The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-20
L * . 7
EDITION.
MORE ABOUT PARK Sites
President Bonn's Recent
Purchase of Part of
the King Woods
Property.
THE QUESTION OF VALUES.
Its Relations to the Desirability
and Cost of Improving the Sites
offered.


Sheriff Davis, in an interview with one
of THE JERSEY CRY NEWS reporters one
day last week, insisted that the selection
of the Kings Woods in North Hudson
for one OF the county park sites is in the
interest of the North Hudson Railway
Company and that Mr.. John III. Bonn,
the president of the railroad company,
has in addition a personal interest in the
location of the North Hudson parks.
1.-TWO years ago, - he says, Mr.. Bonn
purchased forty acres in the King estate
from a Mr.. Hansen, for S55 ,000 and now
the Commissioners propose to buy these
forty acres, and thirty acres additional, for
over $300, ,000."
PRICE OUT OF PROPORTION.
That purchase was made at just about
the time that the act establishing the
Park Commission was introduced, or
few months prior to it. Mr.. Bonn, after
the passage of the bill, was offered one of
the Commissionerships under it, and de-
clined it. People wondered why; but
this information indicates that Mr.. Bonn
did not care to be on the COM
mission to purchase his own land.
Unless the property has appreciated with
remarkable rapidity, orunless Mr. Bonn's
holding is the poorest part of the tract,
$500 the price at which the Commits
sioners hope to be able to get it, would
seem to be out of all kind of proportion
to its actual value.
MR.. BROWN. EXPLAINS.
Mr.. John III. Brown, the President of
the North Hudson County Railroad Com
pany, greeted me pleasantly when
called upon him this morning.
yes 2 said he, in answer to my ques-
tion, II am part owner in the old King
estate, which will probably be one OF the
sites chosen for a county Park, and have
no objection whatever to give the public
all the information in my possession re-
garding the means whereby became in
terested in the property, the price
that was paid for it and
DOL should not say which Ido-because
Messsrs. Herman Walker, Frederick
Walker and James Fl. Symes are jointly
interested with me in the land. In June,
1887, Mr.. G. w. Darlington offered to sell
me the portion of the King estate known
as the Homestead, but did not care to
buy any more property and refused.
Shortly after Messrs. Walker and Symes
bought forty-on acres of land from
Mrs. Carolina King for $55,000. 1t had
been assessed for tax purposes at sos, 600.
These gentlemen asked me to interest my
self, but still refused At last one day
happened to drive over the property and
was so impressed by the beauty of the
scenery that then and there made up my
mind to accede to their request.
~ now hold half interest in the forty
one acres" 4 al. ssgA 8
WILLING TO SELL FOR s150,0OO.
s'My colleagues desired to divide the
land into plots and sell it either to some
large brewery owner or for some other
purpose that, while financially successful,
would deface and ruin the finest piece of
property in North Hudson.
s'To this would not listen. AS far back
as 1879 had written to Senator Rabe to
have bill introduced providing for pub
lie parks. Owing to circumstances, how
ever, the bill was not brought before the
Legislature. therefore proposed offer
ing the King property to the county for
that purpose now. My colleagues reluct-
antly consented.
'sThe price asked in our Office is $3.50, 900
and we distinctly state that though that
price may seem exorbitant IN comparison
with the amount originally paid for the
property we are now selling according to
the value of the property, and under no
necessity which wonld oblige us to offer it
at a sacrifice"
might also say that from offers which
that we could sell it for more than that
sum should the county fail to buy it.
We are offering this property from
sense of duty and have named reason
able price considering the present value
of the property. hardly think my
colleagues would consent to sell it for a
less sum.
In considering the value OF the tract,
however-and of all tracts, in fact--a con-
sideration should be paid, as Colonel Ed
win A. Stevens, one Of the Park Commits
sioners,. suggested In an interview pub
week, to its desirability and to
the cost of its Improvement. The
natural fitness of the estate
for a park has been conceded since John
G. Whittier sang the praises of the Pali-
sades in verse, and that is a good many
years ago now. Nature herself built it for
a park, and the Kings have maintained it
for many years as their private drive and
outlook. Engineer Brush estimates that
it can be improved for about S170, ,000
IMPROVING OTHER TRACTS
The Currie estate offers seventy-six
acres to the Park Commissioners. II the
heirs accept the price the Park Commits
sioners are willing to pay for IT =, $50 per
acre--the whole cost of the land will be
$4,000. Opinions differ as to whether this
is a large price or not. Sheriff Davis says
that it Is not worth more than 81 500 per
acre and Mr. Emmons was quoted Satur-
day as having said also that the price
was exorbitant The Judgment, how
ever, of real estate agents who are
dabbling in real estate in the immediate
vicinity is that the estate is worth, as a
whole, probable $1,000 per acre. Engin-
eer l.. b. Fowler estimates that it Will
cost about $22S 900 to improve it, which,
with sl70,O paid for land, would make ii
stand the county in. altogether, about
100000
The Clifford tract Is not seriously con-
sidered among those best acquainted with
the situation of the land. It would proba-
bly, please the South Bergen people to have
a park at their backyard fences, but the
site is almost all fat land, with large
expanse OF deep meadow land westward
lands are not so rich in tree growths
as they might be, and the improvement