Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-11-20
WATERSHED DEAL
AF|NAL STEP IN
CITY PROTECTION
Purchase of Old Browns Hotel
and Other Land lnsures a
Perfect Supply.
TEN-YEAR EFFORT TO
GET SITE WINS OUT
Watershed Covering $4,000
Acres in No. Jersey and Equip
ment Valued at $40, 900, 900.

Land totaltng Z,4OV acres anu
valued at $4,000 will be soon added
TO the Newark watershed, as a re-
4 suit of the action of the Board of
Works yesterday afternoon. The
purchase of the property was sane
n toned. an agreement having been
reached recently by representatives
& of the owners and representatives of
4 the city. BY the requirement Of the
land the city practically completes a
work that has been under way for
ten years or more and which will
assure the city watershed that will
be fortified against all sources of
{ pollution.
The transaction as ratified includes
4 four parcels of land. One of the
a parcels is the estate of the late
n Theodore Brown, at Newfoundland,
Morris county. 1t contains 800 acres,
4 including the famous Browns Hotel,
one of the best-known places In
North Jersey. The city will pay
$4,000 for the Brown property.
Tract of 1,1O0 Acres.
A : second section that will be
bought is the Andrew B. Cobb prop
erty, at Charlottesburg, Morris couii-
ty. 1t consists of 1,100 acres. The
price was $3.50 per acre, making the
total $24750.
The third tract is located in Sus-
sex county and forms part of the
Canistear reservoir watershed. It
covers 500 acres. 1t will be bought
from the F. S. Card estate. The
price is $4,000.
The fourth parcel Is that of Maude
B. Nelson, adjacent to the Card prop
erty. 1t was also bought in by the
city, the price being $4,500
There are few small tracts of land
left in the Newark watershed sec
ton that the city does not own, but
it is expected that an agreement with
the owners regarding their transfer
to Newark will be reached before
long.
It is estimated that the value of the
Newark watershed is $40, O,OO0, 900. The
total acreage is about $4,000, located
in Morris, Passaic and Sussex
counties, The valuation put on the
property includes the several large
reservoirs, as well as the forty-n,ile
pipe lines to Newark For the prop
srty the city has expended less than
half the present total estimated value.
The original price Of the first water
shed property, including pipe line, as
Company, was $6000,000.
Objection by Mr.. Gillen.
Commissioner Charles P. Gillen at
the meeting yesterday objected to
purchasing the Brown land and build
ings at S170, 600 Chief Engineer Nor
ris r. Sherrerd, however stated that
1t was the biggest bargain that the
city has acquired in many years.
The city for the last ten years has
been trying to get control of the
& Brown estate. At times $250.000 was
Z asked, and after compromises the
. figure was finally placed at 100000.
This was considered too high by the
commissioners.
At the present time the Brown es-
tate Is in litigation, and the city
seized the opportunity to purchase
the holdings at Newfoundland when
two of the heirs. Ethel Brown Nc
Davitt and Elizabeth Gene Brown,
decided to SELL
With the purchase of the Brown
property the city acquires a hotel
e building valued at 100000, a small
e village prayer meeting house and sew
eraI small houses. These will be
4 fazed as soon as the city takes title
Z to the property.
The city to secure the lands and
buildings at $4,000 nave agreed TO
pay $4,000 in order to unburden some
parts of the estate now in litigation
and to quicken the taking of the deed.
Browns Hotel is one of the Oldest
in the State. 1t has been famous be-
cause of its fine site among the nils
: of upper Morris County The build
ings are in splendid shape, but will
be razed Immediately. The hotel is
several stories high, and there are
two adjoining stores.
For many years the hotel has been
the regular resort of people who loved
the quiet of nature and wanted pure
mountain air. The hotel took its
name from John P. Brown, the owner.
who died many years ago, leaving the
property to his son. Theodore d.
Brown.
The father, who made the hotel
famous, had a primitive bar, which
was patronized by Morris. Sussex and
Passaic County farmers and by way
faring visitors. When Theodore came
into possession he abolished the bar
and 1t was never thereafter restored.
Theodore Brown is now dead and the
property belongs to his estate until
sold. There is no other hostelry in
Newfoundland, which contains only a
few houses, blacksmith shop and a
country store. all of which will be
demolished The hotel is a wooden
structure. 1t was much enlarged
from the ORIGINAL structure.
1t was said more than ten years
ago that Newark would be compelled
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