The sun., 1901-07-15
Jersey TOLOSE BAY FRONTi
UNITED STATES MAKES A cLAIA THAT
sTIRS STATE OFFICIAL Il.

STIRS STATE OkFICIALS.
o.v.,nmeps SAY, Under- water Land Betwssa
and Around BediewS aad Eiiis Islands
4, Herr --Actioa Attao,n All q states
Rishts On the Nay -Bis FisAs Likely.
Tho United States Government has crsated
. hub-buS among New Jersey oflicials By
,.v,ns aim to the valuable riparian rights
~ Nav York Bay that the State has never
doubted shs owns. The claim 10 based on the
.,.umpt;on that tho State has no title TO
undsr.vatsr lands on hor New York Bay 'front.'
mart Of xhich she has already sold to the rail-
ro.d companies for millions Of dollsrs. and
from the rest Of which she expects TO rsaliae
a GOOD many moro millions.
Forty years ago the New Jersey State su-
,hor,ties surprised tho upland owners by
claiming everything under the adjacent
v,ters by virtue Of q royal proprietary grant.
The courts upheld the somewhat startling
claim. and the state by special act csvosed
the prooeeds Of tho sales Of riparian lands
forever and irrevoosbly to . school fund that
/. designed eventually TO pay tho costs Of
maintaining all the schools in the Common
wealth. Tho fund has been addod to from
wear to year till now It approaches H.0ooooo
Most Of this amount hos been acquired from
.slss of riparian lands on the New York Bay
front TO the railroad companies. Tho State
i. holding il unsold rights on tho bay a.
worth from 90. .oo0. 900 to 81, 100000 more.
For years New Jersey has ssEsd with
ambitious eyo upon the reefs. just beyond
the Jersey mud nats,' extending from
Eli, Island to the Staten Island light house.
I, IA from the ultimate commercial uso 70
which theso rocks may bo put thas she has
bcen hoping to derive tho largest inoomo.'
Years ago Robert G. Bacot. tho first engineer
a, the state Riparian Board. and for nearly
,oytv years It's Secretary. had his ofhce wall
adorned with q picture Of the long limo of'
warehouses with whioh tho reefs were In
time to be surmounted. These pretentious
buildings were to be madc accessible from
both sidos by tho extension OF shipping piers
% the deep-water channel In front, and the
,'rodgng Of . ship canal In tho roar. whcn
t,e late Leon Abbott was Governor he founo
4, syndicate rendy to carry tho enterprise
IN o effect and boastod that II the State had
ne, nittsd tho sale. he could hnve got
500, ~ for the State riparian title at that
time
is to these reefs and the adjacent flats.
that the United States Government has
Iust practically said that New Jersey has
no title. Ellis and Bedlow's Islands. which
rest on them. were ceded by the State 70
the Federal Government many years ago
Lately a contractor named Cragm made
an publication to the New Jersey Riparian
Beard for a grant OF the states rights In
the rest Of its submerged land. He had
in contemplation just such an enterprise
AS that which Gov Albeit had endeavored
to promote The State board was disposed
TO make him the CONCESSIONS he asked. but
ss Cragin desired to carry his operations
,,eyond Jerseys Jurisdiction. 1t became noces-
,ary for him to consult the New York Harbor
Line Board about It.
For months the Harbor Line Board held
the proposition under advisement and a day
or two ago announced its conclusions to the
New Jersey Riparian Board IN letter that
fell upon 1t like q thunderbot from 2 clear
sky. The communication sarcasticaliy ao-
viscd the State Board not to cast Us Bay grants
around with too prodigal hand for the reason
that they might not be hers sala 70 maze and Eli.
and % Is therefore @ entitled to whatever ,prtyi-
belong TO tho riparian Sxners 70 hsas sns
apa ns.a e aGs rs sas ss S s.ssss
or may Wish to dredge these areas IN order 70
ertend anchorage grounds IN the upper
barbor: and for this reason alone there snoud
not Nai BE- 20 aH.sS p1Ia.ta Paftcs paHRCesA' Su' ~
'A The same mali that brought to Riparian
Board Secretary Payne this announcement
these iands for public purposes. brought 70
him also letter from Secretary OF War Root
announcing that the Goyernment proposes
isaDd ESnG and Of the he War sesretarys approval
Of -the recommendation OF tho New York
Harbor Line Board for the nodiilcation OF ex-
tending the pier and bulkhead lines on the
northwesterly side 40 feet in southwest
ery direction thence li25 feet In line at
in limo at right angle, to the last line, unit!
il unites with the present pier and bulkhead
line on the southeasterly side Of the island
is np part Ttea ot tho is which New Jersey has
always considered To DO az her own ana the
seizure Of the property without q worI other
rh SSr yNlMbie SI riparian rights in the bay tina
the United init States Government has always
nds dse uSGep wsS2
applied to her for their use for lighthouse
Snsp and other oRSEs the 6yS Satonn Govern
ment has a right TO extend the boundaries
Of Ellis Island 400 feet over these lands under
water without saying by your leave TO
10 hinder II from extending them indefinitely
and Of appropriating TO the uses OF the Gov
ernmcnt an the riparian property belonging
~ New Jersey In New York Bay.
Tie assertion OF this claim by the Federal
authorities has stirred the New Jersey Central
Railroad Company. whose property abuts
on the lands tho Government proposes 10
seiyc. into protest. Last SATURDAY secretary
Payne received from Robert W. DeF9rest.
the railroad company's counsel. q letter
announcing the compqnys determination
10 protect its rights and those OF the Amer
lean Dock Improvement Company, which
II controls, III the lands. He asserts that
the company has a right TO all the riparian
lands In front Of It's properties and within
Tie boundary Of View Jersey.
The feeling OF unrest resulting from the
attack upon the most valuable or her landed
possessions has been intensified by assaults
made, in other directions, upon the states
title In them. The King family. which owns
the Heights where Hamilton fell in the smoke
Of Burr's pistol in the enry days OF last CEN
stretch OF upland near Bayonne. have both
made denial OF the States title In he under
water lands on the river and bay front Be-
fore the State Tax Board they are ressune
the attempt Of the local authorities 70 take
the lands under water which adJoin their
solid ground, with the plea that they belong
t. tho state OF New York, Their insistment
Is that New York Jurisdiction extends up
% high water mark on the Jersey shore
The state Riparian Commission admits the
police jurisdiction TO bo New Yorks. put
declares the property ioI all other purposes
70 be part Of New Jersey. The question
has been adjudioatcd in state courts put
the comhatants who have just raised tho
point anew, declare that they will not rest
t their claims have been considered by tAe