Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-03
A CT NJ P R 0 M is {
Suits of Great Falls Power
Company.
JUDGMENT ACCEPTED
CASE HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR
MANY YEARS.
United States Gets Free Use Of Water
to Double Extent Of Pres
emit System.

As result of conferences running over
period of several months, between the
officers Of the War Department and the De-
partment of Justice on one side, and the
Great Falls Power Company on the other,
the suits entered by the Great Falls Power
Company In the Court OF Claims against
the United States to recover the sum Of
about 1925 ,000i for taking and using certain
riparian property belonging to that COM
pany, at Great Falls, for the purpose Of
supplying the city Of Washington with wa
ter, have been compromised for the sum
Of 500, 766. In accordance with an agree
ment reached between all the parties, the
Court Of Claims has given judgment In that
amount in favor Of the Great Falls Power
Company. In consideration Of this award
the power company has executed a
deed giving the United States the free and
uninterrupted use Of the water from the
Potomac at Great Falls to an extent Of
double the present capacity OF the water
system.
The First Suit.
The Great Falls Power Company is the
successor Of the Great Falls Manufacturing
Company. of which the late Gen. B. +.
Butler Of Massachusetts, was the moving
spirit. The original purpose OF the cor
poration was to organize a great manufac-
turing city at Great Falls and to give it
the name Of Little Lowell. In 1880 that
company brought action in the Court OF
Claims against the United States for the
use of its property and recovered judgment
In the sum of SIS, 692. The decision Of the
court at that time has since been accepted
as the law of the case. The judgment was
subsequently reafhrmed by the Supreme
Court Of the United States. 1t was based
on an award made by the b. r. Curtis
board Of arbitration In 1853. In course of
time the United States extended its works
at Great Falls and diverted more water
into the Washington aqueduct system.
This action resulted in the filing Of an
other suit by the company in 1889. This
suit was for 00000, and was for Occupa-
toin of land and for damages caused by
tomac from Conn's Island to the Virginia
shore. In order to still further increase
the water supply of the District the gov
eminent subsequently raised the height of
damaged the riparian rights of the cor
poration, which by this time had been
merged into the Great Falls Power Com
pany. the object Of which was the genera
ton of power for the use of electric sys-
TENS in Washington and elsewhere.
In 1895 the company filed another suit
against the government for additional
damages to the amount Of $125,0 900. This
suit and the one filed many years before
for $500, 900 have been vigorously contest ed
in the Court of Claims. The judgment just
rendered by that court Is accepted by all
parties to the case in final settlement Of
those suits.
Judge Pradt's Brief.
Gen. Gillespie. chief of engineers, and
Gen. Davis. Judge advocate general Of the
| army, represented the War Department in
these negotiations and the Department Of
Justice was represented before the Court
Of Claims by Judge l.. A. Pradt. assistant
of hrfo F
Judge Pradt sets out all the salient points
of the case as compromised. It Is In part
as follows:
THE claimant Is the successor of the
Greaf Falls Misunderstanding Command and