Railroad Track Torn Up

New York, 1895

A Land Company Steals a March on Benjamin E. Valentine.

An abandoned stretch of track, running from the main tracks of the Long Island railroad at Woodsburgh to the old race track of the Cedarhurst steeplechasing and racing association, was torn up Friday night by a gang of fifty Italians from New York. The work was done under the direction of the Hewlett's Land and Improvement company, who by this means seek to prevent the Long Island railroad from continuing in possession of the land over which the track was built.

According to the improvement company, when the land was deeded to the Cedarhurst company on which to build the track a stipulation was made that, should the track at any time be abandoned, the land should revert to its original owners. When the Cedarhurst racing association gave up its grounds the track fell into disuse, and became overgrown with weeds and brush. It was practically abandoned save during the hunt, when a small horse car was run between the station and the Rockaway club's house for the accommodation of the members. Even the switch connecting the branch with the main track had been taken out.

About a week ago, however, Lawyer Benjamin E. Valentine, who is erecting a villa beyond the Rockaway hunt club's house, induced the railroad company to replace the switch, with the intention of using the side track to ship material to where he was building. No opposition was made to the replacing of the switch, but before the railroad has been able to run a train over the track the improvement company has torn it from its bed, and a fence now obstructs free passage over the old roadbed.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, Feb. 1, 1895, p. 12.

Our Land Reserve Fund

1916

Augusta, Me., Sept. 23 — One of the purposes for which the Maine legislature is called in special session next Friday is to make provision for using the state land reserve fund.

From 1836 to 1839, no state tax was levied in Maine because the income from public lands was sufficient to meet all demands. Maine owes the Land Reserve fund about $450,000 various sums of annual interest at 6 per cent since 1848. This debt is theoretical, since there is none to whom it may be paid.

This fund dates back to 1788 when Maine was a part of Massachusetts. To encourage settlement in Maine, the Massachusetts legislature provided that in setting off townships there should be reserved for public uses four lots of 320 acres each. One was to become automatically the property of the first settled minister, another was for the support of the ministry, another for the support of common schools and the fourth was the "State lot," to be disposed of as the state might choose.

All townships surveyed prior to 1832 contained originally 1280 acres of reserved lands, but by an act of that year it was provided that 960 acres should be reserved for the benefit of schools, the other 320 acres to be set aside as the state lot. Thus it happens that the reserved lots are of different acreages, some of 960 and others of 1000.

In 1848 the state treasurer was authorized by the legislature to keep an account of all money received from the reserved lands and to place it in the treasury, each sum received to be credited to the township which contained the reserved lands yielding the amount. Since 1848 each township has been credited with the net receipts from the sale of timber and grass from its reserved lands.

When a township is organized as a plantation for school purposes the state must pay over to it annually 6 per cent on the trust fund credited to it. When a township is incorporated as a town the funds accrued and the lands themselves become automatically the property of the town, and the title to the reserved lands vests in the town; but the funds turned over and any money received from the sale of timber or land must still be reserved for the schools of the town.

The principal of the fund now amounts to $446,871.17. State treasurer Newbert and chief clerk Warren D. Trask have for a long time been figuring the interest to be credited this fund on the various sums since 1848, and it has been a gigantic task. The total interest is now given out as $413,977.05.

Gov. Curtis is of the opinion that some of this fund should be used, but he wishes to make the using of it legal. The interest on the reserved land fund is approximately $26,000 per year, which appears to the credit of the various counties as follows: Aroostook, $8412; Franklin, $3229; Hancock, $421; Oxford, $2139; Penobscot, $1925; Piscataquis, $2893; Somerset, $5017 and Washington, $1797.

—The Fryeburg Post, Fryeburg, Maine, Sept. 26, 1916, p. 2.

New York Land Comes High

1910

Space on Manhattan Island Quoted at Some Hundred Dollars a Square Foot

Space on Manhattan island which is a sure-enough tight little island if ever there was one, is distinctly at a premium. The record price for real estate in New York, according to Alcolm, was $583 a square foot, obtained four years ago for the southeast corner of Broadway and Wall street.

On March 13 last the Fourth National bank acquired the building adjoining its own home at the southeast corner of Cedar and Nassau street, a plot measuring 73.1 feet on the latter street and 73.2 on the former.

The average price a square foot was close on $307, which figure has been beaten by only three other sales of real estate in the city — the corner already mentioned, and two small plots the southwest corner and the southeast corner of Broad and Wall streets, which sold over 30 years ago for $330 and $348 a square foot, respectively.

A 30-foot lot on Fifth avenue at Sixty-ninth street, is reported as being sold to E. H. Harriman for a million dollars — and such price is by no means rare in that section. Fifth avenue values, indeed, have been bounding upward, and will soon be rivaling those of the financial section. — New York Sun.

Captain Kidd's Ghost Sells His Treasure Farm

Trenton, New Jersey, 1919
----------
CAPT. KIDD'S SPOOK SWINDLE

Pirate's Ghost Induces "Suckers" to Purchase Farm -- Found No Treasure.

Trenton, N. J. -- Capt. Kidd's spirit is not a reliable witness as to where the redoubtable pirate buried his treasure, in the opinion of Sophie Sauter and Marie Blumer of Paterson and Fred Laechers of Elizabeth, who appealed to the supreme court against both the spook and his alleged sponsor, Daniel Balsinger of Oakland, N. J.

The three took a chance and bought a farm from Balsinger in May, 1913, on the strength of his assurance that Capt. Kidd's spirit had appeared to him in the night and revealed the exact spot on the farm where he had buried whole chests of pieces of eight.

They do not wish to pay the balance due now because they have dug up the entire farm without finding a single doubloon.

--The Van Wert Daily Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, September 4, 1919, page 2.