The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-19
CENTRAL TAX RAID
A Railroads Long Fight to
Escape All Share of
Public Burdens.
STATE BOUNDARY QUESTION
The Claim That Jersey City
Riparian Lands Are in
New York.
THREE FOOT BELT OF SHORE FRONT
Picturesque Old Documents on
Which an Issue in the U. S.
Supreme Court Hinges.
THREE FOOT BELT OF SHORE FRONT

In 1868 the Central Railroad Company OF
New Jersey purchased strip OF lano
three feet wide all along the Jersey CITY
shore from the sugar house at the ioot
of Washington street to Caven Point.
The company's representatives purchaser
the land from such old settlers as the
Van Vorsts, the Van Horns, Ba'bcocks
Arbuckles, Posts, Boukers and Stephen
B. and Nicholas Vreeland, who had been
residents of Communipaw for generations.
The company paid good money for the
land, and the purchases were made by
one of Jersey City's shrewdest citizens
Charles G. Sisson, under the direction
and by the advice of that shrewd lawyer
ex-Chancellor Benjamin Williamson
Both of these able men are now dead
People wondered what the company
wanted with this thin, narrow strip Oh
land, most of it running through salt
marches and along a swampy and almost
inaccessible shore, acres of which were
not considered worth more than could be
obtained for the salt hay which grew up
on it.
1t was over ten years before the people
of that section began to realize what far
seeing men Mr.. Sisson and Chancellor
Williamson were In 1874 the company
filed out into the bay strip of land at
Jan de Laucher's Point and bought from
the State of New Jersey all the lands
lying under water in front of the pro-
perty paying the State for the same $780,
OO0 There was included in this purchase
the South Cove grant, suit for the
possession of which, between the railroad
company and the city of Jersey City IS
now in the United States Supreme Court
The company afterward conveyed this
property to the American Dock and I'M
provement Company, subsidiary cor
poration of the Central Railroad Conn
pany. Although the consideration named
in the deed was only 81, an appraisement
by Robert C. Bacot, secretary OF the
Riparian Commissioners, placed its value
at IS, ,oOO, ,0Oo In the same year the city of
Jersey City began to tax this property.
1t could not have done so before, be-
cause the property belonged to the State.
REFUSE TO PAY TAXES.
The railroad company refused to pay
the tax and finally the Adjustment Conn
missioners took the matter in hand ana
reported that the company owed the city
s6Oo0O0 for taxes which were liens upon
the property. The city expected, OF
course, to receive the money at once, ana
was very much surprised when obJectlon
was made TO the confirmation of report
No. 96 which embodied the Centrafs
liens The company, however, prepared
to contest the report on the GROUNDS -thal
the lands under water were not in the
State of New Jersey, and therefore not
within its taxing power
The Company insisted that the land was
within the limits of the city OF New
York, and as the amound lnvoiVeo Ied fo fsf wbf
the issue. 1t employed W1IIlam u E5u-
wards as special counsel to contest the
railroads claim, while the railroad en-
gaged Robert W. De Forest and John
T. Conover, of New York, and Frank L.
Bergen, of Elizabeth, to defend its posi-
Testimony was taken before Judge
Douglas by order of Judge Lippincott.
The railroad company has pracucany
put in all it's evidence. Among the many
exhibits there is a large number OF an
cient deeds grants, patents and laws 20
rroye the cornpany's contention that New
Works inrisdicfjon extends to the low
water mark on the Jersey City shore, and
that until the land is reclaimed and
ard of much interest on account of the
auaintness and unique characters
QUEER OLD GRANTS.
The first one presented was copy OF
the grant of Charles II. to his dearest
brother the Duke of York, afterwaTFds Is
Instrument. among other possessions in
America, the Duke is given what is now
( New jersey. Wnicn IS SUfneWHdl dHlp-s u
ousIy described in the. deed as "all the
lands from the west side of Connecticut
to the east side of Delaware Bay.
The next exhibit is a copy of the deed
by which the Duke conveyed to John
Lord "Berkley' and Sir George Carteret,
s'for and in consideration of a competent
land all that tract of land adjacent to
New England and lying and be-
Iasna ins and the Manatas island 0a lang and
bounded on the east part by the MAIN
Sea and part by Hudson's River and
water upon the west Delaware bay or
river, and extendeth southwark to the
main ocean as far as Cape Nav at the
mouth Of Delaware. Bay. which said
the name or. names of New Ceassarea or
:" s5soToNEI. NICoLLS KICK
r'be company nexf exhibits a letter from
CoLorel NfeoIls, Governor of New York,
fo the Duke of York. written in 1855,
wherein the gallant Go9nel l. oseerlH Berley c9m and
Carteret as detracting from his province,
which he says rs canabie 10 receive
twenty ti1ons more peoDle than Long Is
land ard all the remaining tracts in Yonr
RI. HIS. his natenfs. in respect not only
to the auartitv of the land. hut to fSe sea-
coast and Delaware River, the fertll,ty OF
Tho soyle the neiehborhood to HUDSON s
Rfver, ard lastly. the faire hopes OF rlcn
r,ines to the utter discourasement OF any 4a1
that shall desire to live under your I'll
This letter of the alarmed colonel a. an
pears te have missed hrh ,saged ano ms naron pg3'
seems to have had no effect upon me
rsarein.onioue James of York. and ReF-.<e-
lev and Carteret remained in possession
Ser n,.ofing the ce-arnission of Car
teret as Governor Of New Jersey. dated
F7abr,arv 10 166z-f5. the company next
esf1jbifpd cerfain instrictions to Governor
(arferet Of the same date. in which New
jersey IS descrbsd as "nl' tfat tract ,a.. Of
ard lse:-1p TO the wectward of Long Is