The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-12
Not Likely Government viii
Abandon Fort Jay.
City Owns Land on Which
Postoffice Stands.
is new YORK OVERBUILTi
Holland Says Danger of 1t Is
Seen Now.
New Dry Goods Shopping Dis
trict Is Considered.

New York, Feb. 12.-Meas-
ured by the prices which have
been received for parcels of real estate
in the lower part of New York city,
undoubtedly Governors island is worth
not far from five hundred million
dollars. That is an estimate reported
to have been made by Representative
Harvey Helm, chairman of the house
committee on expenditures for the
United States war department. Mr..
Helms view seems to be that it is the
height of financial folly for the gov
eminent TO maintain d military post
upon a piece of land which could be
sold for an amount sufficient to sup
port the army of the United States for
several years
The government may decide to
abandon Governors island, but it will
not be induced to do that through any
expectations of realizing upon the
money value of the island. Governors
island was originally owned by the
state of New York. 1t com prises about
$50 acres. From the point of view Of
commerce it is most advantage ously
situated. It lies at the confluence Of
the Hudson and the East rivers and
it could easily be made the basis OF
a cantilever or suspension bridge
whereby the lower part of Brooklyn
and the lower part of Manhattan is
land could be connected. It is one of
the most picturesque of the features
of New York harbOr and While it is
no longer very valuable as point
where New York city can be defended,
the recent defenses having been built
away from it, to the south and to the
east, nevertheless it has always been
regarded admirably situated for the
purpose of a governmental military
post. Should the government abandon
it, it would undoubtedly speedily ade-
velop commercially and become the
center of a large business and COM
mercial activity.
The state of New York originally
held title to Governors island and un-
derneath such title as the federal gov
eminent holds to the island there still
remain rights of the state which can
not be questioned. The advantage of
the island as a military post and-be-
fore the day of long range guns-as
a site for a fort were many years ago
so evident that the state of New Ork
entered into negotiations with the fed
era1 government whereby the state
yielded title to the government with
the reservation that the island was TO De
exclusively devoted to army and gov
ernmental purposes, and that If 1t were
ever abandoned by the government the
title reverts to New York state.
Therefore, according to the inter
probation of the lawyers who have
examined the title Deeds even were the
to offer Governors island
for sale no purchaser could be found,
since the government could not give
a clear title. The state of New York,
to which the property would revert IN
case the government abandoned the
post would be able to give a clear
title and would not have the slight
est difficulty in finding purchasers
for the property.
Undoubtedly when congress has
been informed respecting the title
which the government now possesses
to the property and the underlying
title which the state of New York
possesses, there will be no further at
tempt to give up Governors island.
at least from the point of view of
the money value which is in it.
Whether there would be advantages
from the military point of view in
abandoning Fort Jay on Governors
island is, of course, another ques-
ton. The secretary of war, Mr.
Stimson. apparently does not re-
gard Governors island as a suitable
reservation for troops, at least for
mobile troops, but he is strongly in
tiers as a site for a military prison.
The Government and the City.
The title of the government to the
land upon which the New York City
postoffice now stands is good only SO
long as the site is occupied by the gov
eminent for postoffice purposes. I'm
less the city of New York should yield
its underlying interest in the site the
government could not sell a foot of
the land upon which the postoffice
now stands. The city of New York,
in case the government abandons the
present pOstoffice site and builds a
1seW postoffice in the heart of the
proposed civic center, will tear down
the postoffice building and restore
the plot of ground IL the condition
Of open park land in which it was
maintained from the first days of the
city government q New YoriA until
INV isely, the city PEI mitted the fed
t.ral government g. iuild a postoffice
building upon the land The govern
ment, presumably, could have con-
demned the lower part of City Hall
park and, after negotiation or litiga-
ton, could have agreed to a price
with the city of New York which it
would have paid for the land. In
that case the property would have