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THE EAST HAMPTON STAR, FRIDAY. APRIL 23, 1926 NINE t h e REALTY DEVELOPM E N T S IN THE HAMPTONS SHINE FIRST IN TH E COLUMNS OF THE STAR MONTAUK SECTION THE MONTAUK SECTION IS T H E LOGICAL PLACE * FOR EASTERN L. L REALTY ADVERTISING X s !*W“X “X~X~X“X\!~X“X \X “X “X “X\X\:\X“X “X “X~:“! K S ^ S S S S S S S S ' SUFFOLK ASSOCIATION APPROVES PARKS; OBJECTS TO MONTAUK Disapproves of Proposed P arks at Smithtown and Mon tauk as Injurious to Towns and T axable Property; Also O bjects to Mysterious “Southern Parkway.” The Suffolk C ounty T ax payers’ As sociation, in a letter to the officials I of Suffolk County, make public t h e ' proposed p rogram for p arks on Long Island recommended by the Long Is-1 land State Park Commission and re cently approved by Governor Smith and the Chairmen of the Legislative Finance Committee. I t approves of the proposed p arks a t Sunken Mead ow, Smithtown, and M ontauk Point as injurious to the towns and the owners of taxable property therein. It o bjects strenuously to the m y ster ious “ S o uthern Parkw ay ,” the route of which it claims has b een laid o u t privately and rights of w ay acquired by provisions o f the Highway Law. The association contends that the State Park Commission, with a total appropriation of $1,200,000, h as a t tem p ted to acquire l a n d 'f o r parks w o rth many million d ollars and they subm it a memorandum showing th& allocation for funds on L ong Island, as reported by the Long Island S ta te Park Commission to the S ta te Comp troller in 1924 and 1926. In 1924, with an appropriation of $200,000, this commission attem pted to acquire, by methods most unusual state parks a t M ontauk Point (East H a m p to n ), Deer Range (Islip), and Lloyd’s Neck (H u n tington). The owners of the land in Islip and East Hampton have b oth asked the c ou rts to protect their property from im m ediate confiscation and indefinite paym ents. Both cases are illustra tions o f the wastefulness of h asty ac tion. In n e ither case *was th e commis sion willing to w a it for the consent of the owners and the approval of the m u n icipality affected, but it plunged into excited action with the result that it h as secured expensive law su its for the State instead of parks. N On F e b ru a ry 24, 1926, it received from the Legislature an added ap propriation of $1,000,000 fo r the development of s ta te p arks on Long Tsland. Instead of applying all its funds to a unified program which could be completed ami made im m ediately available to tne public, it has obligated $725,000 to five new projects and $200,000 for the de velopment o f the p ro je c ts n o t y e t a c quired under the 1924 appropria tion, and the new ones proposed under the 1926. I t h as failed e n tire ly to show how, with $149,550 set aside from the 1924 appropriation, it expects to acquire the Benson property a t M ontauk, valued by the owners at $1,650,000, or w ith no funds allocated for the Taylor pro p e rty a t Islip, it w ill p ay the owners’ claim for that property of several million dollars. We do not believe that this commission can hope to g ain the confidence of the citizens o f Suffolk County by such methods so much at variance with the pro visions o f the State Finance Law. Two of the proposed 1926 pro jects, the first a park upon the Mitchell property at W ading River, and the second a p a rk on the form e r August Belmont property at Baby lon, have the tacit approval of the county. Both of these sites a re sit u ated in the wooded section of the county. There are few valuable homes in the v icinity to be damaged by the establishment of a p a rk and the adjoining land is of such value that it would be really benefited by the establishm en t of a park in the neighborhood. The second project, described as “four hundred acres near Fort Salonga,” the exact location o f which has not yet been determ in ed has been authorized in spite of a formal protest from the local officials. To our knowledge, the purchase has n o t a s y et been completed n o r the details made public. Therefore, the dangers of the proceeding a re not fully a p preciated by the community. Speak ing generally for the taxpayers of the town of Smithtown, it w ould a p p ea r that that town has already so many state and charitable institu tions that approxim ately fifty per c e n t of its total assessed value of $11,000,000 is now exempt from tax ation. The tax rate is high and the exemption from taxation of a n o th er quarter q f a million d ollars w o rth of land f o r this state p ark, w ill further increase the tax burden on all the privately owned property in the town. If the site finally selected under this authorization is situated in o r n e a r a residential center, it is probable that those residences will be d eserted b y their p re se n t owners, the land depreciated and the total assessed value of the town suffer a further shrinkage in value. Project No. 5, to purchasd addi tional land a t M ontauk, will p ro bab ly b^ opposed by the ownei’s of that land because they cannot afford to have their p ro gram f o r the develop m e n t of home sites jeopardized by a p ark, the declared p urpose o f which is to lease camp site? at nominal rates. The third project, authorizing the Long Island State Park Commission to p u rchase rights of way for a so- called \Southern State Parkw ay ” is House Burned Before It Was Completed Early last F riday evening the mod ern two-story house which Burtis B. Bailey was having erected at Pe- conic. was totally d estroyed b y fire. The house, which was n ea rly ready for occupancy, was located on the N o rth road on what was form erly the R. F itz p ro perty. The house was located on the e x a c t side of the old Fitz homestead, which was also de stroyed by fire a b o u t four y ears ago. So quickly did the flames spread that it was impossible to save the build ing and a num b er of workmen en gaged in the construction of the house lost v aluable k its of tools. MAY APPOINT CONSTABLE A bill signed by Governor Smith within the past week provides that the supervisors and any two justices o f the peace of a town may appoint as many special constables as may be deemed necessary, and the Town Board has the a u th o rity to fix their compensation. This measure, which was introduced in the Legislature a t the request o f the Lions Club of Riv- erhead, is state-wide in its applica tion. I ts passage makes it unneces sary to create a police district in Riverhead village, as a sufficient num ber of special officers may be ap pointed to p atrol the streets. A t the present time and for many y ea rs the business men of R iverhead have paid the wages of the two night watch men in the village, the money being raised by v o lu n tary subscription. The watchmen hav^ b een receiving about twelve to fifteen dollars per week. RUSH COMPLETION OF FERRY The sixty-foot b o at which is being built at the Eastern Shipyard for use on the South Ferry, is rapidly nearing completion. The cabins and other interior work is being rushed and the four-cylinder four-cycle Hulse Brothers’ m o to r is n ea rly in stalled. Am ericans are seeking to lease Alberta lakes, for the purpose of raising mink and m u sk rats. THE AMAGANSETT-SAG HARBOR \LIMITED\ M0NTAUK $11,000,000 FOR ATHLETIC MEET IMPROVEMENTS part of a program of this commis sion to lay out highways through Nassau and Suffolk counties in private office in New York City, and thereafter to n eg otiate and p urchase rights of way for such highways by (private, arrangem e n ts. Such a pro cedure in the development o f a high way is a menace to local govern ment. It offers a m eans o f c o rrupt ing public officials, citizens and real estate- operators along these routes through the two counties and should be d iscouraged at its inception. We ask the citizens of Nassau and Suf folk counties to help us watch the real estate transactions along the route of this so-called “Southern State .Parkw ay ,” the exact location of which is now a m y stery known It doesn’t take an “ oldest re sident” to recognize this picture. Many of us who consider ourselves still young folks remember being p u t into J e rry Baker's care, as tiny tots, for a trip to the dentist a t Sag Harbor, o r a visit to relatives in Amagansett. Jerry. Baker’s stage ran for forty years b etween Springs, Amagansett, East Hampton and Sag Harbor. He began carrying the stage route in 1860; and drove u n til two y ears be fore he died in 1903. George Baker, his son, helped him during the last five y ears, when his h ealth began to fail. The year the mail came through, 1895, everybody thouirht the stage would stop. But Mr. Baker w en t on carrying freight and passengers as long as his h ealth would allow. An interesting thing, something that would hardly be possible now adays, in the rush and bu:tle of modern life, is the fact that through i all those forty years Jerry Baker kept a diary-* E v ery night when he came home he wrote down in a book like a ship’s log, the news of the day; passengers of noto that he had c a r ried, and news items; years later,' whenever the fam ily w an ted to know exactly when a big storm occurred, or when a certain person came to town, they could look in the diary j and there it would be. This book is still carefully preserved by his son. I The Brooklyn Eagle for June 29, 1895, h as an a rticle that will b rine i bacH many memories for older folk h ere. I t is quoted below: “ F o r n early forty y ears, u n til last M onday, Jerry .Baker, the veteran stage d river, has^&rtven the old ijiail coach that carried the mail \back and forth between Springs, Am ag ansett and S ag Harbor. Rain o r sliine, win ter or summer, he has seldom mis sed a trip. The fam iliar picture of the pld, square top, two horse stage, with its lead of trunks and merchan- Conducted by Montauk L. I. R. R. Co. Plans Big Beach Athletic Club Improvement Program SILVER CUP AND RIBBON PRIZE ELIMINATE GRADE CROSSING Events Open to All High Schooli W ithin Fifty-Mile Radius of Montauk Plan to Double Track to Point Eai cf P atchogue and Build Stor age Yard and Terminal di$e, . express parcels and bundles, newspapers and wayfaring traveler!, piloted by its always genial and cheery driver, is one that the most enthusiastic railroad advocate will be sorry to miss from along the vil lage streets. F o rtunately, in spite of railway postal cars and cannon ball expresses, Jerry will continue' his daily trips; still carrying the local mail between Am ag ansett and Springs. Mr. Baker’s s ta r route con tract between these two points is in force, and though since last Mon day all mails west cf Amagansett and S ag H a rb o r have been dispatched on railway mail cars and sorted in transit, Baker’s stage still runs as usual between Springs, Amagansett! East Hampton and Sag Harbor, b u t has discontinued mail service except between Am ag ansett and Springs. “Under the old system, mails com ing from M ontauk, Promised Land and S prings by wagon, left the office in Am ag an sett village at 9 o’clock in the m orning and departed from the East Hampton post office a t 10 a. m. A r^ v in g a t S ag H a rb o r a fter 11, th-3 m ail sacks were forw arded to Brooklyn and New York on the 2 o’clock t'rain. On the return trip the mail reaching Sag H a rb o r from the city, a t noon, was delivered a t East Hampton between 3:30 and 4 p. m. and at the other villages along the ro u te above indicated, a n h o u r o r so later. ‘T h e fam iliar bugle call, echoing through the a rching elms a lo n g .E a st Hampton’s a n cient street, has long been a welcome warning of the com ing o f -the evening mail. The arrival o f Jerry’s stage a t lonely fartn houses along the highway has been the event that has b rightened many a gloomy w in te r day. Not only has J e rry's states c arried the letters, b u t the light freight and express p arcels a.; 'weil. and for two g en erations it has b o n e the travelers to and fro The Montauk Beach Athletic Club will hold a track and field m eet, which will be open to all high schools w ith in fifty miles of M ontauk Beach, on Saturday afternoon, May 8. A 200- j vard track is now beimr laid o u t n ea r the old Army camp site and by the time of the meet, it will be one of | the best running tracks in eastern Long Island. The club has offered a silver trophy to the school scoring the largest num b er of points nnd the winners of the first three places in. each event will receive ribbons. The Athletic Committee, which is in charge of the meet, is made up of a group of men who have had a great deal of experience in staging athletic events, and they a re p utting forth every effort to make this first athletic affair to be held by the club a real a ttraction. Jam es H. Combes, who for the p ast few y ears has been associated with the 106th Field Ar tillery Athletic Association, is the chairman of the committee. It is expected that this event will attract a large n umber of visitors to M ontauk and the Club is arranging to handle a crowd. T h ere will be a very large area set aside for parking space. through the n eighboring villages and ham lets o f old East Hampton town. Not an inconsiderable part of his business has been that of general purchasing agent at the , village stores, and no m a tter w h at was wanted, from a new ax handle to an Easter b on net. J e rry was sure to be intrusted with the errand, and he seldom failed to b ring just the right article. T hrough the d ustiest days in summer, through the h eaviest snows I of w inter, he has rarely missed a trip. | Even during the great blizzard of 1888, when the snow drifts were piled six or eight feet before the E a s t Hampton post office, the mail I sacks were delivered as usual. Mr. . B aker’s handsome house is centrally j located a t a b eautiful spot on Aina- j g an se tt’s broad street and so far from regretting the advertt of the lo- I comotive, he and his neighbors were ’ among the liberal contributors to the fund raised to p urchase and p resent to Mr. Corbin the right of way . through East Hampton town for his ! railroad to M ontauk.” Long Island Railroad improve m ents included in the company’s b ud g et for 1926, reach a total outlay of approxim ately $11,000,000. Among th e m ajor p ro je c ts u n d er way o r to be started soon, a re the following: Work has been commenced on the extension of the electrified system from Floral P a rk to Mineola, on the main line, and from Mineola to Val ley S tream on the New Y ork B ay Ex tension, or 'vest Hempstead Branch. The estimated cost o f this p ro ject is about $900,000. W eather p ermitting, the newly electrified line should be completed in time for the inaugura tion of electric train service, when the w in ter schedule goes into effect in October. This involves installation of approximately fourteen miles of 150-pound third rail, and changes in the existing track. Preparations are being made to double track the Long Beach Branch from East Rockaway to W reck Lead. I t is estimated this will cost about $340,000. Plans are also * in the course of preparation for the installation of a second track on the M ontauk Divis ion, from Sayville to a point east of Patchogue, in addition to the con struction of a storage yard and an engine term inal. It is estimated this work will cost more than $500,000. Six thousand seven hundred tons of 100-pound rail have been ordered, and will be used to replace lighter rail and to provide additional run ning tracks and sidings. Tie plates a nd anti-creepers also ordered, will bring the cost of this m aterial up to a b o u t $650,000. New ties to the n umber of 155,000 have been ordered, and will replace worn-out ties and also he used for double-tracking on the M ontauk and Long Bench Divisions. Stone ballast will replace cinders on a b o u t twelve miles of main line roadbed, and on fifteen miles of road bed- on the Bay Ridge Division. • I t is proposed to erect two new passertfeer stations this y ear, one N o rthport and the other at West Hempstead. The grade crossing a t Broadway, Elm hurst, is scheduled to be elimin ated. This work is estimated to cost a b o u t $450,000, one-half to be borne by the Railroad Company,- one-quur*- ■ ter bv the State and o ne-quarter by the City o f Now York. The best advertising medium for Eastern Long Island— The S tar. (Continued on page thirteen) D e s i r a b l e O c e a n , H a r b o r a n d B a y F r o n t a g e S U M M E R C O T T A G E S There is steady demand for all classes of property in this section of Long Island. 8 We would like to hate your property listed with us. EAST H A M PTON, LONG ISLAND J. EDWARD GAY, Jr. TELEPHONE EA^T HAMPTON 41
