The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-30
BAYONNE'S PIERS.
Riparian Board Asked to
Give an Additional
Length Of $50 Feet.
oYsTERMEN ASK FOR RELIEF.
Commissioners Meet at Sea Girt
and Make Several Grants of
Land Under Water.

The State Board of Riparian Commits
sioners nave received applications from
the various oil and chemical companies
in the vicinity of Constable Hook, Bay
onne, for extended pier lines and at the
next meeting of the Commissioners a re-
| port will be presented by a committee
of the Board, who will in a day or two
begin an examination into existing con-
ditions.
The present length of the piers between
Port Johnson and Constable Hook is $50
feet. This the oil and chemical COM
panies say is too small to accommodate
the shipping of the present day. The ten
dency is, they say, for increased length
in ships, but while the shipbuilder turns
out vessels 500 to 600 or more feet, the
length of the pier to accommodate the
ships remains. like the laws of Media and
Persia. unchanged. They ask, therefore,
that the pier line between the points
mentioned sha be increased $50 feet,
making a total length of 500 feet. The
Commissioners, before granting the per-
mission, wish to make IN inquiry into the
facts.
To Mr.. James G. Payne, of the Riparian
| Board, 1.-THE News is ndebted for an ac-
GOuIL Ol All liittICSlii5 4oSShtSA R-~
| emit before the Board and that is the
! grievances of the Cumberland county
| oystermen. A committee of these enter
| prising gentleman cam before the Board
| which met Yesterday at Sea Grit, in the
white House The discussion yester-
| day was on the recent decision of the
Court of Errors and Appeals on the rights
| of thelessees of grantees of the Commits
t - - ann1 on tho lands
below water.
These riparian grantees had planted the
| lands under water with the seed and after
! two or three years, the time for the oys-
| ter to mature, they would, of course, be-
| gin to harvest their marine crop. But IN
| recent years the general public came IN
! on their lands with dredgers and scooped
UP the oysters. To stop this proceeding
the oyster men, lessees of the riparian
| lands, brought suit. Their contention
was thai they took the lands from the
State on the understanding that they
should have exclusive control of the same
for the planting of oyster seed. they
we're beaten in that suit and appealed 10
the court of last resort. The decision OF
the Court of Errors and Appeals SAID IN
effect that the riparian lessees had no
right to plant oyster SEEDS on riparian
bottoms within territory designated by
the State as public oyster grounds.
The oystermen in despair came to Sea
Girt yesterday to see the Governor ana
the Board to ask for relief.
.fYou will understand" said Mr.. Payne,
that the Board does not admit the ale lie
elusive right when they bought the
grants. The petition of the lessees was
laid over"
It is deemed scarcely probable that the
Riparian commissioners, in view OF the
decision. will go behind it.
Among other matters dealt with by the
Commissioners, yesterday, We're the fol.
lowing grants for riparian rights:-At
Branchport Creek, near Long Branch,
one on the Hackensack River. above the
town of Hackensack; one on the Atlantic
Ocean, at the new settlement of Allen
hurst, and permission given TO the Rari-
tan River Railroad Company to cross the
Raritan River.
At the conclusion of the business meet
ing the Commissioners, with Mr.. James c.
Payne and Mr.. George T. Record, counsel
to the Board, dined with Governor and
Mrs. CriggS.