334 The Story of The Bronx 



constructed, the Hudson monument will stand in its axis at 

 the northern end. 



Continuing our way east from the Spuyten Duyvil station 

 of the railroad, we formerly crossed the New York Central 

 tracks three times, once on a bridge over a deep cut in the 

 solid rock, and twice within a few yards at grade, these last 

 having been very dangerous crossings. It is near these 

 crossings that there occurred on January 13, 1881, a dreadful 

 railroad accident in which thirteen persons were killed ; among 

 them being Senator Wagner, the inventor of the sleeping- 

 coach and parlor-car which bear his name. There were thir- 

 teen coaches on the wrecked train, and this combination of 

 "thirteen" confirmed the credulous in their belief in the old 

 superstition. It was to get rid of this dangerous passage 

 through Kingsbridge that the railroad changed its route to 

 the Ship Canal in February, 1906. The Hudson, off the 

 mouth of the creek, was the scene of an earlier accident on 

 July 28, 1852, when the river boat Henry Clay was burned, 

 and seventy persons, mostly women and children, lost their 

 lives either by fire or drowning. 



We may continue up Riverdale Avenue, a fine road leading 

 to the top of the hill to the ground we have just passed over, 

 or we may take the ancient road, called Dash's Lane, along 

 the base of the hill on a level with Tippett's Brook, till it 

 joins the ancient post-road at Mosholu, west of Van Cortlandt 

 Park. A third choice is open to us, that of keeping east over 

 Tippett's Brook and so through the village of Kingsbridge. 

 From the mouth of the brook eastward to the ancient bridge, 

 Spuyten Duyvil Creek has been filled in. 



Kingsbridge is a straggling village, and the road was formerly 

 lined with boat-houses, feed stores, etc. On October 26, 1903, 

 a disastrous fire destroyed many of these buildings. The fire 



