The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-28
OPRNf0 CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
ODD ADyERTYsEMENT PRECEDED
CONSUMPTION CAMP ROW.


Proposed site In Central valley says
Land was offered 70 the CITY After
Failure to Sell n 70 the Company.
TIE Sun heard yesterday . very inter-
esting story concerning the plan. Of Presi-
dent Lederie OF the Health Board to establish
q camp for oonsumptives at Central Valley,
which win be defeated II the Governor
signs the bill introduced In the interests
Of persons who say their property would
be injured. and providing that no such
camp should be located In any county
without the consent Of the SUPERVISOR.
According to William A. White, who II
president Of the hotel company, some
times known a. the Central Valley Club,
adjoining which the camp was to have bsen
located, the offer Of the land for the camp
was really an attempt on the part Of the
owner OF adjoining property to get even
with the hotel company for refusing to buy
some unimproved land. When the men
owning the hotel property refused to cell
their property TO him or to buy his prop
erty, according to Mr.. White. Mr.. Charles
8. Fowler, the owner Of this land, offered
1t to his friend, President Lederle. on terms
that practically gave II to the city for two
city to buy II at the end Of that time for
5000. DR.. Lederle was % favorably i'm
pressed with this offer that he at once took
steps to avail himself Of 1t and asked the
Board OF Estimate for SIS 900 with which to
establish the camp. 1t was then that those
interested in the property adjoining, with
other people Of Central Valley. bestirred
themselves TO defeat the plan.
The hotel company Is the Summit Hin
Hotel Company. and besides the hotel there
are several hundred acreo Of land on which
are some cottages, all belonging to the stock
concern. The property 10 now valued at
5000. Mr.. White. who IL q merchant At
$50 Water street, said yesterday that had
the camp been established there the COM
pany's property would not be worth over
$4,000 and that . lot Of money spent for
improvements last fall would have been
lost.
sSeveral years ago. said Mr.. White,
Mr.. Fowler paid 5000 for about seventy
acres OF land adjoining our property The
property is on rocky ridge and IL not par
ticularly desirable. The first thing he did
after getting this wa. 10 ns d
posed to sell him. Then last summer he
came to US with the proposition that We
should buy his property for $4,000. The
normal value Of land up there u about 80
an acre. 1t would have been bad bargain,
and besides we did not want the land and
.Then along in September an advertise
ment appeared In q newspaper here. II
probably didn't attract much attention
the property for sale and described 1t a.
being particularly suitable for . hospital
for contagious diseases. In spite OF this
We refused another offer Of the property.
because we had made up our minds pretty
firmly then that we would not be bulldosed
The next we heard was that Mr.. Fowler
had offered the property to President
Lederle for two years at a nominal rental,
giving the city an option on 1t at the end
Of that period for 5000
that the establishment Of the camp would
reduce the value OF our property SIS .Oo0
that II would drive out many people from
Central Valley and that the village people
were as much opposed to It as we were.
But that did no good. and With others Of the
Albany. Somethtne has been said about
Mr.. Harriman's interest In the matter.
M. Harriman's property Is further away
than ours. and while he may own some
he did anything about the matter. He
certainly did not work with US.
DR.. Lederle said yesterday that Mr..
Fowler was friend of his. but that he knew
Aoeolutely notnlng ABOUT any roAtons
Fowler might have had with the owners Of
the hotel property.
.There was no obligation on the city TO
buy this property said Dr. Lederle. and
we intended TO put UP no permanent struct-
ures until we found whether it was suitable
or not These people came to me and told
me something about this being . case OF
spite told them that II was the only
piece Of property that had been offered to
us, but that we were not welded to 1t.
knew that they had large holdings up there.
and told them that II they would make
me an offer I would consider 1t at once.
was near their property. I told them, could
not be considered by the city. At the
to any such thing as they allegc, and do
not know but that they may be mistaken