The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1873-07-16
A Great State Park in the Adir0ndnckS II
Beautiful Idea aud Urgent Necessity.

Among the most meri'orious acts
of onr late ,Lcgisiatu, j. the act il.
puISudnee cf which :S,a,c Park
C.mmSs:"u' of "cvcn gent.rmcn Was
aIp"i"tcd TO rcpo,t nron the eXpcdl
| cncy OF setting. apart certain wild
lands il the c0u ti's of II SIX, Frnnk-
lin, Hamilton, lle.kimcr, s.. L,w-
renee W.I Lewis, IS Il g"anl public
State lark. r is trihmitt"r, Of
which ext overnor Seymour is Ch.ii.
man, III ,h"ir rcpor, are Of opinion
that The epro,cction IL II sry.i PORTION
of the forcS Of the N,!irund;.c!;
group Ct mountairs fi,m Han,on de
struction ISIS abs,lu!2!y aaa immc
diateiy required."
The committee do not favor the
creation otp expense aud exclusive
Park ejr more' PURPOSES Of recreation.
they recommend it simply fcr the
: preservation Of the timbcr Us meas
urc If political economy. Thcy sub
init that this forest region Of the Adj
ronaacks is perhaps the most rcmar.
k"hie watershed OF the eastern half of
Forth Amerio;, and that lEe prcsrr.
vaticn of its timber Is of ,hc highest
i; Importance 20 the material interests
Of the State that tho. @ VASE
woods have powerful inaacncc
upon the general clima!5 cr
the S,ate-modcrat:ng storms nnl
e4ualizing throughout the year ,nc
moi tuic discharged from the utmos-
phclc TINT the clearing away of
those Adirondack woods Will inavita-
lily cnlangcr the whole lino o" the
Hudson River to its mouth from the
suddcn melting Of the Adirondack
SHOWS and the CONSEQUENT destructive
Spring inund"tions, and that while
those invaluable forests remain the
deep Winter SHOWS Of those mountaius
will BE p"ottctod from the direct
rays CT the Gun in Spring, and will
thus be slowly and gradually melted
away. go
Such arc the leading reasons ah"
T1ncad By tho committee in favor of
this proposed State Park. Through
q period. of many years, in our f,c-
Tucht appeals for the pres eryation
Of our forests. We have shown that
vast timbcrless regions are suhi,ct to
to the tiercest extremes of heat ani
cold nnG ot Grorghts ai!u inundaLirna
where they GRO not utterly rain!csS
We have shown from his, ,iral rccold d.
how countries, which had" been ri.'i
and fraitHul while covered To nrnai
extent With wocls, became dry a'I
Sterile from the destruction Of tb,lr
timber. In support of these iM,truc-
tive ard ipnortant facts to oar a,.
st,uctlyc people, VIC may here ,cn.;"t
them that if cur States and terrific, les
Of Tic great West arc peculiarly sub
Jcct to tornadocs, water spouts, dclug-
ing rains and to all the vijlcnt alter
nations known in the climates Of the
temperate. zone, it is because the great
, West is mostly II region of timl crlcas
pralrles over which tho clcmcnia
have free play and have notlih to ar.
rest them in their wild capriccs and
that on the other hand, if our Allan
. sie slope from the Ale ghanicr to tho
sea, is comparatively exempt f.om
| these destructive yisitations CT
droughts and l'urricancs and delng-
ing floods: it is because cf is forests,
which serve at once to produce Il
gentler and more general diffusion Of
our rainfall, and to retain it to feed
the soil and to maiAtaiu a continuous
supply to our wing wells, springs,
Lakes and $trca ms.
The report states that eight hnn.
drcJ and thirty -four thousand four
hundred aud eighty acres, or on.
thousand three huuired and three
sduarc miles, Of this forest region
arc upon he Hudson River side Of
the water shed, and that this would
be the approximate area required for
tho Park in view of the protection Of
the sources of the hudson River it
it is beautiful idea, and the project
is particularly attractive because Of
its surprising practical Importance.
The inquiry, naturally follows, Why
should not every State and every 'Tc,-
ritory have its State or Territorial
Parl : Tho grand and sgondcrfui
Natipnal Park of Yellowstcnc is dcs.
tined 20 be, and within few years.
to Summer .traTellers the greatcst
attraation on the face of the globe.
It will bring millions Of dollars into
the country whero nov millious are
takon away. But above all other
considerations Is that OF Governor
Seymour and his committee, that the
protootion Of a great portion of the
Adirondack forests from wanton
destruction, ns measure Of wise
precaution and political economy, "is
absolutely and imm cdiately required"
~ !. H.raLt.