reach. THE BUILDING. The building will front twenty-five feet on Twenty- third street, and is to be #0 arranged as to forma continuation of the Ophthalmic Hospital. It will be bh) feet inheight. Philadelphia brick with brown stone trimmings are the materials tobe used. The wards are to be large and airy, furnishing accommodation: for about fifty patients. ‘In addition the top story of the Ophthalmic Hospital is to be added as a ward, and in this way thirty additional beds will be at the disposal of the managers. Two other iecturd of the same building are to be used as lectu rooms, offices, &c., for the Hommopathic Medica! College. An advantage of no small im: rtance is that the kitchens, laundries, eating and ventilating epparatus of the Ophthalmic Hospital are to be used in the new edi~ fice. In fact, when completed, the three institu- tions named will be under one ‘roof, connected by! interior openings, but under separate and distinct Management. Although controlied by an inde- pendent organization, this hospital will be so far connected with the college that its wards will be open for surgical instruction, so that students may’ observe practically the hommopathic medical an surgical treatment of disease. An elevator hi been introduced into the Ophthalmic Hospital, so that patients can be conveyed from-one floor to thet other with ease and comfort. The proposed build ing will be erected under the direction of Mr. Cor4 nelius O’Reiliey; and as the late fair realized sumd clent funds for the work, it will, as remarked) before, be vigorously prosecuted to completions The medical staff consists of Dr. J. W. Dowling, Superintendent, and Surgeon William Tod Helmutiig, Cost, $30,000, St. Francis’ Hospital. This institution, where poor, sick, aged and infirm persons are received without any distinction ‘as to religious opinions or nationality, has been | existence several years. Itis under the charge o1 the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis, a religious community of ladies,originally founded in Germany,, who devote themselves, with the most unselfish devo~ tion, to works of practical charity. ‘The hospital was first opened in Fifth street, between avenues B and 0, and has fore from very small beginnings to a! position of great and needed usefulness in the lo-' cality where it is situated. No charge whatever ia} made for the support and medical treatment of the} patients admitted. The community have now, brie completed a large an handsom addition, about in extent equal to the resent building, which contains one, undred beds, The addition is five stories high, with basement and Mansard roof. It fronts fitt feet on Filth street, and is forty-five feet deep.| There is besides a small two story building in the rear, also nearly finished, capable of accommodat- ing ten to twelve patients. ARRANGEMENT OF THE INTERIOR. ' The arrangements of the interior correspond with, the hospital now in use, with which tt is connected by spacious and well-ventilated windows. In the} upper stories are large, well-lighted wards and) rooms for the accommodation of patients who re- quire seclusion and quiet. Surrounding the rew | sypcesaes are balconies, from which a fine view cam) e obtained and an gundance of fresh air Sole ong An elevator serves to relieve the feeble and old fron the fatigue of ascending the staircases, whic! are wide, and also serves to convey sup-| plies, meals, fc, from the lowe 0 ‘the top’ storics, Nearly the _ entir pital. The dining and reception rooms, the apothe ecary’s shop, laundry, kitchen, &¢., are in th basement and first hoor. The ladies have reservec for themselves but the scantiest space. There tw however, @ handsome chapel, tastefully furnishe and provided with a very pretty altar, interior is occupied for the purposes of the | THE BISTERS. Eighteen professed Sisters and six postn-] lants atten to the sick, They | depend solely upon the charity of the public tor| the munpore of the institution. There ar several benevolent persons who make annual dona-| tions; but the chief revenue ia devived from th appeals made directly by the ladies themselves.’ Two of thelr number daily, in their turn,| Misit the residences of citizens and solicit contribu-| tions on behalf “of the sick and suffering poor, whose servants they are.” It is to th credit of New York that these appeals are) heard, and much good ts effected by the liberal con-| tributions given. The mother house of this order, isin Prussia, but there is a provincial house ii Cincinnati that controls the other estublishment in the United States, The hospital is visited several} times daily by a number of experienced and skilfu physicians, and it may be added that the whol establishment presents a remarkably cheerful, airy and neat appearance. The patients, both men an women, are from the humbler walks of life, and all keiined, ontented with tie treatment they receive, whic! the described as kind and considerat The new wing or addition will be ready for occupa- tion in about a month, wien at lcast one hundred! more patients can be accommodated, about $45,000. YACHTING. wt : Si So eikthe Meter, The Toms River Regatta. z ‘The second regatta of the season of the Toms Rivet catboats was sailed last Tuesday on Barnegat Bay. The weather was pleasunt during the first part of the raee, but in the afternoon the yachtsmen we! caught in a hoavy rain squall and drenghed to th skin. The course was from the starting point to stakeboat five miles distant and return, and wi sailed twice over, making twenty miles in all. T! Jollowing yachts started in the regatta :— AEBS... +. 00s .Captain F. Grant. Charrie Hoope: .Captain John Grant, Haze..............-+.--Captain C. W. Patten. ,Captain Samuel V. Pirsson. ‘Captain A. Birdsall, .Captain J, Falkenbargh, boat was chartered by the club to tako} Ala the invited guests over tlie course, and commanded by the old veteran, Captain Amos Grant, who ably fulfilled his charge and brought thei safely hom about nine P, M. The prizes were won as fol-| First prize... Second prize. Third prize Fourth priz -Silver cu) ry tinal Charrie Hooper. Maggie... 0, «Set of colo The regatta proved a decided success, and th questa passed a very pleasant day witnessing the’ able seamanship exhibited in the handling of the| saucy little catboats, Yachting Notes. The Yacht Columbia, N.Y.Y.C., Mr. Lester Wal-{ lack, left the lightship oif New London at on o'clock Friday morning, and was off Land’s Poin’ at twenty-eight minutes past three in the after.’ noon, thus making the distance (over eighty miles) in the wonderful time of six hours and twenty- eight minutes, probably the fastest time on record. ‘he sloop yachts Maud, B.Y.C., and Walter F,| Davids, of New Rochelle, sail a match race on Tues-! day next for $2,000, from New Kochelle harbor, at twelve o'clock, SAM WELLER’S ADVICE UNHEEDED. , Two Men Charged with Violating tho! Person of a Young Widow. Boston, August 24, 1872, el Frederick Payrow, formerly a Boston poll officer, and the present proprietor of the Mysti Hotel, in Medford, and George A. Emergon ar under arrest charged with abducting and violating! the person of a young widow, residing in Malden, The plaintif’ alleges that she was assaulted and chloroformed in the street, lifted into a carriag and taken to the Spot Pond Hotel, and kept there allmght. The defendants allege that she went voluntarily. i ‘THE PAOIFIO COAST. SAN FRANCISCO, August 24, 1872, The facilities for the transportation of the new! wheat crop are wholly inadequate. In many sec. tions of the State where the crops are very larga’ the farmers will be unable to get the bulk of aa grain forward before the rainy season sets in. The Colorado steamer Mojave has been wrecked. No lives were lost, The democrats of Washington Territory wit probably nominate Judge McFudden for delegate to, Congress, “GETTING SQUARE, While passing the corner of Broome and Eliza-| beth streets last evening Jacob Elkin, of 106 Essex) street, was severely stabbed in the right arm, near} the elbow, hy John Walsh, a resident of 58 Mot Street, At Elkin’s instigation Walsh was arrested) last Thursday on a charge of petit larceny, but was discharged by Judge Dowling, there not being suf-! ficient evidence upon which to hold him. For the! purpose of ‘getting square’ with Elkin he as- sauited him a8 above stated aud then made gout his escape. ACOIDENT TO AN ACTRESS, Mra, Wallace, mother of the Wallace sisters,/ sustained a painfal injury, on Friday night, through; the accidental discharge of a pistol in the hands of her daughter Maud. The parties had returned to their hotel from performing tn the hall, Easton, Pa, Maud took up a revolver which lay in the room and} playfully remarking ‘Is this loaded f”’ pointed it at er mother, pulling the trigger. The pistol wa: discharged, the ball wounding Mrs. Wallace in t! thigh, causing her to fallto the ground. She wag Riess under surgical care immediately and was doing well, after a very narrow escape from death, yesterday, . NAVAL INTELLIGENCE, . The Portsmouth was put out of commission ad New York yesterday. She i to be refitted for sar- veylng service in the Pacific, and will be recom< missioned about the ist of October next, The Tallapoosa is en route from Philadelphia to. Washington. Naval Orders. WASHINGTON, August 24, 1872, oh Midshipmen Francis and Ludlow have been de. tached from the Worcester and ‘placed on waiting orders; Surgeon Hugg, from the receiving ship at Norfolk, and ts placed on waiting orders; passed, Assistant Surgeon Pitkin, from thd coast survey’ uniform with that inatitution—five stories high, with bagewient aud Mausard rool, and eighty-Uve | steamer Hassier, and ts ordered to the Benes First Assistant Engiveer Edwin Wells, from Wasp, aad is placed on Waiting orden,