The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-05-20
Who OWNS THE TRACT?
Valley Lawyers.
Fighting Hard for the
South Cove Grant.

In opening the case for the Lehigh
Valley Railway yesterday in the South
Cove ejectment suit, ex-Chance1lor
Williamson ~endeavored to show that the
city had forfeited it's rights to the land in
the South Cove because of its negligence
in taking possession under the terms Of
the grant from the State until it had lost
its claim to the property. He also
claimed that the land should have been
that hat body refused to accept it, and
that therefore the acceptance by any
other boards in the city was invalid. be-
aus the Aldermen had not Joined them
To prove this he called Thomas Halsey
again to the stand who testified that the
City Clerk was out of town and that he re-
presented him. Ex-Governor Bedle asked
him to refer to the minutes of the meeting
of the Board of Aldermen held December
3. 1872, and read what he found on page 81.
Mr.. Halsey did SO and read q resolution
adopted by the Board accepting the grant
at the 81 900 purchase price. Further on
ne read q veto of the resolution sent by
Mayor Charles H. O'Neil. which veto was
subsequently, sustained by the Board Of
Aldermen.
a kNOCk-DOWN
Cross-examined by ex-Mayor Collins,
Mr.. Halsey read from page IS of the min
utes a resolution asking the City Attor-
ney for advice in regard to the matter,
and as to whether the Aldermen could
legally accept the land and pay for it.
The City Attorney decided 1t could not,
but that the Board Of Works could ac-
cept the grant.
Ex-Governor Bedle objected to this, but
was not sustained.
Further on Mr.. Halsey read from the
minutes a resolution of the Board of AL
dermen to refer the matter to the Board
of Works, which was adopted, and that
Board received the resolution and re-
ferred 1t to a committee, where it re-
manned without further action until
March 2, 1885.
4 BID FOR SYMPATHY.
Chief Engineer Clark, Of the Central
Railroad of New Jersey, was the next
witness. He was asked the amount that
the Company had expended to improve
this Cove Grant; but this was at once OBJ
jected TO by Messrs. Collins and Edwards.
and Judge Dixon ruled out the ques-
tion.
1t is said that more than $500, 600 has
been expended by the company.
ToDAY's PROCEEDINGS.
Promptly at eleven O'Clock today the
case was continued, with Chief Engineer
Clark on the witness stand.
At the request OF eX-ChancellOr
Williamson he produced q map of the
properly in the grant, which also showed
the lands whose Riparian rights are con-
trolled by the Central Railroad OF New
jersey, from the sugar house property to
Caven Point. This lone the tedious labor
of proving deeds of shore owners to this
property was begun. This was done to
show that when the company was gwen
a grant in 1874 by the Riparian Commits
sioners. to the shore front, the land
claimed in the city was under water and
in consequence under the company's
title as shore owners as fixed by the
Riparian Commissioners, the compayn
had a legal right to it.
This, of course. ex-senator Edwards
and ex-Mayor Collins for the city denied,
and they will claim that the grant from
the State to the city is q title to the land
that cannot be set aside, and hence the
railroad company IS low a trespasser.
A Asst E
The evidence today was all documen-
tary and utterly devoid OF interest to any