1 88 The Story of The Bronx 



causeway leading to the bridge from the Manhattan side, 

 and sometimes the bridge itself, were overflowed by the waters 

 of the creek, thus rendering the passage over the bridge 

 dangerous and often impossible. It remained in the pos- 

 session of and under the control of the manor-lords until the 

 sequestration of the manor by the State Assembly, in 1779, 

 on account of the alleged treason and disloyalty of Colonel 

 Frederick Philipse, the third and last lord of the manor. 

 After the forfeiture of the manor, the bridge became free, as 

 it virtually had been since 1759. 



Until the year 1900, a considerable detour was necessary 

 to approach the bridge from either side of the creek. In 

 order to remedy this, the city authorities constructed a modern 

 steel bridge over the ancient "wading place," which cannot 

 be many feet away from the site of the ferry and the bridge 

 of 1693. This bridge is officially known as the Spuyten Duyvil 

 Creek bridge. It makes direct communication from the 

 Kingsbridge Road, Manhattan, to Broadway, or the Albany 

 Post-road, on the Borough side. The contract price for the 

 bridge was $53,607, but the actual cost was in the neighbor- 

 hood of seventy-five thousand dollars, including approaches. 

 It was opened to the public, May 16, 1900. During the 

 building of the elevated portion of the "Subway" in the year 

 1904, it was found necessary to remove the bridge, as the 

 piers were of insufficient size and strength to support the heavy 

 superstructure of the railway tracks. The steel bridge of 

 1900 has, therefore, been replaced by the present structure. 



Since the opening of the ship canal in 1895, there has been 

 little or no traffic through the stream ; and the creek has been 

 filled in from the mouth of Tippett's Brook to the abutments 

 on the west side of the bridge with the materials removed 

 from the excavation at the Grand Central Station. It is 



