Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-26
THIRTY ARE INDICTED.
A Grand Jury Finds True Bills
Against the River Grabbers.
THE OFFENsE is A CRIMINAL ONE.
"A $1,000 Fine or . Years Imprisonment Is
the Punishment.
THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN ENCRoACHING

1
and others who have encroached upon the
river by filling in. The United States
grand jury brought in true bills against
Zug & Co., the Liggett Spring and Axle
Company, the Pittsburg Steel Casting
Company, the La Belle Steel Company,
, Anderson, Du Puy & Co., the Marshall
Foundry and Construction Company, Jen-
nings Bros. & Co., J. Painter & Sons, Park
Bros. & Co., Carnegie Steel Company, Re
public Iron Works, two indictments; the
Allegheny Valley Railroad Company, the
Pittsburg and Lake Erie Railway Company,
James Gallery & Co., Thos Carlin's Sons,
Emil Winter & Co., Standard Manufactur-
ing Company, j. NJ Gilchrist, M. Rippey,
A. & j. Groetzinger, Geo. Clark, the Isa-
bella Furnace Company, Moorhead Bros 81
Co., Armstrong & McKelvey, Singer,
Nimick & Co, James Hunter, W. H.
Singer & Co, and John and Hugh Moren.
The Language of the Indictment.
The indictments read as follows: 'The
grand inquest of the United States of Amer
lea, now in and for the Western District of
Pennsylvania, and upon their oaths and
affirmations respectfully, do present: That
said defendants, late of said district, on the
22d day of October, in the year of our Lord
one Thousand eight hundred and ninety-two,
at the County of Allegheny, in the district
aforesaid, and within the jurisdiction OF this
court, unlawfully did cause suffer and
procure to oe caused, thrown, emptied and
unladen from the shore, earth, rubbish,
cinders, ashes, refuse and other waste, in
large quantities into navigable river of
the United States, in the district aforesaid,
the said river being then and there a naviga-
BILE river of the United States, in the dis
trict aforesaid, the said earth, rubbish,
cinders, ashes, refuse and other waste, so
cast, thrown, emptied and unladen as afore-
said, tending to impede and obstIuct navi-
CATION on said river, contrary to the form
OF the act of Congress in such case made and
provided, and against the peace and dignity
of the United States of America"
The authorities have been working upon
the subject of the obstruction of the rivers
for the past two years, and this action is
the result of the investigation. United
S ates District Attorney Lyon, when asked
criminal offenses-for what has already
damages and to establish the remedy will
be civil, and will come later on. The law
under which the indictments were found is
the act of $780, which states that it shall
not be lawful to cast, throw, empty
or unlade anything into nav
igable stream, which shall tend to
obstruct or impede navigation; or
deposit material on the banks of anv navi-
gable waters where the same shall be liable
to be washed into the stream, thereby i'm
peding or obstructing navigation. The
clause relating to the punishment for vio-
lation of the act reads: Every person and
every corporation which shall be guilty of
creating or continuing such unlawful OBJ
struction shall be deemed guilty of misde-
meanor and on conviction thereof shall be
punished BY fine not exceeding S., 900, or
by imprisonment not exceeding one year, or
both at the discretion of the court. The
law is plain upon the subject. 1t is not
probable that the cases will come up this
term"
The Action Not Unexpected.
An attorney who will act for least five of
the parties against whom the bills were re-
turned said: II have been expecting some
action of this sort for some time. The Gov
ernment has had engineers at work at Gin
cinnati preparing plan of that city, show
ing just how far the river has been en-
croached upon and establishing river lines
for the future. They intend to do the same
thing at Pitisburg. 1t will be good
move, for at present the manufacturers and
corporations along the river do not know how
lar they are entitled to go. There have
been several indictments of this sort made
here, but they have never come to trial,
except in the case Of one man named Free,
who was tried some time ago. 1t seems
strange that the name of one large railroad
corporation, which has been connected
great deal with this subject, should have
been omitted from the list
Vice Chairman John Leishman, of the
Carnegie Company, said: II suppose this
refers to our Thirty third street mill. We
may be over the line there, but 1 do not
know it if we are. The property upon
which the mill is built is owned by the
Denny estate. If the filling in is interfer-
ing with navigation it should be stopped by
all means. do not think the lines have
been laid out above the city, for we were
desirous to find them to obtain information
as to how much we were entitled to at
Homestead
Their First Intimation.
A. Painter, of j. Painter & Sons, when
told about the action of the United States
grand jury, said: "This is news to u.s. 1
can't tell you anything about it for this is
the first intimation we have had of the pro-
ceedings The Pittsburg and Lake Erie
track is between our works and the river.
We have no property, except a landing.
fronting on the stream. As a rule no build
ings of any consequence are built upon
ground as mills require sound
and steady foundation above all things"
George Singer, of Singer, Nimick & Co..
said: 81 read the article, but did not think
we would be included in the list. The rail
road runs between the river and our works.
As far-as know, we have never been SUD-
piled with any of the lines, and it is not to
be supposed that we should know whether
We are over the line or not. If this matter
is pushed 1t will make svery complicated |
piece of business People who have bought |
property along the river will be prosecuted,
Although they have had no nart in the fill