Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-25
The United States Grand Jury
Indict30Or More Channel
EncrOacherS After
CRUISING FOR FOUR DAYS.
Criminal Suits against Corporations
and Individuals for
FILLING IN THE RIVER BEDS.
arge Tracts of Immensely Valuable Prop
erty at Stake.
RAILROADS MAY HAVE TO MOVE TRACKS

Some of the people who have been en-
croaching on the Monongahela and ALLIE
gheny rivers will receive rude shock in
the United States Court this afternoon.
The grand jury has been investigating the
streams since last Wednesday, and true
bills in 80 cases have been found and will
be returned to Judge Burlington to-day.
The names were handed to District Attor-
ney Lyon, but he thought it would be i'm
proper to make them public before filed in
court.
The District Attorney was busy with the
Cook Hall cases when the grand jury came
into the court room. The jurors had been
deliberating all day on the fourth floor.
Mr.. Lyon stopped long enough to remark
to Judge Burlington that true bills
had been found in 30 cases for en@ oach-
ment and the postoffice TRADES in which
Cook Hall is the principal witness were re-
sumed Mr.. Lyon said that this was only
the beginning of the prosecutions, and
wholesale suits against river encroachers
may follow.
Making New Harbor Lines.
When the Government about two years
ago decided to lay out new harbor lines for
Pittsburg and Allegheny Mr. Lyon filed
bills against number of riparian owners to
restrain them from filling in the rivers. His
idea was not to remedy the encroachments
of the past, but to stop them in the future
at least to maintain the present banks of
the streams until the Government lines had
been drawn. During the last year he has
secured injunctions against about 30 people,
and the aggressive policy has had its effect
on the mill owners and railroads along the
rivers. Mr.. Lyon says he has been watch
ing the streams closely, and he is confident
that no filling in has been done since the
suits were instituted.
What brought the matter prominent be-
fore the grand jury now was bill against
George Free, the dumpboat owner. Peo-
pie complained that the garbage from his
craft was polluting the river and the odors
were very disAgreeable. On the strength
of these complaints Mr.. Lyon filed bill
against Free. When the case came before
the grand jury, the jurors evincej re-
markable degree of interest in the subject
of river encroachnents, and they decided
to investigate all the cases for them selves
The Grand Jury Took a Cruise.
Glad to be relieved of further response
bility, Mr.. Lyon hired boat, and for
several days last week the grand jury has
been quietly cruising in the local waters.
The fact was kept out of the newspapers,
and few people knew what was going on.
The jury, it is understood, collected con-
siderable evidence that W ont help the
against whom true bills were
found. 1t didn't take them long to return
90 bills in as many cases. Mr.. Lyon, while
safe to say that the majority of the de-
fendants will be people whom he has re-
strained from encroaching on the rivers
during the last year.
In discussing the cases the United States
District Attorney said: "The prosecution
will be criminal 1 suppose, and if found |
guilty the defendants will be fined and !
ordered to remove the ground that extends |
beyond the old harbor lines The fine is i
fixed at the discretion of the Court, and if !
you know how much it costs to take away a i
cubic foot of earth and had the number of |
acres to be removed, you could easily figure |
out the expense. Well, to be short, it !
will give some people a great deal of |
trouble. 1t is surprising how much land |
has been appropriated along the local |
rivers. Acres of ground have been stolen |
from the Allegheny and Monongahela, and |
the encroachments can't be laid to one or q |
few men. They are all more or less guilty. |
Will Temper Justice With Mercy.
'rThe appropriations have been going on
so long that it will be difficult to adjust the
lines without disturbing vested property |
rights 1 don't think the Secretary of War
intends to be hard or radical in laying out
the new lines. My impression is that the
harbor lines will be established to protect
.he rivers as they are, and to stop all en-
,roachments in the future. This will
let riparian, owners down easy. Some
Of them have appropriated acres of
ground that do not belong to them, and it
" Uouid result in great Inconvenience to oust
.hem now. Certainly such course would |
De fair, but the Secretary OF War. think,
will be inclined to be lenient. There are
circumstances. Back in 1857
he State established high and low water
ines, and manufacturers and others got the |
dea that they had right to fill in from
heir property up to the lines This gave
hem lot of new ground that has since be-
,ome very valuable
Mr.. Lyons views of the new harbor lines
will be pleasant news to encroachers, who
we're badly frightened some time ago by the
statement of United States Engineer John
W. Arris to the effect that the lines, when
would show a great deal of
property that had been appropriated, and
he owners would have to give it up.
Many Damage Suits Predicted.
He predicted that number of damage
uits would follow. In some cases he said
ntire buildings were beyond the State
liver lines, and the tracks of the B. & O.
nd Pemicky roads for half mile stretches
It time are inside the State limits. The
of War knows the ground
wouldn't be given up without struggle,
md it is reported that he has instructed the
ngineers not to be too harsh, but in cases
where the entertainments are fagrant and
interfere with the flow of the streams and
navigation that the evil must be corrected
L the expense of those responsible for it.
Colonel Roberts says courts don't like to
ry suits involving riparian rights because