The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-12-09
A FLOATING FARM.
Chautauqua Lake the Scene of a
Queer Legal Contest
The Ground Near the Lake Relieved 4,
Be Crust Formed Upon the
Sdrface OF IA Large Body
of Water.

A curious legal complication il cyrif-
ing the interest Of residents about Chan.
tauqua lake ON the night Of AuyH.
- 4 severe storm visited the c1ua.-..
around the lake, and the next mpra..-
a dozen islands were seen Whrr- fl...
had been an uubrolIen Jake surfl.. I..
fore. These islands. ON one Of lyI. .f
large trees were growing proved O., d..
great masses Of earth broken from f...
mainland 10y the storm and driven down
the lake by the high wind. IN, I4r.-..
contained about an acre and half arl
had been broken from the farm of Mr.
James stone. II had been carried f..r
miles down the lake and lodged IN bur
tie bay near the lake front. owned Do.
Charles Clifford. As that gcutjcma.
was not pleased with the unsightly aI-
dition 10 his property, he sold it o..
Charles Wicils, "a real estate dealer. f.r
five dollars. on the promise of the latter
to make extensive Improvement up.a
it, At the same time Charles NirIlar
another real estate man, went 10 Mr..
Stone and purchased the property from
her. PAY ing five dollars Both Nf.s-
and Niedhart received quit-claim deeds
Now both purchasers claim the prop
erty, and the courts viii be called upon
to decide between them. says the O--
densburg =. " Journal
The legal fraternity began 90 di-..a-~
the case, and some pulling questions
arise. Thus, is the property real ar
personal? If personal. being muy4...
was il the property Of the original usu-
er after il had been lodged in th, high.
way? If real estate. il is properly 900
accretion of the land against which n
lodged. or. having found aurhora-. .u
the public highway. does il REVERT fa
the state? IT il argued that being
movable Mr.. Wicl1s' title will uut ....
a. he has no right to drive pile ia rae
highway to hold il. while another storm
might carry IL further down and against
another mans property, or passing
steamer might hitch and pull it AWAY.
thus making it the property of amy per
son along the lake front.
The belief begins 10 prevail that iu
| Chautauqua valley was One, "a Iar-,.
| body Of water. over a portion Of which
| a crust of land has been formed. and
that the farming lands around IL are
but a short distance above surface. Ou
Marvin park an uudulatiug motion ai
| the ground il di-crruiblr when h.r-.
| passes over it, and when the annual rlu
is held upon 1t many timid persons rr
fuse 10 remain because Of the distinct
ness Of the strange vibration. Also u
cNhau-tible artc~ian wells are rra-hu.
at from fifty 10 one hundred feet below
the surface. The city of .Iam,-lowu D.
supplied with water from these wells
which were drilled about four miles =.
the east. and some Of which flow five
hundred thousand gallons "a day
The phenomenon il a remarkable uu.
and is likely to engage the attention a.
| the scientists who assemble annually a
Chautauqua. Naturally the owners col
farms along the lake will feel some uu
easiness when the next big storm comes
To have the lake dotted all over with .tt
tie island farms would mar it, >ymmr
try and yet undoubtedly add To it- pie
| tureSuueneSS