The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-03-21
THE CANAL
ABANDONMENT .
Railroad Company to Waive
Water Rights and Property
Sold at Public Sale.
COUNTY INTERESTS CONSERVED

was present and dld WflaJ was possible
to lprotect the interests of the coun-
ty. Senator Hillery, of this county,
was the first speaker. He appeared as
counsel of the Borough of Mount Ar
lington. This borough did not agree
with the remarks made by Mr.. Linda-
bury last week, and was opposed to
the use Of Lake Hopatcong for water
supply purposes, The inhabitants Of
the borough were Of the opinion that
soon or late the canal would not be
used for purposes Of navigation, but
as a water supply. They did not ask
for the passage of a bin abandoning
the canal in fact, they were opposed
to the bill now pending. The people
in that locality were entitled to the
consideration of the legislature. There
were important interests in that To-
cality. During the last few years
millions of dollars had been spent on
the borders of Lake Hopatcong, and
the legislature should see to it that
the interests of such property owners
were properly guarded.
Ex- -Assemblyman Besson, Of Hudson
ounty, spoke for the mill owners Of
the Musconetcong Valley 1.-THE mill
owners, he said, are emitted, upon
the abandonment Of the canal, to have
the waters now diverted for the use Of
the canal returned to their natural
water course, the Musconetcong
River.p
p. G. Buck appeared for the Lake
Hopatcong Park Association and the
Lake Hopatcong Improvement Asso-
citation. He said that the original
charter showed how strong the con-
tract was between the State and the
Morris Canal Company. He said they
had no objection to abandoning the
canal, but when the owners do aban-
don it, they must abandon all Of their
water rights with it.
Richard Boardman, of Jersey City,
appeared on behalf of the interests Of
Nathaniel Niles, of Madison, who
claims to own the land under water at
Lake Hopatcong, and opposed the pas
sage Of the bill. The time was COM
ing. he said, when the water of Lake
Hopatcong would be absolutely neces-
sary to meet the wants of the people
in the more populous parts Of the
State. The State would hold the leg
islature responsible for the passage OF
any act defining how the canal should
be abandoned, and the Canal Commits
sion should not be invested with such
powers as are contained in the bill.
Former Mayor Quayle of Morristown
said that a vital defect in the bill was
that it did not provide for public bid
ding. He represented some citizens
wEo, if they could get a whack at GER
tain property, would make bid for
it. If some companies had done as
the lessees of the canal had done in
destroying navigation on the canal,
they would not, he believed, have es-
capped punishment The bill was in
better shape now than it was when
first presented, Mr.. Quayle said, in re.
ply to the remark by Mr.. Corbin that
he was making statements for which
he had no proof and Of which there
was no proof,
Assemblyman Mills. Of Norris coun-
ty, said that the property owners Of
Morris county were absolutely opposed
to the passage of the bin in its present
form. He believed that a committee
had been appointed in Morris county
to suggest some amendments TO the
bill He believed that no attempt
would be made to get the bill before
the legislature until time had been
given to offer these amendments.
Senator Hillery and Assemblyman
Mills attended a conference on the
subject at Newark on Wednesday af-
ternoon.
A conference was held in the rooms
of the Newark Board Of Trade, at
Newark. Wednesday, on amendments
to the Dufiield bill in the legislature,
providing for canal navigation aban-
donment. The conferrees were Ed
ward S. Campbell, Joseph Coult, Moses
Plaut, Walter J. Knight, Winton G.
Garrison, James Smith, jr,, John r.
Hardin, Chandler W. Riker and vii.
bur S. Mott. Of the Board Of Trade
Assemblyman DufIield; Senator Thos,
j. Hillery, Assemblyman John Mills,
and Edward A. Quayle, Of Morris
county Mayor Doremus Of Newark
and Corporation Counsel George L.
Record, of Jersey City.
The boards special committee on
the canal bill consisted OF Moses Plaut,
Edward S. Campbell and Walter J.
knight William H. Corbin, counsel
for the canal lessees, was unable to at
tend, and the lessees were not official
" represented.
The canal bill was carefully gone
over, together with the amendments
adopted By the Board of Trade. When
the conference broke up, at $40
O'Clock, al agreement had been
reached on all the points involved,
and the conference voted to have the
points adopted embodied in new bill,