New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-28
Mr.. WOODRUFF EXPLAINS
Letter Tells Commissioners Of
Adirondack Purchase.

Ai0ahF' Ang. Il, Commissioners Roger P.
tisrK and Il. Leroy Austin. who are con-
duc''nE an investigation into the states
Adirondack land purchases by direction OF
Governor Hughes to-day received a letter
from Timothy L. Woodruff chairman OF
he Republican State Committee, explain
ing now he secured tide 20 Ramp Kill
rare. n The Adirondacize. when ne was
president OF The Forest Preserve Board, in
1884,. The letter says:
Gentlemen: The New York papers quite
Seaera s say that your commission has
oteh securing information as 20 how I Sc
Sered ttIe 10 my property in the Adiron
Gacks. known as Kamp XII kare The
sta.ehents assert that | purchased for my
self $50 acres for S120 and that the state
acquired all the surrounding land at a cost
Mnlch the state got for this si61 .0e may
Hnpiy almost any relation between what l
PAD and what the state paid per acre.
Inc facts are. as the records which you
nave been examining viii show, that this
purchase made by me for the state amount
co TO about 5000 acres, which was Sc per
acre. allowing nothing for the great value
OF several miles OF the shore front OF
KacGuette Lake. paid SO per acre for my
property. and. therefore, twice a much per
sic value
~ But r the "a, all-important point is that Nj,
W. W DUraEt, from whom I purchased,
would not consider any price whatever
from the state, as the lake would become
therehy public property and iniure the
|aiQe OF two adjacent preserves. on which
he had erected very costly buildings. I only
occurred il when Nj Durant publicly of
purchaser
I paid for my preserve The highest price
lhat mad known I'D 10 that time TO have
been paid for unimproved wild Adirondack
lands. The property was twenty-seven
miles from the nearest railroad station and
could only De reached by boats and trails
hasaf h11il- to 7
bought il largely for the purpose of fur
nlshlng me a base of operations for the
~lich was for five and one-half years
after its purchase the president The fact
that man who desired to acquire a half
interest in this property with me refused TO
Go so al the price which | paid. insisting
tnat Il was not worth more than half The
money. together with the facts have stated
concerning the relative prices paid by me
and by the state should satisfy YOU and
any one else with regard to its value at the
time ! purchased it.
A year or two subsequent 70 nv mr.
chase | bought for the state a tract stretch
ing from the Soutberly boundary of my
property a distance of nearly five miles and
embracing through its entire length the out
let OF my lake for 81 - per acre for which
| would have willingly paid much more to
chased 1t for myself without violating the
ohfgatlon / was under 10 acquire al the
desirahle property ! could for the state.
The newspapers say you have decided TO
hold no public hearing in connection with
this matter. but viii simply make state
ment concerning il IN your report to Gov
ernor Hughes You will, of course agree
with me that the above mentioned facts
should he embodied in your report 10 the
Governor.
beg 10 remain. yours, very respectfulIy
TIMOTHY L. WOODRUFF
The commissioners, in making public the
letter said:
The real facts concerning Mr.. Wood
run s purchase as shown ny the records
viii be covered in our report TO Governor
Hughes,