New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-02
IN THE NORTH WOODS.
WHAT THE FORESTRY COMMISSIONERS ARE
DOING.

AND THE WATER SUPPLY.
,rRox rris RfouLAR CORRESPONDENT or IRE TRIBUNE
AIpxsY. March 81 Tho extension of railroad lines
in the Adirondack forest region and the plans Of cap
talists to build railroads across the great rores'
tract are exciting good deal Of fear among the
friends Of the forests Forest preservation as is wen
known. was the subject Of good deaf Of thought In
this state few years ago. and the State LEGISLATURE
In view Of an agitation ON the SUBJECT, crea'eu
Forest Commission. There are three FOREST Voht
pssiohcrs who have fine Office In the Capitoi mere,
and have under their command little army OF forest
wardens forcstcrs and clerks. The commission mas
done much valuable work Tho forest lands owned
by the state, which were preyed upon by timber
thieves without hndrance, are now under inc pro-
lection of the wardens. No more sales OF the Valu
able timber lands Of the State at cents an acre tao
place The state retains possession If its lands and OF
every acre that comes into Its possession through tne
failure Of landowners to pay their taxes Moreover
a law has been passed which viii prevent persons,
after certain period Of grace, from redeeming thelf
lands which have been acquired by the state oy pay
ing tho taxes due upon them.
Yet the railroad enterprises referred TO disclose the
fact that the State must take further steps II II desires
70 preserve the Adirondack forests. There Is no
law 10 prevent railroad from going through the
States forest lsnds' said Mr. Fox secretary OF tine
Forest Commission, the past week, and our ooser-
walton shows that wherever railroad COOS the forcss
disappear. At time In my life was railway
ing party would have TO force their way through
forest as thick as a iungle-but that after the rail-
road was built the forests disappeared as the trees
had been stricken with deadly disease you ouiiu
this proposed railroad through the Adirondack forest
from schenectady 10 Ogdersburs and for twenty miles
on either side of II these forests would disappear IL
would be impossible for the State TO protect nom
depreciation It's scattered bits Of land. line OF
10 cent eating houses would spring up on the line OF
such a road, feeding the passengers deermeat ui
the deer were exterminaed all the way from ogdens'
burg to Schenectady. No; the locomotive ana INC
forest cannot live together No matter what prom
iscs the railroads make Of putting spark-hllers on
their engines ans Il taking precautions against tres
these accidents do and the forests disappear
Then with towns near Uy the railroads the forests
would disappear. The only way to preserve muoh
of the Ad ndac forest would be for the state to buy
large block of IT and then forbid trespassng by any
one. Now the States land is in detached pieces
scattered all the Adirondack region with private
forest lands interpersed If the State would announce
that 1t would buy all the land that might be offered 10
It at 81 we would soon have enough lana 10
form great forest preserve. think that the STATE
Legislature could frame such an act that there
would not be any jobbery."
The Schenectady and ogdensburg Railway Com
pany chartered many years ago. but recently Its
charter it is said, acquired by Americans having
business relations with the Canadian Pacific and they
propose TO their road feeder for the Canadian
Pacific, which has branch running TO Ogdensburg.
BY this route the Canadian Pacific would gain con-
nccon with New York and with Boston 1t Is said that
the owners of the charter selling the bonds Of
the road and propose to begin building It this spring
Its route will be directly through the heart Of the Adj
rondack forest
The Chsteaugay Railroad has also extended It's
line the last winter further into the Adirondack will
deness. This railway runs from Plsttsburs on Lake
Champlain westward to tho Chaeaugay iron ore beds
and to Loon Lake. 1t has now been extended from
Loon Lake to sarsnac Lake, distance OF eighteen
miles. The settlements around saranac Lake have
become a great resort for consumptves Robert
Louis Stevenson the noted English writer Of romances
Of which DR.. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Is the Chief Is
one Of the jewellers the present time at the saranac
Lake settlement. The coming summer this new route
will probably be that by which thousands OF visitors
TO the Adirondack region will reach their points Of
destination Its last station Is within eight miles OF
Lake Placid. within six miles Of Paul Smiths, at st.
Regis Lake. within fifteen miles of Adirondack Lodge
and within six miles Of saransc Inn-the home OF
President Cleveland whom In the Adirondacks AS
semblyman Weed, Of Clinton County who lives at
Plattsburg said In relation TO this route few days
ago: Next summer a man and his family can leave
New.York City at D. M. eat breakfast at Plstsburg
the following morning at 80 O'Clock, and then by
the Chateaugay route be ssranac Lake at 12 noon
and at Lake Placid at 1 p. N. Tho railroad has
built the latter part of Its route through a region
which many years ago was burned over and has lost
its forest trees There win be desolation of the
forest therefore, by the road and the forests that
the tourists love viii bo preserved"
The Northern Adirondack Railroad, which runs
from MORA the Lake Chanplain and Ogdensburg
Railway southwark nearly to Paul Smiths, was built
originally timber road" 1t is fulfilling Its mis-
sion. No one can fail to see that it is eating up the
forest at great rate 1t has cut swath Of miles in
width through the forests OF Franklin County, and
its owners are said be planning extensions Of their
railroad which will bring thousands more acres Of
forest land under the sharp teeth OF the mill saws.
Then there is a road called the Carthage and Adj
rondack Railroad. which runs from Carthage In
Jefferson County northeastward into the Adirondack
region This road has recently been extended to Jay
vile In st. Lawrence County. and further extension
of II is now proposed valuable iron beds
great deal Of charcoal Is needed In the making OF
pig iron and Of the charcoal is made by burn
ing the Adirondack forests wood 1t may be pre-
dicted therefore, that the Carthage and AdlrondacS
Railroad will up large section Of the forest But
If the Adirondack forests are thus to BIO destroyed
what is become Of the water supply Of the Hudson
River, the Mohawk, the Black, the st. Regis, the
Raquete and other rivers that have their source In
those forestsi Perhaps some day the State OF New
York win find 1t necessary to answer that question
The Forest Commissioners have only one bill before
the Legislature in which they are interested 1t was
introduced by Assemblyman Hadiey, OF Franklin
County The provision Of the bill In which the COM
missoners personally Interested is gvon below:
The lands hereafter constituting the forest pre-
shall be forever kept wild forest lands and shall
not be sod shall they be leased taken by any
son corporation. public private except thai such
small parcels not exceeding five acres In area as may be
leased individuals clubs, for pleasure resorts or
camping purposes only by the Forest Commission or ma
ory thereof accordance with such rules and regulations
rs said Forest Commission shall from time 10 time establish
but no any such lands shall be made for longer
period years and said lands leased shall not be
used for any other purpose whatsoever.
The object O this prOposed amendment TO the
forest laws is said Secretary Fox. to give authority
to the Forest Commissioners TO put certain leasing
price upon lands that people desire to lease. There
favorable sites for camps upon Raquette Lake
and other lakes. In the summer time the commits
sionCus receive q great many applications for leases
OF these sites II they grant the use OF these lands
without lease they will be charged with fav0ftsn
In order avoid this they wish TO state 90 all app
cants for these sites the price at which the state VIII