Eastchester and Pelham 429 



the war; for, in 1788, he sent a petition to "His Excellency, 

 George Clinton, Esq., Governor in and over the State of New- 

 York, and Vice- Admiral of the Navy of the same," for relief. 

 This failing, he again petitioned for redress of grievances in 



1789, this time to "His Excellency, George Washington, 

 President of the United States." His distress was mitigated 

 by a subscription, as told elsewhere. 



The Revolution prevented the accomplishment of the plan 

 of building a city upon the island, though it was revived in 



1 790. The island was cut up into 4500 lots, each twenty-five 

 feet front and one hundred feet in depth, besides two squares, 

 of thirty lots each, reserved for churches, meeting-houses, 

 schools, etc. Ten pounds was the stated price of the lots, 

 and many were bought and sold at that price. In 1818, 

 Nicholas Haight and Joshua Husted owned nearly all of the 

 island, as well as Rodman's Neck and what became later 

 the Marshall estate. In the year following, forty-two acres 

 passed into the possession of George W. Horton. 



In 1804, the State Legislature passed an act allowing the 

 construction of a bridge between the island and the mainland 

 and subscriptions were started for its erection ; but the attempt 

 failed for want of support. On December 1, 1873, a toll 

 bridge, erected by a stock company, was thrown open to the 

 public. It occupied the site of the bridge laid down on the 

 map of 1 76 1. It was one thousand feet long with a draw of 

 one hundred and twenty feet; the draw being that of the 

 original Coles, or Harlem Bridge, at Third Avenue. A large 

 part of the materials used in its construction came from the 

 old United States frigate North Carolina, which had been 

 condemned and sold by the National Government. This 

 bridge was made a free bridge in 1895, a t the time of annex- 

 ation, and was replaced by the present fine steel structure, 



