228 GEOLOGY OF NEW YORK CITY
Dobb's
Ferry. The name Manhattan, as applied to New York Island, was given by
the Dutch, not by the Indians. The following extended extract is from
Mr. Ruttenber's excellent paper on " The Native Inhabitants of
Manhattan," in the Memorial History of the City of New York:
"
Kapsee is the Indian name of the extreme point of land between the
Hudson and East Rivers, and is still known as Copsie Point. It is said
to signify ' safe place of landing,' as it may have been, but ee should have been written ick. The
Dutch called it Capsey Hoeck; they erected a 'hand,' or guide-board, to
indicate that all vessels under fifty tons were to anchor between that
point and the ' hand,' or guide-board, which stood opposite the '
Stadtherberg,' built in 1642. This indicates that the point had the
peculiarity which is held to be expressed in the Indian name.
Sappokanikan, a point of land on the Hudson below Greenwich Street, has
been explained as indicating- * the carrying place/ the presumption
being that the Indians at that place carried their canoes over and
across the island to East River, to save the trouble of paddling down
to Kapsee Point and from thence up the East River. This explanation
is, however, too limited. It was from this point that the Indians
crossed the river to Hobokan-Hacking, subsequently known as Pavonia,
now in Jersey City, and maintained between the two points a commercial
route. Lapinikan, an Indian village or collection of huts which was
located here, had, no doubt, some special connection with the
convenience of the Indian travelers. Corlear's Hook was called
Naig-ia-nac, literally ' sand lands.' It may, however, have been the
name of the Indian village which stood there, and was in temporary
occupation. It was to this village that a considerable number of
Indians retreated from savage foes in February, 1643, and were there
massacred by the Dutch. Near Chatham Square was an eminence called
Warpoes—wa singular, oes small—literally a ' small hill.' Another hill, at the corner of Charlton and Varick Streets, was called Ishpatinau—literally a ' bad hill/ or one having some faulty peculiarity, ish being
