Show lights of new york by L L STEVENSON governors island in the newe news recently because ot of a survey which way result in it being made an airport and in the news several weeks ago be cause a lone bandit held up a sentry armed with a rifle and escaped with a military prisoner ordinarily Is I 1 a peaceful and routine place it Is the head quarters ot of the second army corps area and thus haa has a major general and his staff along with a regiment of in fantry and or so military prison ers polo and golf are played there despite the limited space and the golf course Is probably the only one in the country with government building buildings as hazards day in and day out there Is little to break the regularity ot of gar rion life in the past it was differ ent however during the civil war there were as many as I 1 1500 aw ente arite prisoners quartered there one made his escape by swimming to the da battery tt ery prisoners who escape now adaya usually do so by swimming the narrow buttermilk channel to brook lyn 0 0 fort jay Is the official title of the island which lies almost within the sh shadows idols of the skyscrapers of lower manhattan the old fort Is still there the earthworks with retaining walls of stone the moat sally port and draw bridge the beginning of which date dates back to the plans of a french engineer in 1795 then there Is a frowning tover of red sandstone known as oattie castie williams the name comes from its builder col jonathan william williams of the engineer corps which was erect ed early in the last century at the same time castle clinton was built on the battery castle williams Is j now a military prison and castle clin ton Is the well known aquarium arlum at castle williams the old cannon that once were the harbors protection are still in their places the harbor pro now however to I 1 down at sun san dy hook while things are peaceful at fort jay jav now back in the old day days there was more excitement than a bandit tal ing away a prisoner prie oner I 1 or instance once its garrison moved out in a hurry the reason waa was CO 50 warship warships and transports tran commanded by general howe and his brother the admiral had come into the harbor in search of a rebel the rebel a x name was george 11 washington ashington the result Is I 1 recorded in history annals of governors island include this grim order issued in 1814 when this country wa was again at grips with england the troops on governor governors island will parade on the grand parade for the purpose of witnessing the execution of the prisoner sentenced by a general court martial of the second instant to be shot to death the g execution party preceded by the music with the provost marshal at their bead will march in front of the i prisoner the music playing the dead march ai attempts to have governor governors s island j turned into an airport hare have been going J on tor for years mayor laguardia has expedited the plane plans and the survey ret bently ordered seems to be a begin ning toward that end governors Is land Is about fire five minutes from the battery and about fifteen minutes from the financial district air malls now arrive at and depart from the newark airport during the first campaign against street begging conducted by the city welfare department I 1 1663 ma persons were arrested seven hundred and forty ix received penal sentences as chronic offender offenders forty five per cent were started on the road to tation through health and welfare agencies but the number seems as RS great as it was at the beginning of the campaign bus top eavesdropping she tells me she got all that tan down at I 1 ong beach bul bu she got it sitting out on the fire escape it if were a nickel a dozen she d bring 5 0 bell syndicate service |