Rome Free Academy - De O Wain Sta Yearbook (Rome, NY)

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12. Tur SENIOR ANNUAL. such as the advance’ of St. Leger, the battle of Oriskany, and the siege of Fort Stanwix took place here, which checked the British right at the turning point of the war. These events are all too little noticed by historians. “It was Burgoyne’s plan to cut the thirteen colonies in two. He was to come from Montreal down Lake Cham- plain and force his way to Albany, there to meet General Clinton, who was to come up the Hudson from New York. Colonel St. Leger was to come by way of Lake Ontario to Fort Stanwix. Here he was to capture the fort, then pass down the Mohawk and join General Burgoyne. With the events that fol- lowed we are only too familiar. Every schoolboy and girl knows of the siege of Fort Stanwix by St. Leger and of his defeat; the relief force that came from Fort Dayton under the leadership of General Herkimer, and the ambush into which they fell at Oriskany, and the decisive battle that was fought there. We likewise know of the second relief party, coming as far as Fort Dayton, which captured the Tory youth, Han- yost, and of how he was sent to St. Leger’s camp to give an exaggerated account of the patriot forces, and of how the British fled from the fort in con- fusion when they heard the news. “Fort Stanwix was thus left un- harmed. What if events had not hap- pened the way they did and the fort had fallen? St. Leger would then have swept down the Mohawk Valley with fire and sword, and joined Burgoyne at Saratoga. That general then might never have been defeated, but his plan of separating the colonies would have been carried out. So we still might be British subjects, and never have heard of peace and liberty. How true it is that the history of the Revolution was determined far more than we realize by the physiography of Rome. “The influence of Rome’s geographi- cal position is still more clearly shown by the enormous industrial and com- mercial development of New York State since the Revolution. The great- est instance is the building of the Erie Canal. This was made possible simply because of the low divide at Rome. It is an interesting fact to know that this is the only canal across the Appalachian Mountains between the Atlantic and Great Lakes. It was here in Rome, the highest point of the canal, only 445 feet above the sea, that Dewitt Clinton’s men threw the first shovelful of dirt from the canal in 1817. The low divide also explains the location of the lines of the New York Central and West Shore Railroads. It is also the physiography of Rome that will make it possible for the people of New York State to build the barge canal. It really is due to the fact that the canal and railroads have such a great advantage over other rail- roads, on account of their position here, that New York is the Empire State. The summit of the New York Central at Rome, like the canal, is only 445 feet above sea level, while the Pennsylvania Railroad has its summit at 2,161 feet, the Baltimore and Ohio at 2,620, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western at 1,932 feet. ““Where do we find the great cities of New York State? Right along the Erie Canal and New York Central Railroad. Most of all, the low divide at Rome accounts for the greatness of New York city. The enormous commerce of the Great Lakes and of the west, with its corn and wheat belts, has found its nat- ural outlet over the Erie Canal and the railroad through Rome, and this fact has made New York the metropolis of America. With the barge canal and

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THE of history the Wood Creek valley was covered with a lake. This lake re- ceded at the time of the Glacial Epoch, and is now Lake Ontario. The Adiron- Catskills con- and once a was no were there dacks and Sane chain, Mohawk Valley. a belt of destructible rocks running east and west, and known as the Utica Shales. These had been wearing away for a long period, and when the ice covered the country, the waters of the Great Lakes, which flowed through Rome, rapidly dug out a valley in these rocks, until, at the close of the Glacial Age, the waters were diverted to their present course in the St. Lawrence, leav- ing the valley to become a channel of human intercourse and a natural pass across the mountains. This pass thus leads to the great west. Its highest point here at Rome being only 445 feet above sea level and only 198 feet above Lake Ontario, shows how easy it was for the waters of the Great Lakes to dam back as far as this. A casual survey of any map will show the import- ant fact that this is the only natural pass over the Appalachians. ‘Such is Rome’s geographical posi- tion. If geography makes history, it must be true that this geographical posi- tion has had an influence upon the location and history of Rome, and per- haps even upon the history of New York State, and the whole ¢ountry. How has this influence shown itself ? “In the first place the influence was felt by the Indians and first settlers, who early discovered the practical advant- ages of the local geographical arrange- ments to commerce and travel. They would come from Lake Ontario up the Oswego and Oneida Rivers, across Oneida Lake and up Wood Creek to the site of Rome. Then with a short carry of their canoes, down the present Its presence is due to SENIOR ANNUAL. 11. line of Dominick street, they would enter the Mohawk River and descend- ing the Hudson would reach New York. In fact, we find that the Iroquis, the most advanced and enlightened race of Indians of our country, inhabited this very region. That they were the most skilled in the arts of agriculture, war- fare and diplomacy, is, no doubt, largely to be explained from the fact that on account of controlling this natural pass through Rome, they had the easiest communication wit h the Atlantic sea- board, and thus came under the most direct influence of European civiliza- tion. In the pioneer days, ambitious immigrants found here the only path to their goal—the Great West. We see evidence of these immigrations in the settlements left in the vicinity of Rome. “This ‘carry,’ then, made the best kind of a site for building a settlement and it was the most natural thing that Rome was founded here. Boats could come from east and west, but here they were forced to stop and carry. Here storehouses and taverns were built and a community gathered, forming a nu- cleus for the later village and city of Rome. ‘Rome's position became of the greatest importance in the Revolution. jjust as, in times of peace, the Mohawk Valley had offered an easy and natural path for commerce and immigration, so in times of war, this great pass became the most enticing and strategic avenue of approach for the enemy. The idea of the valley’s importance strategically had been grasped by the early settlers, who, as early as the French War, had constructed Fort Stanwix and Fort Bull. The British also saw the importance of capturing this ‘carry’ at Rome. So in the campaign of 1777 Rome stepped into a prominent place in the Revolu- tion. A series of most important events,

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Tue SENIOR ANNUAL. 13: modern conditions New York is, no doubt, destined to become the largest and most prosperous city in the world. ‘So we see the importance of a city’s geography right here at Rome. What if there had been no low divide, but a ridge of mountains connecting the Cats- kills and Adirondacks? Then, either New York city would have been located on the St. Lawrence Gulf, or the Great Lakes would have been connected with the Mississippi River, and New Orleans would have been the metropolis. Such is the influence of the geographical loca- tion of a city upon its history and upon the history of the surrounding country. “Tf we will only open our eyes and see, we could interpret many things by geography which we now try to explain on some other basis. If such has been the past influence of Rome’s environ- ment and location upon its history and upon the history of New York State, and the country in general, we have every reason to believe that this influ- ence will continue. So may Rome ever form this great connecting link between the East and West.” e¢@¢s @ Slingerland Contest HE second annual Slingerland prize speaking contest was held in the study hall of the Academy build- ing, February, 1905. The hall was filled, as it was an opportunity to see the work done in the school. Commissioner C. C. Hopkins pre- sided and announced the speakers. Miss Elinor Elizabeth Evans, the first speaker, in her rendition of the “Swan Song” improved as her recita- tion progressed. Her subject dealt with a contest for young musicians for a prize of 200 thalers and a violin. The contestants were to compose their own selections. One of the contestants, from hearing another practicing, and realiz- ing its merit, stole the merit by playing the piece first. The young author rec- ognized the injustice and meanness and by an unseen power was aided in telling the story through his violin, winning the prize. Walter Griffith Evans, in his rendi- tion of Royal W. France’s War, in a clear and pleasing manner alluded to the enthusiasm which is aroused by news of war and heroic deeds done in battle. His subject also dealt with the sorrowful side of the subject and the homes made desolate by the failure of the loved ones to return. “The Present Crisis’’ treated of the oppression of the poor by the rich, by the trusts and monopolies. A severe arraignment of the oppressors was fol- lowed by the statement that there must come a change through either the ballot box or the misery of a civil war. In the handling of the subject Arthur Seth Evans was particularly pleasing and made an excellent impression. Miss Susan Brayton Pillmore, in a well modulated voice and clear enuncia- tion, spoke on the subject entitled “ Free Grace.’ It was the story of the effect of the life and belief of an old black mammy on the life of her young master, convicted of murder and serving a life sentence. To be near him in his prison, to occasionally see and cheer him was her object. In his serious illness she was sent for and he was brought to a realiz- ing sense of the meaning of free grace. The efforts of The Unknown Speaker, who urged all to sign the Declaration of Independence, and, worn and ex- hausted by his eloquent effort, sank into his seat, were excellently portrayed and handled by Ernest George Countryman. With pleasing voice and appearance he was readily selected as one of the best