Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-06-26
Eagles Mere, Past, Present
and Prospective.
A Beautiful Resort Menaced by an Usly
Front Door. Natures Grandeur Fast
Disappearing in Various Localities
Where Commercial Interests CenterS.

Where Commercial Interests CcnterS.
To the city resident who lives shut
i'm between brick and stone walls for
eleven months in the year, who
tramps over pavements or rides in
the crowded trolley cars to and from
an Office or store where sunlight and
fresh air are scarce Eagles Mere pre-
sents ideal conditions. The needs
and desires of these urbane visitors
should be the prime factor in muni-
cipal and individual action. With
out such IA philosophy it does not re-
uuire great stretch of Imagination
to conceive of empty hotels and va
cant streets as has come to pass IN
many places in the White Noun
tains and other summer resorts. 1t
will not do to depend.on natural con-
ditions only, nor do the summer
visitors prefer to come from one
town simply to another.
A distinguished writer has said
that "water is to the landscape what
the ewes are to the face" and in the
move to obliterate the Lilley Pond
is pretty good illustration of that
fact. While it is all right to get rid
of its Objectionable features its entire
destruction is an objectionable sin.
1t is fortunate that circumstances
have halted the vandalism for this
one season, at least, while it leaves
an extremely ugly front door for the
time being.
More than fifteen years ago in re-
sponse to oft repeated queries as to
why it was impossible to sustain any
large numbers of fish in the Lake,
the writer secured the services of a
fish expert who spent considerable
time here Investigating conditions
us they existed then. The conclu-
sion was that the waters of the Lake
proper were absolutely so pure that
they furnished no sustenance for
fish life. If placed in the water they
would simply feed on each other.
In addition to this the rocky shores
of the Lake, while one of its strik-
ing elements of beauty, supplied no
attractive spawning place. At that
time the outlet of the Lake was ar
ranged as it is now and the space
below it was, just as it is now, Il
marsh. Our expert advised the con-
strlction of Il dam that would flood
this space and promised us that the
fish would thrive. After events
proved the correctness of his theory
and the thousands of fish that have
been taken since have been incontro-
vertible arguments for the cOntinu-
ance of the conditions he advised.
Albeit the best use has not been
made of the resulting advantages as
the fish We're simply harvested by
our residents instead of being pre-
served for the qualification Of the
people whose coming makes Eagles
Mere.
II any demonstration We're needed
to prove the correctness of this hy-
pothesis the fish themselves have
furnished it in the most striking
fashion. Accustomed to going down
there to spawn they have remem-
brred how they went and have act
ually forced their way through the
little outlet and over the obstacles
only to be caught in the ditch be-
low. We heard one young man say
that he had taken twenty-seven one
morning and another fifteen. We
thought it must be ''fish story"
but corroboratiCn was furnished.
The admirable program of the
'tldutduJud SteIilS 10 De waste OI
effort in its Biological study when
such marked errors are committed
as these in the destruction of animal
and vegetable life. The Land Com
pany, the Borough Council and the
Borough Engineer should stop and
think that it is an easy matter to
50 utterly destroy the attractions of
t re place as to do away with any
need fort "a Land Company, Boat
Company, a Borough Council or a
Borough engineer.
1t is the outdoor life of Eagles
Mere that constitutes its great at
traction. Our admirable hotels are
quite complete in providing for the
comfort of the people but hotels even
superior to ours can be found in
many places. 1t is nature condi-
tions that the other localities need