BEACON, N. Y., city of Dutchess County, on the Hudson River, and the New York Cen tral & Hudson River and the Central New Eng land division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroads, 60 miles north of New York city. The city was formed by the merging of the villages of Matteawan and Fishkill Landing; it was incorporated in May 1913, and holds the first charter under the commission form of government granted in New York State. Lying at the foot of Mount Beacon, on the upper margin of the Highlands of the Hud son, and extending westward to the shores of the river itself at the lower end of Newburgh Bay, its scenery is unrivaled. An inclined rail way runs up the western slope to the summit of Mount Beacon, from which a far-famed view of mountain, plain and river is enjoyed, and where a summer colony makes its home. The city of Newburgh across the bay is con nected with Beacon by ferry. Beacon has 11 churches, a hospital, a library, two national banks and two savings banks, and the Sargent Industrial Free School for Girls. The city
conducts three grade schools and a high school, paid fire department, municipal water works and a sewage disposal works.• The industries of the city are varied and im portant, embracing some of the larger fac tories along the Hudson. They include chiefly wool and straw hats, rubber goods and embroidery, with smaller plants devoted to making tools and other iron products, silk throwing, paper boxes and brick. The United States census of manufactures for 1914 showed 41 establishments of factory. grade, employing 2,033 persons, 1,806 being.' wage earners re ceiving annually $958,000 in wages. The capital invested aggregated $3;849,000, and the year's output was valued at $3,520,000; of this, $1,778, 000 was the value ay'eed by manufacture. There are three two daily and one weekly. Pop. (1910)