The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-02-07
CHIPERFIELD COMMITTEES
REPORT ON SUBMERGED LAND
ATTACKS PRIVATE OWNERSHIP
Declares Condition at East St. | uis IatoIIerable
AT Cairo 1882 Acres Of River Front May
be Claimed by tae---Suits Urged to
Restore Property Rights

Springfield, H., Feb. G.--COndi
tons quite as bad as those along the
Lake Michigan coast line and along
the Chicago river regarding land grab
according to additional disclosures
made today In the report of the Caif-
erfield commission.
The report deals specifically with
the Cslumet river, ne Fox river at
Egin, the Illinois river, the river
fronts at East st. Louis and Cairo,
the Desplaincs river, the Mississippi
river and the OHIO and Wabash rivers.
The commission finds that S,CSl
acres have been filled in alocg the
Illinois river alone. The greatest part
OF this lies in Tazewell county, oppo-
site Peoria
AS near as can he estimated, ma e
lands from acretions amount to 30
acres per nile on the Illinois, except
in Tazewell county, and are nearly
uniformly distributed.
The action of the war department,
through the United States engineers
office, in granting PERMISSION TO mal1
fills in the different rivers, Is severe
ly criticised by the commission, which
holds that suc1 permission is used
merely as prcfext and shield by
those sealing to fiji in navigable
streams The commission maintains
that the granting Of these permits is
clearly an assumption Of power which
does not belong to the war depart
ment.
brief summary of the main fea-
lures contained in tho separate rG-
ports of the different streams Is oo2-
tanned in part in the following.
Illinois River
Notable e"c"oachments oncrr al
Marseilcs, Ottawa, Peoria and Pekin,
wherel valuable land hes been Illegal
" taken. At Pekin the railroad and
distillenes have been particularly
tive
The rivee's Importance as a water
way is second only to it's value rs a
fishing ggound Erhroaehments upon
the bel are trespass on the rights
of the public, or in violation of laws
of the state, and should be vigorously
dealt with.
River Front, East ST. Louis.
This portion of the commissions
finding is of sensational character
The condition which exists at East
st. Lor's are represented as wholly
and G irely intolerable, calling for
most aggressive action. The revoca-
ton f the Virgins Ferry Company's
charter Is favored, If necessary, to put
East st. Louis, as far as the public
is concerned, actually on the river.
The commission does not believe that
any litigation that has taken place
so far is conclusive against the state.
1882 Acres at Cairo.
Without taking into account any
artificial filing which may have oc-
CURED along the river at Cairo, 1882
acres of made land have formed
along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers
within the limits of the city.
Mississippi River.
Lack of sufficient appropriation
prevented thorough investigation
on this point. Numerous large bars
have heen formed and below Alton,
in township number ), nearly 1000
acres have been addc to the area OF
Illinois since 1916. Township num-
ber | is composed entirely of acrea-
tons.
At East st. Loris more than 750
acres OF acreations nave occurred. A
portion of this area has been artifi.
cially formed b ythe construction of
piers and other work.
AS a reason for this in it's volumin-
Gus reports the commission says:
Unless conclusions and deductions
are preserved and set forth In this
way, II would require as much efffet
on the part Of others WHO may
coed to our work or lasire to in,
tigate, TO draw these deductions as 1t
was upon our part to make the orig.
nal investigation, and for that reason
we have fe't impeled to neglect no
phase or aspect, of this question, and
thus we have gone into the matter
more thoroughly than we should other
wi5e have done had we not 'heen taus
impressed with the necessity for TAX
ing action in the matter"
Sixty Per Ger. in Chicago.
Sixty per cent Of the alleged ag-
eressions, or 1,0S7 acres, lie in Chi
cago. From the bed of the Chicago
river the report finds twenty-five
acres have been taken without war
rant, while on the Calumet river five
and Half miles Of survey by Eugi-
neer F.. H. Hebron disclosed sixty
five acres of encroacnments.
Severe criticisms are aimed at The
city, of Chicago AMI the Lincoln Park
board for Indifference" and negli
gsnce. Separate treatment is given
Streeterville, the Conncry-Corbeti
tract, the Illinois Central and en-