The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-08-20
RIPARIAN COMMISSIONERS
They Have Not Decided What Course
They Will Take.

Willard c. Fisk, President of the Board
Of Riparian Commissioners, was asked
today what he thought of the decision Of
the War Department.
II hardly know. We have received no
notice of the decision"
/ showed him the Washington despatch
which he read and then said
Il cannot say what steps will be taken
in the matter. All we have done so far is
to assert the rights of the State and gran.
tees. The line established bv the Harbor
Board takes away 1900 feet of possible
filling in, but at the same time
it extends the pier lines two
and one half miles further out. The de-
sision Of the War Department sets the
line back to the one established in 1855.
1t is not disputed that Congress has the
power 70 regulate navigation and the
Congress of 1888 empowered the War De-
partment to appoint harbor boards and one
was appointed for New York harbor.
The findings of this Board must be
approved by the Secretary of War TO
the Harbor Board that the filing in Of
two miles of the fats would affect the
tides in such a manner by decreasing the
water area that it would affect the Sandy
Hook channel and bars"
"How much land has the State on this
line under waterY'
"It has but 100 acres now out of the 545
acres that it did own. The State re-
ceived but S25 foot for the land: shore
owners are now selling it for S400 and
$500 foot. ] nave not favored the sale
of the lands of the State. believing that
long leases would have been more profit
able"
WHAT THE DECISION DOES
1.-THE decision Of the War Department,
as | said before, takes away the filling in
line and extends the pier line, but this
action of the Government does not allow
the shore owners to build piers
to the line. They can not do
this without first obtaining the consent
of the State. The State recognizes the
right of the Government TO control the
water, but the State owns the land be-
meath it. The shore owners will claim
the title to the land to the
line established by the Harbor Board,
and if they can persuade the State to
adopt the lines the owners will probably
be satisfied.
when the Harbor Board began its
work one of the first questions asked
was, viii the shore owners get all this
land without paying for its' and / be-
lieve that had much to do with the de-
cision."
Just what steps will be taken am
not now prepared to say. The matter will
be discussed at the meeting of the Ri
parian Commissioners next Thursday
JUDGE BLAIR'S VIEWS.
Ex-Judge John A. Blair, large shore
owner. was next seen, aud he was asked
what he thought Of the decision of the
War Department.
II Think SAID he, "the lines fixed by
the Harbor Board the best for the
owners. 1t leaves the rights of
shore owners unem barrassed, as they
would be if the suggestions OF
the Riparian Commissioners and the
Governor were carried out in the con-
struction OF islands in front of the sho re
for warehouses. 1t would be violation
of what the grantees believe their rights
under their deeds, and must necessarily,
If persisted in, preciDltate
legal fight TO be initiated by the shore
owners themselves which is unfair to
them. The adoption of the Harbor Board
line suggestion does away with the possi-
bility Of building Islands and fixes a fair
interior line for solid filling and
gives each owner of property right,
under certain restrictions, to construct
piers and improve property for the best
advantages and uses for which he bought
it.
If the suggestions OF the Riparian Board
were carried out, to the extent of erect
islands outside, the property TO snore
owner would be almost worthless un-
til the proposed channel should be built.
1t was estimated by Government eng1n-
eers some years ago that it would cost
between s., 7,OO0, 600 and 100000 TO con-
struct the channel, and no combination
of shore owners could build it and no one
else has sufficient interest IN It 70 under
take it.
'If the development OF property is
therefore to depend Cd the construction
of the canal, none Of us would live long
enough TO see it improved. The sugges-
tions of the Harbor Board obviate all
that difficulty. and | think therefore the
approval of the War Department of the
Recommendation of the Harhor Board
must be satisfactory to all interested in
those lands"