New-York tribune., 1901-02-18
TO FIGHT FOR FOREST PARK
SCHEME To TAKE PART OF IT FOR A
RESERVOIR WILL BE VIGOR-
OUSLY OPPOSED.

The Water Department of Brooklyn may as
well decide 20 tax site for their proposed stor-
age reservoir outside OF Forest Park for the
men who are opposed To the destruction Of tho
best part Of a valuable park for the sake or
getting n reservoir 20 hold only a three days
supply Of water viii not allow the reservoir 20
be built until they have exhausted every means
Of opposition. II the bin now in the Legislature
providing for the transfer of seventy acres cf
Forest Park 10 the Water Department should
be passed It will he fought In the courts. The
Tribune is in a position 70 say that holders Of
Park bonds viii get out an injunction and tie
the transfer in the courts for several years This
is not because these men are opposed TO an ex-
tension Of Brookyns water supply. but because
they are convinced that there are better sites
and because they believe it is absurd 10 take
valuable piece Of park land for a reservoir
that viii hold only a small supply. when sites
which will accommodate reservoirs holding a
three weeks supply are available
Those who opposed TO the idea say that
the Stubbornness # certain officials In the Water
Department is responsible for the unremitting
effort 20 rob Forest Park, and one OF them went
far last night to say that any one who de-
liberately said there were no other sites told
falsehood.
Park Commissioner Brewer and ex-Park Com
missoners Kennedy and Frank Squier drov. out
through Forest Park and along the ridge on
which il stands yesterday afternoon. They were
accompanied by a competent engineer Lieu
tenant-Governor Woodruff was 10 have gone
but was unable % do lie told Tribune re-
porter last night that if an equally good site
could be found he would oppose taking any
part Of Forest Park Some Of thos- who are
attempting to save the park viii call on him TO-
day and endeayOr To persuade him to oppose the
bill The same men have teleRraphed and
written Ia Albany asking for another hearing
In speaking OF his trip Of investigation Mr.
Kennedy said last night:
What thes" people propose to do with Forest
Park is 20 take IN" most picturesque and best
wooded part They might as well take the
whole park As Mr.. SIuieT says, We bought
the whole park just to get that forest
The most prePosterous part OF the whole
thing IS that they propose To construct reseT-
voir that will hold only three days supply A
mile and a half beyond Forest Park is an ex-
acres Of available land just high as Forest
Park on the same ridge. They can construct
"a reservoir that will he "A storage reservoir i'm
fact as well as In Tame-one that viii hold
three weeks instead Of ;hree days supply"
One argument used in favor Of taking Forest
Park is that the reservoir is needed now and
that to condemn other property would reouire a
long time. Mr. Kennedy says that this is not
So because the law allows the city To take nos
session Of any desired land as soon as the nre-
hninary details have been carried out and the
man has been filed. The reservoir could he CON
strUcted while the condemnation Droceadtngs
are being carried out. Then IT, as they sav tba
opponents OF the Forest Park scheme intend 10
fight II with injunctions the reservoir could he
more speedily obtained by Getting other land