Evening journal., 1905-07-17
SEA IS MAKING
LARGE FORTUNES
Petition to Move Atlantic
City's boardwalk Shows
Curious Conditions
WANT 10 ERECT STRUCTURES
An Atlantic city special says.

An Atlantic City special says
The caprice Of the sea is responsible
for many things, but no more interest
.ng details have come to light than
have been revealed in the petition pre-
scented by a party Of property owngrs
for the moving OF the boardwalk fur
ther out near the water, which is now
before the city Council. They ask
that they be permitted TO use the land
made along the beach for building
purposes.
The land in question is between
Massachusetts, ard Maine avenues.
The ocean bounds Il ON the east and
the inlet on the north. For several
years the sea has retreated and piled
up sand. The deep pool where persons
bathed last year is now gone, and
where yachts used TO cruise near the
old iron pier is now stretch OF hard
beach. The land which the petitioners
seek to reclaim extends for a quarter
of mile along the boardwalk. and
where the sea has receded over two
hundred feet.
An ordinance of many years stand
ing provides that when there is aCded
500 feet of land along the boardwalk
the Esplanade shall be moved and, un-
til il is moved. the land extending be-
tween the boardwalk and the sea shall
be exempt from taxation. The riparian
law gives all beach front land to the
owners of this property. There has
been made by the sea almost twice as
much land east of the boardwalk as is
necessary to make the moving of the
boardwalk to the waters edge legal.
Some years ago Mrs. Mary II. Woot-
en-. now the owner of the Leland Hotel
in Massachusetts avenue, and Captain
John Young. the owner Of the ocean
pier, and others organized the Beach
improvement Company and purchased
land bordering on what was then the
waters edge in this section of the city
| II was a large tract. for which they
paid $4,000. Since the sea has re-
ceded this land has increased in value
until today it cannot be bought Soi
less than $1,000 a foot. The shrewd in
vestors also aided nature by the erec-
ton of jetties, which caused the water
to take a different course and aided
materially in making their fortunes. A
the time the first jetty was built Paci-
fc avenue was less than 100 feet from
the ocean. Today it is 1000 feet from
the water.
Five years after the purchase OF the
land for $4,000 Isaac Bacharach. one
Of the organizers of the Beach I'm
lprovement Company. sold only part O
his interest for S25O.00O. On this sit'
the Royal Palace Hotel. one Of thu
largest on the Atlantic coast, wal
erected. ldrs. Mary II. Wooten, wher
she placed her savings in the Beacl
Improvement Company, was forced e
protect her hotel from the intrusion o
1.-THE water Today it stands two block
from the water and is protected b,
thigh sandbanks. This land. whicl
was made by the ocean, is regarded a
1.-THE most valuable in the city.
The most curious complications ar
revealed in the old iron pier site. Th
base of the pier is on one mans prop
lerty. while the outer edge of the struct
lure stands on land belonging to an
lother man. AS long as the sea re
NAMED high and did not expose tn
Hand there was no contention. bu
when it receded and made propert
worth thousands Of dollars there wa
trouble. Richard Burkhart and Loui
McAllister. the respective owners, de
manded one of two things-rent fo
that part of the pier which stood o
their land or the entire removal Of I'll
structure. The owners declined
comply with their demand and III
New Jersey courts will have to settl
the question.