Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-07-12

county, and guests Of the hotel as the Springs.
This is evidently done to compel, as far as
may be, oil visitors to board at the Springs,
and is blow at the boarding houses and ho-
tells in the town and neighborhood. Suppos-
lug that the Andersons have the legal right,
the policy Of this imposition, strikes us, as
narrow, illiberal and unwise. 1t would be
very much better for them to depend on ma
king their hotel attract guests by superiority
of accommodations and by the evident advan
tage it has in location.
There is no charge for the use Of water at
Saratoga, where there are numerous hotels
and boarding houses, and many thousand Wis
itors every year. And there is nothing except
want of management and enterprise on the
part of the past and present owners oftbe Bed
ford Springs that has kept this watering-place
so far in the back ground. In natural ad,
vantages it is unquestionablY unexcelled by
any in the country, and its visitors ought to
be numbered by thousands where there are
buthundreds. And now, when there is the
first effort made to extend the accommoda-
tions, so that more visitors may come, it is
met by this tax, intended to discourage, and
as far as possible prevent Is il not enough,
the mismaDagement and short-sighted policy
that has brooded over this watering-place
like an incubus in the past2
But there is another question, and that is
is this newly imposed tariff Imposed only
since Messrs. Robarts & Smith, Chenoweth,
and Cramer have erected their several hetels
and boarding houses) legal? Was not the use
of these God-given waters long ago dedicated
to the public? We certainly have always
been under this impression. 1t is true that
some years ago there was a charge of one or
two dollars imposed on each visitor, which it
was stated in hand bill then hanging about
the grounds was to be expended in the ma
king of walks and identifying the grounds;
but this is nothing of that kind. A visitor
who comes to the town or neighborhood, and
uses the water but for day or two, is to be
taxed FIVE dollars to go into the pockets of the
Anderson heirs! This is an important mat
ter and ought to be looked into. If five dol
lars can be charged why not fifty or five hun
dred2 Or they may refuse entirely to let the
boarders in town or at the neighboring hotels
use the waters.
Looking at this thing from the standpoint
of the public interests of this community, we
hope the Messrs. Andersons will notinsist on
this tax, but if they do, that its legality viii
be fully tested.
At the request of number of persons we
lay before our readers the Deed made by Dr.
Anderson to Jonathan H. Walker, Dr. vii
liam Watson, Josiah N. Espey and Samuel
Riddle, in trust for the use of the public, of the
three Springs, comprising the entire number
Of Medicinal Springs upon the Springs prop
erty. How this Deed is affected by subse
quent conveyances and interpretations we are
not prepared to say, but it strikes US very
forcibly that it win be pretty hard to cireum-
vent
THIS ISDEyTURE made the eighteenth day
of March, IN the year Of our Lord one thou
sand eight hundred and sixteen, between
Doctor John Anderson, of the Borough of
Bedford and County q, RedfoEd. Of the one
part, and the Honorable Jonathan FL. Walk
er. ESQUIRE, Doctor William Watson, Josiah
N. Espey, Esquire, and Samuel Riddle, Es-
quire, all of the same place, Of the other part;
Whereas, The Mineral Springs which have
been discovered on the lands Of the said John
Anderson, upon the east bank of Showers
Run, in the manor of Bedford, have been
found highly medicinal and salutary, and the
health Of the community has been greatly
promoted by the use Of the waters Of the said
Springs, and the value Of the property in Bed
ford and the vicinity thereof has been greatly
increased in consequence Of the great resort
[tol the said Springs.
Ind UhereGs, several liberal and public
spirited individuals have heretofore eontribu-
ted towards improving the groundsadjaeent to
the said Springs by the erection of bath
houses and other improvements for the ac-
eommodation of the persons using the said
waters,
Ind lohereas, the said John Anderson has
proposed to devote the said Springs TO public
use, and hath been requested by the major
part of the said contributors to convey the
same, according to his original liberal views,
to trustees, in such manner as might best
comport with the public interest, secure to
the original contributors the use of the said
waters, and, at the same time, enhance the
value Of the other property of the said John
Anderson in the vicinity Of the said Springs
Now this Indenture witnesseth, that the
said John Anderson, in consideration of the
premises and for the further consideration of
one dollar, to him in hand paid by the said
Jonathan II Walker, William Watson, Josiah
NJ. Espey and Samuel Riddle, at and before
the ensealing and delivery Of these presents,
the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged,
hath granted, bargained and sold, aliened,
enfeoffed, released, assigned, transferred, set
over and confirmed and by these presents
doth grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeof, re-
lease, assign, transfer, set over and confirm,
unto the said Jonathan II Walker, William
Watson, Josiah NJ, Espey, and Samuel Riddle
and the survivors OF survivor of them, and
the heirs and assigns of such survivor, all
those two Mineral Springs heretofore used
upon the east bank of Showers Run, in the
manor Of Bedford, together with the Sulphur
Spring in the mill-dam of the said J ohm An
derson, on the said Run, the adjacent ground,
now covered with lighthouses, the walks
leading to the said Springs, and as much OF the
other adjacent ground as may be found neces
sary for erecting canopies, bath-houses, sheds
and privies aud for public roads, walks,
drains, conduits, wharves, bridges, cause
ways and groves, for the purpose Of beautify-
ing the ground and rendering it an elegant,
comfortable and salubrious resort for persons
using the said waters, and it is understood
and agreed upon between the said parties,
that the improvements above mentioned shall
be made in such manner as not TO occupy
more ground than shall be necessary for the
purposes above mentioned, and in such man
ner as not TO be injurious to the other prop
erty Of the said John Anderson, his heirs and
assigns, owners and occupiers of the adjacent
lands, to have and to hold all and singular
the said Springs aud premises hereby grant
ed bargained and sold, or mentioned and in
II