New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-01-14
THE NORTH WOODS IN PERIL.
THREATENED WITH RUIN By RAILROADS
AND LUMBERMEN.

Albany Jan. 1.-THE Forestry Commissioners AT
, meeting which they have just held here 10 consider
their annual report to the legislature resolved 10
appeal to that body in that document to delay no
longer to pass the bill authorizing the purchase OF
lands by the state authorities in the Adirondack
Forest Preserve such bill introduced a year
ago but il received but scant attention from inc
legislature Meanwhile the need Of the state s'ep'
ming in and buying large proportion Of the Adroh-
dacb lands has become highly obvious.
The railroads the last year have extended inc"
lines farther into those sections OF the Adirondack
plateau st covered by the primeval forest uihDc.
companies have bought up several hundred Thousand
acres of timber land and have begun cutting tlHOef
from some OF The most beautiful lake ana river s''o
i'm the wilderness. and lastly private cr'ns ''''O
bought many thousand acres OF land whlch u'cS "i0
shutting Of from the public with baIbed wire FENCES
\ statement OF what the railroad compah0'
,unhcr firms and sporting clubs have done the laN'
wear ought 70 convince the Legislature OF 'he hc'o
of swift action It's part II tic state Is 10 poN'0 "
Adirondack Forest Preserve worthy Of the name re-
sons who will examine map OF the state Vi -
York will discover a railroad called the Norule."
Adirondack running southwark throngh lran"'l"
County from Moira. the line OF the ogVeisOus
and AXE Champlain Railroad. This IS cWphatVd'i'
a lumber ra.lroad." u has some passenger u"'0
in tho summer months, but there are rev se''o''""
alone il, line and therefore must depend upon lue
transportation Of logs lumber for Its support -
may be said 10 nave eaten lVN way INV Wv
ms. sweeping the forest away before 1t as II au-
vanccl sortbward The last summer il has been eN-
.o,,aod Ia Inner Lake. At the same time an en-
tension las been made 90 The Carthage ana AuroudcN
Railway, which comes into the AdHOhOa'h "'VS"
from the westward. starting at Carthage on INC INC
of the Rome Watcrtown and Black River Railroad anu
rurrinc eastward The ast stations of the TWO raj"
road, are now hardly twenty miles apart ana IL :
said tbo two lines Of rail are TO be connected TINS
will be done before next summer. in order 10 take
advantage of she tourist traffic. When this Junction
i made travellers from the West JouIneyinS 10 fau
Smiths. on St. Rec, Lake, for instance, VIII enter
thc Adirondacks from the westward. instead Oh
travelling as nowadays TO Albany and then nor'h
va,d 70 Platslu.g or to MORA. making very round
aro,+ and t?c>ome journey. II is said that sleeping
and drawing room cars VIII lie run also from Ne"
Yorl, CITY over the New-lork Central to Cuca' ann
thence northward 10 Cartilage and thence over t!'o
Carthage and Adirondack and the Northern AdIf'h
dack to the Adirondack resorts. The Nandcrolt'
have a forest lodge at Jordan Lake. They propose
to put in railroad siding near that lake upon wh'h
t. run their private when they are IN the WIDER
ness
While 50 far as the tourist traffic is concerned the
Forestry commissioners are not d pleased at these
railroad connections being made. II Vet remains True
that they look with we'll founded apprehension up'n
such an extension of the roads viii give the lumber
mon access - new forests. Already The extension
o. the Northern Adirondack Railroad to upper Lac
has had disastrous consequences so far a the Wo'n
are concerned. Dams have been constructed 10y
lumber companies in the Fay River and IN ot'er
streams flowing into the lake. for the purpose "i
raising the level Of those streams and heating 0u'
los to the lafe Tourist, the last summer have been
Shocked by tho ruin wrought by the lumbcrmcn. TIE
region Of Topper Lake. Bay River, and JehAlN Foi''
has been one Of the most picturesque III the -NIlF''
dack region. Il is nOwuapdB losing all lis Beauty!
tourist writes:
At Bog River Falls there is a dam setting I'd t''
water to the junction of Upper Lake stream. Ju-t
above this is another Topper Lake stream SUI
another south q Horseshoe Pond browns The Shore
o. Tic river and Of NORTH. Middle and lchinGs Ponds
ard VIII overflow Horseshoe Pond a well. Jen"in'
Pond has a dam AZ the outlet which viii. when 'he
gates are shut. DESTROY all the beauty tm' the lnm
bermcns fires have left The entire length OF the
brook has been blasted. making great. un-T'iN gap
like the track Of an avalanche. through which viii
be driven lold Of water and the ma, Of lo-s now
filing the pond. IN Adirondack lake stream IN it,
natural state T. shaded to the waters edec. tbs
shade keeps the shallow waters free from aqaau,
plants. the roots bind the soil together and form
natural sponge. which retains moisture. and allow it
10 disn gradually. thus keeping up perpetual sn?
PLY. \ dam changes all this The vc-c.a ion on the
shores is drowned and lllcl by the raising OF the
waters and thi, dead mater decays in The sun eau
Ing malaria: the soil 10 longer held together bv the
roots is washed by tie rains III Oalg bare rJc-
THIS SOL is CcpJN.l.u ~ tt "dl'4 'D''I''''
grasses and reeds spring up the shallow. unehadcd
water holding stlN Of the macria! washed down
tin watcr-c0urs1s are in ease, quite OOhcrtt-l
Through those that remain. the rains, pouring over The
denuded rocks, rush in destructive torrents. The
water supply become, in-uflc.ut Intermittent and a
source OF danger. Immediate action-the removal of
the dams and keeping them Oat-WOuid save th.s
ncigh5Orlo0d. il they left til spring. power
earth repair he mischief. This rccL.c-a and
illegal numbering means ruin 10 the beauty o. uIc
country devastated By fire and flood; to is health.
destroyed by rot'nS vcg4tation to its fish killed b.
blasting and BY the changes in the water level - the
deer by the destruction OF their cover and Of tire
animals Themselves. when the render, them de
fenceless. Game laws Of coarse, have no one to ex-
ccuc them in remote lumber camps. II also means
destruction 10 the business OF the country. wc! de
ponds the visitor, attracted by is beauty. health
and game. Further. it means destruction Of the wscs
supply Of orr great rivers
This is but one Of many Ike stories told By
travellers, showing Tie rapid destruction Of the land
sc;lpc beauty Of the Adirondack, and disclosing
the fact that the state is IN great danger Of being Dc
prived OF the Of water supply Of the hudson
OF the Mohawk ard Of the Black rivers.
Mention wa, rade Of the fact that large purchase
OF timber land, have been made recently.
numbering syndicate has bought 10000 acres Of
timber land la the vicinity Of the Fulton chain Of Lake,
and John Browns Tract These land, were pur
chased OF the Duia;t family ana contain 'hc rtat
hardwood timber yet remaining IN The Adhondacne
a. for the Fulton chain Of laEc, every AdrOndach
traveller knows that they not surpassed IN beauty
in the AdnOndache. IL H. said Tia, tu> numbering
syndicate, which consists largely Of Western Lcn ia
tends 10 build railroad nom us laTrc ii1ri 81
$4,000 acres 10 Port LcFdcu on the hDck Itivcr
Railroad, 70 CIT down the timber and 70 send II to
Port ogden 10 De sawed up into boards.
Lovers OF the Adi!Vnd2chs VIII also Tgic 10 hear
that the lovely AWpei,3nd Pond Will be dcnudcd
of Its woods. DOd-c, Mclg, q Co., of New OIh who
are lamoerlng IN the Adirondack region under the
title OF the ~ Regis River LumDcTng Company, have
bought $4,000 acres OF noble timber land about Amper
sand Pond and near Ampcisand Mountain. The
pEscnt winter hundred, OF the trees this trace
w3il be cut down and in the spring the logs Will De
hOated down Ampersand Brook TO the iaquette River
and then to Upper Lake. where the los will he
put on the cars OF the Northern Adirondack Railway
Company and transported 10 santa Clara that
railway, where the saWmls of the II. Regis Lumber
Company are situated. A. evidence OF the close CON
nectlOn OF the luubcl companies in the AdlOnfachs
-. D. i -