The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-06-18
STATE SUES FOR SS3O,NO
CLAIMS DANCES ron CUTTING
TIMER on ITS LANDS.
salts Against the santa clara Lumber
COMPANY for aasO,O OO and Against
q. y. OstraRder fer ssaO. Ooo state
ASKED TO Iluy Land % ALREADY Owned.


COMPANY for aA8O. OOO and Against
q. y. OstFandrr fer ssOO. Ooo state
ASKED 60 IinS Land u ALREADY Owned
ALBANY. June t7-Actions have beeu
l,eR,m by the state 10 rcoovsr penalties
aRgrnzatlnK Sa9O 90 for cutting timber
on lands owned by the State IN AdirOn-
dack Park The legal department y:
the State Forest. Fish aud Game Com
mission has l-gun two actions against the
Santa Clara Lumber COmpany In which
Ferris J. Neigs 81 New York is largely
Interested ami who looks after that
comrany's interests Que action against
/ this COMPANY u - recover san g0o. being
a penalty II SO tree Tor tnOOJ trees
cut by that company. Another action
IN against the same company Tor cutting
| o. 90 standard logs On state lauds and for
which the State asks damages Ia tbs sum
/ o. tsOOOO. The third action 10 brought
against George y Ostrhnder ur Albany
for having cut upward II 5000 standard
logs On State lands and in which the state
asks damages Of t2OO.OOO
The history connected with the bringing
u these actions is an interesting one and
the ownership Of the State TO the lands
has been revealed exclusively through
Efforts ot Speaker Wadzworth and Mr..
WhIppla rs members u the Forest
Purchasing Board.
About January. 1917. George NJ o.
trander offered to sell to the State abou,
4, on acres of land in the Adironasick
wilderness. and in his ofer was Included
what il known a. a gore of land in the
town IT NewcOmb. EsseH county. Os-
irand-r's offer Included great many
separate parcels 1T land After his offer
was made the land was inspected by the
employees oG the State. who reported
on the value thereof. included in which
was "A report uu the gore above referred
| 10
After the inspection Of the lands was
made negotiations were begun by the
Forest Purchasing Board. which th IN
consisted of SPEAKER Wadsworth, Comp
troller Glvun and Commissioner Mhipple
with Mr. Ostrander. which resulted IN the
State buying the land offered. hut sub
i.ct As usual 60 approval by the attorney
for the Forest Purchasing Board % the
title offered. After the price was agreed
uIon the attorney for the board began
an examination u the title 20 these lands.
aud his work continued up To the latter
mart IL the summer Of 1919, A. fast ~
a title was examined aud found 20 be good
the land was conveyed 60 and paid for
by the state
The attorney was unable 20 make title
tO the particular gore above mentioned
aud reported 20 the board that he could
find no deeds of this pioce Of property 10
Mr. Ostrander or any Of his associates.
and the question OF this title was then
taken up with the regular attorneys OF
the Forest. Fish and Game Commission
and an examination Of the Same hegun
10y them.
After completing their work the at
tOrneys reported In the Forest Purchasing
Board the result Of their investigation.
which he'd Speaker Wadsworth aud Com
mi.sioner Whipple 10 conclude that this
gore already belonged 10 the state as the
State had never parted with is title
/ thereto and they declined "a take a deed
/ of this property from Mr. Ostrander or
7 10 paw him therefor Since the Legs
I lature adjourned a conference was had
on this matter between speaker Wads-
worth and Commissioner Whipple which
resulted ia their directing the attorneys
Of the commission 20 Immediately begin
actions against the santa Clara Lumber
4 COMPANY aud Mr.. Ostrander 90 recover
/ for the timber cut and removed.
| Ia years past Il has leen the practice
II the Comptroller 90 make up let Of
| lands owned by the state hut the list 40
made has been confined 10 lands which
/ the State has purchased or which it has
acquired az tax sale. aud by reason Of
| this fact this particular gore 81 land
was not shown on the State land list.
and therefore Il was not known Ia this
State officials at the time the timber
/ wis heing cut that the land was the prop
erty Of the State.