Most days, my commute takes me over the Randall's Island Connector, a car-free bridge that runs underneath the Amtrak trestle--and over the Bronx Kill.
Even though crime is at an all-time low in New York City, the Bronx Kill isn't the only "kill" in the Big Apple--or the Empire State. Before the English came in, the Dutch colonized this area, along with nearby parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, in the early 17th Century. "Kill" comes from the Middle Dutch "kille", which means "riverbed" or "water channel".
So New York had lots of kills even before the Mafia started dumping their bodies in them.
Well, the organization J.Edgar Hoover didn't believe in probably wouldn't have left corpses in something so shallow as the Bronx Kill--even when it's full. Sometimes the waters cover all those pebbly areas on the shore, and beyond. One morning, the Kill actually flowed just a couple of feet (or so it seemed) below the bridge.
The Bronx Kill's flow has nothing to do with rain. Rather, it's affected by the ocean currents, as are the other Kills in New York City. The Bronx Kill connects the East and Harlem Rivers, both of which are misnamed because they are tidal estuaries. Like the Bronx Kill, they have no current of their own: The direction of their flow is dictated by the tides.
Even with the water so low, I am glad the Connector exists. My younger self might have ignored the junk revealed by the receding tide and hopped across while hoisting my bike. Or I might have gone looking for the Randall's Island Salamander.
Even though crime is at an all-time low in New York City, the Bronx Kill isn't the only "kill" in the Big Apple--or the Empire State. Before the English came in, the Dutch colonized this area, along with nearby parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, in the early 17th Century. "Kill" comes from the Middle Dutch "kille", which means "riverbed" or "water channel".
So New York had lots of kills even before the Mafia started dumping their bodies in them.
Well, the organization J.Edgar Hoover didn't believe in probably wouldn't have left corpses in something so shallow as the Bronx Kill--even when it's full. Sometimes the waters cover all those pebbly areas on the shore, and beyond. One morning, the Kill actually flowed just a couple of feet (or so it seemed) below the bridge.
The Bronx Kill's flow has nothing to do with rain. Rather, it's affected by the ocean currents, as are the other Kills in New York City. The Bronx Kill connects the East and Harlem Rivers, both of which are misnamed because they are tidal estuaries. Like the Bronx Kill, they have no current of their own: The direction of their flow is dictated by the tides.
Even with the water so low, I am glad the Connector exists. My younger self might have ignored the junk revealed by the receding tide and hopped across while hoisting my bike. Or I might have gone looking for the Randall's Island Salamander.
No comments:
Post a Comment