Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-20

to build an aqueduct and to issue bonds
sufficient to pay the expense.
Since that date Kingston has been the
scene of unprecedented activity, and
every available building and Office room
has been occupied by the board of Wa
ter supply and its staff of assistants. APP
praisers have followed the engineers from
house to house through the valley that Is
destined to be the bottom Of a little lake
negotiating for the purchase of land and
the payment of indemnity for houses,
stores. churches. schoolhouses, barns,
stables, quarries. factories, gardens
farms and orchards. for everything OF
value within the area OF the proposed
lake has to be bought and paid for at a
price fixed by a board Of appraisers and
approved by the courts.
There have been ten different commits
sions at work since 1907. and they have
nearly completed Their tasks. They tell
me 1t has been the most rapid. success
full and harmonious proceeding of the
kind that has ever been undertaken, and
that the largest part of the property IN
volved has been purchased by direct ne
COLLATION. between the representative of
the water supply board and the owners
without appeal to arbitratorS or to the
court, In the remaining cases the ap-
praisers submitted their estimates to the
commissions, the owners brought in eX-
pert witnesses to sustain their judgment
as to the value of the property, and the
commissions fixed the amount of dam
ages If the owner is dissatisfied he has
an appeal to the courts, lbut there have
been very few appeals.
The Ulster and Delaware railroad is the
heaviest sufferer, and will have to remove
sixteen miles of track to a new route.
Towns to Be Obliterated.
Seven towns will be entirely obliterated,
as follows:
West Hurley, o64 population.
Olive Branch, 150 population.
Olive City. $50 population.
Shokan, 446 population.
Glenford, 642 population.
Broadhead Bridge. 80 population.
BOicev.lle. 100 population.
In addition to these villages there are
about 1000 farms, varying from 20 to $50
acres. with residences. Outbuildings, or
chards. hen houses and every other fea-
ture of a well ordered farm. all of which
have to be paid for.
Nearly all Of the farmers are accus-
toned to take summer boarders and be-
tween the first of June and the first of
October 1t is estimated that the popula-
ton Of that part of the valley affected
by the water works is increased from a
normal 10000 to 100000 There are ten
churches to be paid for. forty school
houses and twenty cemeteries. from which
the bodies must be removed at the ex-
pense of New York at an average cost of
So each. There are several gristmils.
dustries with small capital numerous
stone quarries, hundreds of mercantile es-
Establishments and telephone and telegraph
lines.
This is the land of Rip Van Wrinkle
The villages to be destroyed were set
tied in the latter part of the seventeenth
and the early part of the eighteenth
centuries by English immigrants. A ma
jority Of the farms are still owned by
the descendants of the original settlers,
and land mis- Sinnora mo a
they have been surprised at the number
of original Indian deeds that were turned
in. The settlers first engaged in lum-
bering and tanning. and when the tim
Der was cut away they opened quarrieS
Of blue f1agstone. which Is now shipped
from Kingston to New York city and
other points in enormous quantities. The
sidewalks of many Of the cities came
from this valley, and there are massive
beds of a magnetism limestone from
| which Portland cement is made. At least
5000 men are employed in blasting out,
| crushing and grinding 1t into powder.
and not less than 100000 barrels are
| Sh pped annually from Kingston to all
parts of the country. where 1t is required
for all masonry exposed to water and
| Is the principal constituent Of concrete.
Source Of the Supply.
| There is a rivulet every few hundred
yards. fed by cold springs and hundreds
Of little lakes. and the grass being so
luxuriant and nutritious, has made it a
profitable locality for raising beef cattle
and running dairies. Vast quantities of
milk. cream, butter and eggs are shipped
from here to New York.
/ In the seventies. when the Ulster rail-
way had made the locality accessible,
summer boarders began to come in. the
farmers enlarged their houses to enter
tain them. and the valley has been an
ideal place for people of limited means
and large families to enjoy three or four
months of genuine country life
/ This is the scene of Cooper's Leather
Stocking Tales The valley is full of
romance. The Indians called the little
lakes TREASURES of Cloud Tears and
almost every Hill and valley, lake and
stream has its legend.
| The people are abandoning their homes
with great reluctance. but are being well
| paid and most Of them are satisfied. The
average payment has been $3,O0O. and
the entire amount discussed for the land
required for the reservoir will be nearly
thirty millions of dollars. The owners
are getting their cash now. The pay
master is here at Kingston. and a con-