Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-05-02

The 10th ward property was that up
on which the Elliott mansion stood.
1t is today all the blocks included
within the boundaries of Fourth aV-
enue, Tenth street, Fifth avenue and
Wayerly and Aston places-16 odd
acres. 1t was originally known as the
Mimic farm. Randall bought it in
1890 from Baron Charles Frederick
Hans Bruno Poeltnitz for 5000 York
pounds (s12, 5000 During the past
century five of the original 81 acres
have been condemned under the law
of eminent domain to permit of the
cutting through of Fifth avenue and
the other important thoroughfares
which tessellate the tract. The four
LIST ward lots, inherited by Randall
from his father, run northerly from 46
South street two blocks to Water
street
As his will says Randall gave these
lands for the purpose of maintaining
and supporting aged, decrepit, and
WORKOUT sailors as soon as they. my
said trustees. or majority OF them,
shall judge that the proceeds OF the
said estate Will support 80 of the said
sailors and upward. And | do hereby
direct that the income of the said
real and personal estate given as
aforesaid to my said charity trus-
tees shall forever hereafter be used
and applied for supporting the asylum
or marine hospital hereby directed to
be built, and for maintaining sailors
OF the above description therein in
such manner as the said trustees or a
ma jerity of them may from time to
time direct. And il is my intention
that the institution hereby directed
and created should be perpetual"
In that closing sentence Alexander
Hamilton banded Randans bequest
in iron; and in that word perpetual
locked it with steel. But, as If he
had doubt of the strength of his
work, he nominated as trustees men
who must survive if the government
lived He named the chancellor of
the state of New York, the mayor
and recorder of the city of New York,
the president of the chamber of COM
meree, the president and vice presi-
dent of the Marine society, and the
senior clergymen of the Episcopal and
Presbyterian churches of the city of
New York" The offices of chancellor
and recorder have been abolished. but
the mayoralty is not likely to pass.
Originally a board of eight, the trus-
tees have numbered only six for many
years. The clerical members have al
ways been the reetors of Trinity and
the old First Presbyterian church.
1t was not until February 8, 1906,
that the trustees were able TO incor-
porate the bequest as The Sailors
Snug Harbor,' a name which RAN
dalls viii directed should be that of
the mariners haven. In that year
the income from the entire estate
amounted to only s424S. 1t was in
sufficient to support 80 sailors and
upwards" So the trustees leased the
Mimic farm to a man manner Farau-
har for $3.50 a year. sum less than a
half of what an average square foot
sof the land is worth in this year of
grace, 1912
It was Randalls intention that
Snug Harbor should be built on a
part of the Mimic farm, but when the
time came to take this step New York
had already passed Tenth street on its
race to the northward. and the trus-
tees determined to find a site else
where and support it from the income
of the farm rentals. Something else
besides a financial policy directed this
step. The trustees feared that the
heart of the city would offer too many
temptations to Randall's sea dog
wards. According to naive record,
they felt constrained TO consider their
acts in the light of "the habits and
character of seamen."
In 1917 the trustees petitioned the
Legislature to permit them to accept
a gift of 10 acres of land on Staten
Island which Gov. Tompkins had of
fered as a site for the institution
This land was located near the pres
ent site of the Quarantine station on
the east shore. but the Legislature
falling to grant the necessary permits
sion until 1928 acceptance proved i'm
possible. Cow Tompkins had died in
the meantime and the offer he had
made lapsed with his death.
1t was in this period that the trus-
tees had been put to it to defend
Robert Richard Randalls trustees
against suits brought by a family
named Inglis The Inglises had fled
the United States during the Revolu-
ton. They claimed to inherit through
Gertrude Crook, mother of Mr.. RAN
DALI A great legal battle resulted in
a victory for the trustees. Daniel
Webster represented the contestants
and Thomas Adds Emmett, brother of
the Irish patriot, Robert Emmett, was
counsel for the trustees.
The year of 1880 found the trus-
tees at last in absolute control of the
Randall estate, and in May. 1881, they
bought for song the tract of 100
acres along the north shore of Staten
Island overlooking the Kill Won Kull,
on which Snug Harbor's beautiful
buildings stand today. Since that time
adjoining parcels of land have been
bought, so that the institution S
grounds at present comprise nearly
200 acres worth more than 100000,
and which are exempt from taxation.
From the beginning of Snug Harbor
until within the past two or three years
a policy of non-publfcity was pursued by
each succeeding board of trustees. These
men assumed that they were quite capa-
BILE of administering the affairs of Snug
Harbor and its salty inmates without
any outsiders advice. In all probability