April 27th 1907
Mr Willett Bronson, and Mr David A Thomson
Supt Agt. Geo Willett [Van?] Nest and
18 Exchange Place
William Redmond Cross Trustees Gentlemen
I feel confident
that unless there should be a panic or depression in the country I
will be able to sell the 3200 acres mentioned in my estimate of June
13th 1906 at the prices therein mentioned of $5.00 $4.00 & $3.00 per
acre respectively excepting that I may have to shade the price not to
exceed 50 cents per acre and 500 acres perhaps less on
500 included in the 6000 acres of the $5.00 land and 500 acres included
in the 9000 acres of $4.00 land and 1500 acres included in the 17000
acres of the $5.00 land and that I will be able to sell all of said
lands as above and the greater part thereof and probably the whole there
of within one year [under?] the changed and existing conditions it is necessary
in order to make the sales to include all the [numerical?] rights
Yours Truly
Letter 2
[Page 1]
April 27 1907
Mr Willett Bronson
Supt Agt. NY
My Dear Sir
I have before me
a copy of a letter of E.L. Ostein of Hendersonville NC to A.H.
Whiteing[.] Mr Whiteing told you verbally that the lands referred
to in Ostein's letter comprise only the 17000 acres of $3.00 land.
I do not know what estimate of timber feet per acre Whiteing gave to
Ostein. There is not much difference between the timber feet per
acre on the $5.00 $4.00 & $3.00 land, The difference in price is
based primarily on the location of the land as to Railroads but also on
the fact that the $4.00 and $5.00 land is to a great extent in large
tracts, much of the $3.00 being in scattered pieces. In my letter
to you and the Trustees of this date I state the size of the tracts of
the $4.00 and $5.00 land showing that with two exceptions they range
from 776 to 3108 acres. Besides sec 1 & 2 of the $5.00 land
adjoin [Malleing?] 5132 acres[.] Of the $3.00 land there are 4 or
5 plots exceeding 1000 acres and the rest range from 100 to 1000 acres
excepting perhaps 100 pieces of less than 100 acres[.] The average
timber feet per acre on all of the 32000 acres is very close to 4000 feet
per acre[.] All of Ostein's statement as to the [cream?] of the
timber along the creeks and branches being cut off is [out time??]
[Page 2]
2
as to our land, There are only about six squatters[?] on
our lands. As to all of whom [judgment?] has been bought. So
I explained to you verbally purchases from us will not have any
difficulty in getting their timber to the road and will not require
rights of way through other peoples holdings. Taking all of our
32000 acres their distances from the Railroads will run from 4 or 5 to
15 miles. Osteins statement that "fully 10000 acres of these
rock cliffs rugged and wholly barren of all timber" is
absolve are on our land is absolutely false. Perhaps on
the whole 32000 acres there are 800 or 900 acres of rock cliff scattered
in patches of from less than one to 2 acres. They would not
interfere at all with the sales at the prices I have named. As I
have explained to you verbally I am keeping a watch as closely as
possible to prevent whip sawing and with as much success as could be
expected
Yours Truly