New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-15
PRESENTATION or T4E ADIRONDACKS


A member of the Chcker,ng Hall Committee or
ganlrd 10 promote legislation for tn Ir'ae val on
o. the AdIrOniacks requested from the ion joel j.
Headlcy an expression of lis views ON the SUBJECT
The venerable historian has replied with the lOlIOW-
lug comprehensive statement OF tLe ease:
My DEAR SIR: ASS member OF the Chickerlng
Hall Committee ChO to ad IA procuring ir9 STA
ton that will secure the Adirondack WILDERNESS Ak
"A State PARK. you ask me rs one of the hrst eA-
piOIcTs If this region 10 gave you nv views on the
object You nave IN view. 1t IS more IMAM thlly
wears since first visited this wilderness, ana thcn,
and IN Successive trips. through the c9iuihhs oil me
NEW-lOEK Tribune, Ihe Ncr- lOrk DOsGrer ana
he Times and finally by a book, brought TINS III
tcrcstng region, then unknown, TO the knowledge
of the public. SAID then that 1t W0ni9 eventually
bc as much sought by tourists the Alps IN swift
crland aud il and IN my opinion VIII soon, II not
this year. become a State park. $50 ..
This elevated plateau, out OF winch rise Ioity
mountains commanding views unlike any IN Eu-
rope, scanned with rivers and dotted with nnulner
able lakes sprlnkled overwlth Is. anus oil uhrNaleu
beauty. has suddenly become an object oil specldI IN
tcrest to the public. From every direction comes
the demand that 1t be converted INTO pubic PARK,
and preserved in ITS present wild state Alter al
tlat has been said on the subject, the whole may be
summed up IN few words.
There are two prominent reasons for making IL
park and tTo against It. and these cover All tue
ground substantially. The first reason III favor OF
the park is that this vast tract as large as the State
of massachusetts,. can never be cuitlNatcd ana must
he left It Is, wilderness oil beauty the resort OF
tourists III search Of pleasure and health, or become
barren, sightle>s dreary vast OF naked rocks ana
sterile Land The second and cuicf reason is. this
wilderness is the tIcasure-hOuse oI the waters OF
the state. In its vast bosom are garneTed the
springs that flow north. south, east and west
throughout the whole state. Should these je I'M
covered ana exposed to the sun ihcr supply wonld
be greatly diminished, to the irrepaTabie injury OF
almost the entire commonwealth The eyil once
done thcr" would be no remedy for #. IL wou!d
seem that this WAS euOugltO override all objections
OF whatever kind, and settle thu question.
The two objections against II are, first, the timber
in il is needed for public well as its rich iron
mines. I'm 70 this would say that ITS Naluc
IN these respects has been greatly oyeuated. The
whole eastern watels shed down the streams OF
which the lumber can c1sl'y rcAch marhet mas
already been numbered over three tnnes. IN almost
its entire rXtrnt-fr,t for the pine. second for ITS
spruce and last Tor It's hchlock; 80 lHal now inns
ha!l OF the wilderness IS composed ol dtcMuous
trees that would not pay for .ic cutting -eAcept Us
Il is mtrrsperscd sn@ly or in such small groups
with pine. spruce and hemlocE-that u would cost
moro than Il was worth To get ire lumber u
market. There Is, no doubt on the We IN slope
some valuable lumber. Il remains ~ re. ana must
remain there for long time 10 come 'ecause the
most of il has 10 Ice 1lnaied norjh ty the h"quctte
River hundred miles or more q" thc ~. Lawrence
ana ti"H down that river and through LAKE Chain-
PLAIN into the hudson River, thus inakin" Il iurther
from market than ,he Canadian forests. What can
the lumber thus lo1at bC worth, compared to the
pr ,crN"tou Of the -OIrrc> Of almost our entire
water system. The Ad.roulac4s doubtless contain
yaldabl" IRON minc- cropping ont htr' ana there
for a long distance ON the surface hut the expert
ment Of working them advanIage"u,ly was made
more than quarter OF century ago ana aban-
doncd rs hopeless. they are too tar from market
to compete with the mines near hc hOrs of Lake
Champl3n and the Hudson. Besides, there is no
limestone in thar region for iuX, which must ever
interfere materially with its manufacture. When
the beds nearer market give out II VIII be time TO
consider their Importance
The second objection is, the cost of this vast tract
in dimensions State in itself. This think has
been overcstmatel Leave ont the land still owned
by the state, and take back tie grant of mile each
side OF the Adirondack Railroad, chartered more
than quarter of century ago, and which should
now, like the grants made by the general Govern
ment TO similar unfinished roads. be returned to the
public domain, and take III simply the wilderness
proper. III which the Improvements of little
WORTH and the cost OF the purchase wOnld not be
enormous. Al all events tine amount would not APP
proximate that of the damages that would ensue
from stripping bare these hcad-wacrs of the State
Much however. depends on the Commission that |
shall be appointed If the park, like the Capitol at
Albany, is to be made carcass for political vul- |
lures to feed upon. it will cost any imaginary
amount of money. 1t must he kept out of politics |
and the hands of political men, how ever prominent,
or IT will neither be economical nor popular
terprse, Yours very sincerely, }. I. HEADLEY