145 



Q. It is marked on the map as such, isn't it ? 



A. Tes; I should judge it was. 



Q. The commission have put forward this map as a correct repre- 

 sentation of the country ? 



A. As correct as anything we have got for the present. 



Q. You put it forward to the world as containing a large amount of 

 heavy timbered lands north of this blue line; that is so, isn't it ? 



A. Tes, sir. 



Q. Now what reason can you give to this committee for omitting 

 so large an amount of primeval forest in this proposed tract ? 



A. My reasons I will have to state at some little length. 



Q. Explain it? 



A. When we started on this investigation of this park matter under 

 the resolution of the Legislature — ( 



Chairman Etak. — (Interrupting.) A year ago? 



The Witness. — Tes; we tacitly agreed among ourselves that each 

 individual should question and talk with people in his vicinity and 

 throughout the State as to the size of the park, which, I think we faith- 

 fully carried out. One of the commissioners found that the people whom 

 he saw wanted a very large park, something over 3,000,000 acres; 

 I, on the other hand, gathered the impression from the rural districts 

 and from the people who are acquainted up there, that a much smaller 

 park would be sufficient. When we came to compare notes with regard 

 to the size of the park there was quite a strong diversity of opinion 

 as to the size of the park, and when we came to finally agree upon 

 this matter, we found that we could agree upon the park as laid out 

 in this blue line. One of the commissioners who wanted more and 

 one of the commissioners who wanted less, found that they could 

 agree upon the plan of the third commissioner of this, and it was 

 agreed, as by our minutes, that this park should take in about 

 2,000,000 acres. In order to do that, as the main object and the first 

 object for the park was the preservation of the water-shed of the 

 Hudson river, and as one of the commissioners by conference with 

 members of the Legislature found that they were very anxious to 

 have the park on the southeast, come down so as to take, in the 

 Sacandaga, and as almost there was a unanimity of opinion that 

 Mount Marcy should be taken in on the east and in order to take in 

 all of the watersheds of all of the rivers of the park we practically 

 agreed upon this here as taking the almost entire watershed of the 

 Hudson, actually taking in the headquarters of all of the streams 

 going out of Adirondacks, and in order to confine ourselves to two or 

 two million and a quarter acres — - two million two hundred and fifty 

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