On Sunday, June 2, 1918, a band playing “Where Do We Go from Here” marched along Atlantic City’s boardwalk, to the cheers of spectators. Then, as the band neared South Tennessee Avenue, the music came to an abrupt stop. The crowd’s attention had turned toward…
Posts tagged as “Robert Bachand”
Under the golden haze of dawn, the Green Mountain Boys and other militiamen advanced very carefully toward the British-held Fort Ticonderoga, (NY). With just one enemy sentry on duty, the men under the command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold easily captured all 48 of…
Whether at the full light of day or under a sunset’s golden sky, gazing out at a tidal creek meandering through a salt marsh’s river of grass can be captivating. As the waters recede toward low tide, wide patches of mud flats are uncovered. They…
Approximately 40 miles north of the George Washington Bridge, the Hudson River narrows and zigzags sharply to the west and then back to the east. Projecting from the western side, Gees Point (=West Point), rises high above the river on a rocky cliff. A marsh…
Standing mid-Long Island Sound, about five miles from coastal Connecticut and New York, Stratford Shoal Light has warned sailors of the dangerous shallows extending out north and south of the beacon for nearly one and a half centuries.Sailing the Sound in 1614, Dutch explorer Adrian…
Lying motionless on the sea floor, the partially sand-covered flatfish called “Chameleon of the Sea” changes its texture and color to further match its cover and surroundings. With its eyes peering out from its concealment, it waits for a suitable prey to swim or drift…
From the earliest days in our Nation’s history, the Race, Long Island Sound’s gateway to the open sea, was well known for its navigational hazards. During the maximum ebb tide, an hour or two after high tide, currents through the Race can exceed 5 knots!…
Long Island Sound is ordinarily host to only four species of sharks: the Sand Tiger, Sandbar (=Brown), Spiny Dogfish and Smooth Dogfish. A few other species are occasional visitors to the Sound, but one species was likely never expected to swim these waters. In May…
The surface waters along the shore seem to come to a low boil with a school of menhaden thrashing just below the surface. With a breeze blowing the right way, one might even detect their foul, oily odor. Mossbunker, bunker, porgy, bug-head, and fat-back as…
The attractive Second Empire Victorian-style lighthouse is a gateway to the East River and New York Harbor. Extending out from the shoreline on its southeast side, dangerous rock reefs are scattered throughout. Safe passage is to the northwest side of the structure.Even before the birth…