The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-01-23

estry Commissi ners, who for several
years have rather thought the sporting
clubs might aid them in their efforts to
protect the forests from destruction.
Undoubtedly if the sporting clubs con-
tinue in existence the woods in their
possession will be preserved. But un
fortunately the sporting clubs with
their barbed wire fences and hostility to
all persons who may venture upon thei
lands now threaten to make the parts of
he Adiron acks controlled by them a.
inaccessible to tourists as the deer park
If an English nobleman Some of the
most beautiful lakes in the Adiror dack
region have thus been cut of from OBJ
Servation by the lovers of nature.
What is worse, some of these sporting
clubs are putting barricades, as it were
across some of the best travelled of for
est roads. There is no carry" better
known in the woods than that from
Raquette Lake to Little Forked Lake, by
which shortly Long Lake is reached. 1t
is the route followed by thousands of
tourists every year while journeying
from Blue Mountain Lake to the Sara
noes. The land at FOrked Lake, 5000
acres, is owned by the Hamilton Club,
said to be chiefly COMPOSED of Philadel-
phians. The president of this club the
pas summer announced that he intend
ed to run barbed wife fence across the
carry and prevent tourists from using
it. Forest Warden German at once
went to him and said that he hoped this
news was not true, as, if the barbed
wire fence were erected, one of the most
commonly used highways in the Adj
rondacks would be destroyed. But
the land GOV red by this carry, v said
the president, lis our property. Has ii
reached such pass in America that a
man cannot do what he likes with his
own property" Warden German re-
piled: II do not dispute your right to
do what you please with your own prop
erty, but permit me to say that If you
owned land in a city you could not pre-
vent its authorities from opening a
street through it. [ therefore wa n you
if you attempt to close this highway OF
the Adirondacks the Forest Commits
sioners will have law passed making
it public hlghwey." This threat suu-
dued the president of the club, and the
carry yet remains open.
But other beautiful places in the Adj
'ondacks are no longer freely accessible
Take for instance, the Au Sable Ponds
at the head of the Keene Valley. A
Philadelphia club has bought the land
land about the ponds. which are in fact,
exquisite mountain lakes, and no one is
permitted to see them without paying q
fee. There is road winding up to the
ponds. Any one going over that road
has to pay fee of $3.50. AS for the
free privilege of camping out at these
ponds-formerly enjoyed by every sum
,ner resident in the Keene Vailey-that
is thing of the past. In view of the
rapid absorption of the choicest lakes in
the Adirondacks and the exclusive
spirit shown by the new owners Of
them, it begins to look as if the ordi
nary, commonplace tourists in the Adj
rondacks would soon be limited to his
travels to the piazzas of the hotels
which he inhabits. Paul Smith has be
come alarmed at the outlook for his
guests and bought 10000 acres of lanc
about his place at st. Regis Lake. His
guests therefore, have some sort OF
playg 'ound. but still Mr.. Smith hears
with distress of every purchase made by
a sporting club of a lake near his hotel
for he understands that thereafter none
of his guests of wandering nature viii
be permitted to camp upon or to hun
upon it. In fact. it begins to look as !
the sporting clubs would seri, u ly checl
travel by tourists in the Adirondack
10y depriving them of the opportunity o
seeing some of the most beautiful lake!
in the region.-Cor ~ Y Tribune.