Morning journal and courier., 1886-07-23
sETTLING BOUNDARY LINES.
The COInmi siOn ners of Connecticut an Rhode Island Reaeh an sreement.


 1 The Commissioner of Connect cut an d
 Rhode Island Reach an Agreement. The commissioners appointed by the lee;s- latures of Connecticut and Rhode Isiand met at the Larkin House at Watch Hill Wednes- day to consider the establishment of the un- settled boundary line between the two States. The Connecticut commission consisted of Judge Robert G. Pike of Middletown, Dr. William NJ. Hudson of Hartford Hon. James AndrewS of Litchfeld. The Rhode Island commissioners were J. Herbert Shedd, State engin ger of Providence; Hon. Albert L. .Ches- ter and Captain Daniel 2. I.arl;in of Wester- ly. The dispute involves important points and when settled will terminate all boundary questions in which the respective States are interested. The dispute was first officially brought to public notice in the re- port for 1885 of the Connecti- cut shell fish commissioners That report stated that the dividing line be- tween Connecticut and Rhode Island op the water at the east end of Fishers Island Sound was undetermine3, and had caused numerous applications from intending pur- cAasefs of oyster beds for raore cageful designation of the grounds. Some months ago the Connecticut fish commissioners met the commissioners or Rhode Island on the subject, but no evidence was found that the line of demarkation on the water had ever been accurately determined. The trend of Pawcatuck river which forms the division line between the States on the land for some distance above it's mouth runs northeast and southwest, so that considerable portion of the territory of Rhode Island lies southeast of Connecticut.
 From Watch Hill narrow sand bar ex- tends one and half miles westward. It AI1e,1 o1o or,,1x- ,3 Point, forming Little Narragansett Bay Sandy Point is little south of east from Stonington Point and is also distant about 8 mile and half from the mouth of Pawca- tuck river. The direction of the line from Watch Hill across is the debatable ground Two laws were passed in colonial days and one in 1840 establishing tho boundary, but the exact limit of the boundary line in the water sEas not specified in any of them Afteg careful researches the commissioners of each State came to the conclusion that 8 1 line of division upon the waters of the Sound could be satisfactorily determined only upon | conference of legally authorized agents of the two Statea.
 Tha lands under water valuable for oyster cultivation, and the applications now pend l ing before the Connecticut commissioners l for the designation of lots in Little Nes..ra- gansett bay, cannot be acted upon! until the l territorial rights of Connecticut as against Rhode Island are settled.
 At the meeting "Wednesday it was infor- mally decided to adopt line from the junc- l ton of the Paweatuck and Athaway rivers, ] rnnning down the center channel of the Pawcatuek river to it's mouth, and thence northeasterly to Rhodes Folly and on- ward in direct line on the merid- | ian south to the New York line. This will
 be adopted nnless something new is discov-
 cred on Tuesday, when the commissioners
 will review their work. This line will make
 very few changes of ownership above the
 mouth of the Pawcatuck, as the river has 1 been tacitly accepted as the division line. | In NarFagansett bay Rhode Island will | gain about four acres. One peculiar point | is that the narrow atrip of land known
 as Watch Hill point has extended about one l fifth since the last coast survey five years ago, and this has proved of
 considerable advantage to the States in the
 settlement of the boundary. Although ;.,s I,
 the opinion of Connecticut people tnat in he,
 disputes with other States regarding bounda ries she has hitherto always got the worst ot
 it, everyone seems satisfied with the conelu
 sion arrived at.
 The commissioners will render a formal | decision and then report to their respeetiy, legislatures for ratification. If the law rec | commended should be enacted by both bodice
 the boundary will then have to be ratified b, Congress.