The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-04
FRONTIER CAMPS
IN THE CATSK|LLS
Wild Temporary Towns That
Have Sprung Up
NEW ". /. NEW YORK CITY
rs ,ia- - A.e
Are Within Only Few Hours Of the
Metropois-As Tough in Their
Way as the Famous Black
Hills.

From the Boston Herald.
New York-Did you ever. after read
ing Bret Harte's California stories or
Alfred Henry Lewis "Wolfville" sketches,
wish you could see for yourself the wild
and lawless life of frontier mining
camp such as they describe, and then
reflect, regretfully, that that life has
passed away forever? Well, 1t hasn't.
All the conditions they tell of are
to be found right here in the state of
New York and only three or four hours
ride from this city.
A frontier mining camp as wild as any
of Bret Harte's; and ii is run by the city
of New York.
A great deal has been published about
the work on the new water supply sys-
tenn which is being created for this town
in the Catskill mountains, but not very
much has been said about the life of the
men who are making it. The fact is
the great enterprise begun by the McC1el-
Ian administration there are large camps
Of workmen which are virtually towns in
themselves.
The men live here with their families
such of them as have familes-and are
likely to do so for a number of years to
come, since the life of the work Is es-
timated at not less than seven years from
the present time, and may reach much
higher point. Individual contracts may
be completed and result In the aboll-
ton of one camp or another, but the
men will simply move on.
Along the Catskills and the Croton wa
tershed there sprung up, annexed to lit
tie villages, mushroom towns of work
men, small cities of an entirely differ
ent spirit from that which animated the
sleepy places which they adjoined. The
population of these camps rises and falls
according to the work; sometimes 1t
reaches 1000 and sometimes. as now,
slumps down to 1000. BY 1911 1t Is ex-
pected that there will be 10000 men liv-
ing in these temporary towns.
Greed For Gold to Blame.
1t should be understood at the outset
that, despite tho fact that this work
is being undertaken under the direc-
ton of the city of New York, the city
government is in no way responsible for
any of the conditions which will be de-
scribed. The greed for gold of our pious
up-country neishbors Is to blame.
The city undertook to insure decent
conditions by inserting in It's contracts
clause that liquor should not be sold
in the camps. so far as it has been
able to do SO the city has enforced that
provision. Some of the contractors have
shown a commendable zeal in co-operat-
ing with the city, and one has gone
so far as to hire detectives to raid the
disorderly houses and tough bar-rooms
that have sprung up in the neishborhood
of his camp.
But Dea. Uriah Heep the pillar OF
the church up state-he who is SO full
% horror over the wickedness Of Man
haitian, and whose moral support en-
courages Senator Shadband and Assem-
blyman Peckniff to deny New York home
rule, especially In excise matters, because
we need to be governed by better mon
for our own good--he has nullified all the
citys efforts. In the toughest of these
camps, for instance, the city owns only
an inflnitesimal part of the ground. The
disorderly places In 1t are within the
Jurisdiction of an Ulster county town,
and when the township IL asked to CO.
operate with the city in wiping out the
tough 'jolnts" its reply is given in the
words of it's treasurer:
s'Why. we never had so much money
in the treasury; we're $500 ahead
And 80 in summer, when the largest
number Of men are employed, there are
sometimes as high as two shootings a
week. And so, even In the slack winter
season. the police go about "frisking'
dangerous citizens and filling their head
quarters with ccnfscated Colts. And