The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-03-18
DANCER AND HIGH COST OF BUILDING
 CAUSED ACTION
"HOIdup' on Purchase Price Also Indicated;
 Oil Tanks Are Threat
Especial to The Democrat)


 Providence, R. l., March IS - Definite and complete withdrawal from any deal involving the con- struction of a racetrack at East Boston to be known as "Suffolk Downs" was made by Walter E. O'Hara, president of the Narra- gansett Racing Association in U statement to the press released to- day. O'Hara, whose sensation sIc- cess in Rhode Island last year led him to branch out as an interested party in connection with proposed racing layouts cites three reasons why he is not interested in the East Boston property winding up with the charge that he was told he must buy the East Boston pros perty or he could not move in" anywhere else in Massachusetts. His signed statement is quite i interesting, and reads as follows: I have this day decided to with drew from any participation with the group that is seeking to build a horse race track at so-called Suffolk Downs in East Boston, and have so notified MT Charles F. Adams. spokesman for this board. I have made this final decision after the most careful scrutiny of all available data regarding the East Boston site, and after having gone into the matter most fully with my associates in the Eastern Racing Association. And I now feel that I owe some explanation to the racing public of New England for arriving at the decision l have made.
 Difficult Approach am nnnnSad in investing AnV money in erecting 8 horse racing track at East Boston for three diff ferent reasons. In the first place, the accessibility of the East Boston site exists only in theory. Race crowds are rush crowds. Engineers have reported to me that not morei than 450 to 600 cars per hour can safely travel through the Sumner Tunnel. On some of Narragansett s big days last year, there were as many as 14,000 automobiles in the park. If the same number of cars ever visited East Boston and 50 per cent of them were from Boston and points south and east, it would take from 10 to 12 hours, for the 1000 autos to pass through the tunnel. at Secondly, despite what statisti- clans may attempt to prove, the oil tank farms present a distinct fire hazard. Exploding tanks at Brain tre. Mass, and Tiverton. R. l.. a few years ago, prove such things are possible, and satisfies me that it would be little short of crim- inal to assemble great crowds in that vicinity.
 Thirdly, in my opinion, the pur- chase price placed on the East Boston land by the. present owners is grossly excessive. And doubly so,. | when it is considered the East Boston site would require the ex- penditure of at least a quarter of million additional dollars for pile | building and grading, money that would not need to be spent on a better and more level site.
 am not yet prepared to state
 whether I will be interested in ap- l plying for a permit to erect a track
 at a location other than East Bos- ton. I have been told by the people
 interested in disposing of the East
 Boston Site. or nowhere. It is hard for me to believe this to be fact. It it is true. I do not want to partici- | pate in any way with horse racins l in Massachusetts.
 WALTER F. O'HARA.