Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-03-18
FIRST Of MEADOW
SUIT TRIALS IS ON
Lawyer Says Land in Same Sec
ton Has Brought $500
an Acre.

The first of d series of suits TO de-
termine what the city of Newark shall
pay former United States Senator
James Smith, jr., for property owned
by him in the Peddie street canal zone
and which is desired by the city for
the Improvement of the water front
and canal, is on hearing before a jury
in the Circuit Court before Judge Nell
son Y. DUNCAN.
All told, there are nine suits IN
volved in the proceedings, in winch
parcels known as Nos. 2 and I are in
volved today. The entire amount OF
land desired by the city is a trifle over
l5S acres. that located in the " plots
in the suit now in hearing amounting
to 54.25 acres, of which No. ,. Ito
acres, IS in a single plot at the juno
ton of Peddie street and the Newark
and Elizabeth branch of the Central
Railroad of New jersey. while No. Z
is composed of seven different parcels
along the line of the proposed Peddie
canal, or on the Newark bay water
front.
A condemnation commission COM
posed of Oscar Keen, f. A. Borcher-
ling and David Young, in January last
awarded Mr.. Smith about 500, 900 as
compensation for the property. Both
the city and the lawyers for Mr.. smith
objected to this award and an appeal
was taken by both sides.
1t is on this appeal that today's case
is based. Frederick J. Faukls. of
counsel for Senator Smith. in opening
the case. referred to two large maps
and described in detail to the jury the
property involved in the case now on
hearing. He stated that Senator Smith
had bought the property from time to
time for investment purposes and had
as yet acquired ATTY benefit from
it. Under the condemnation proceed
ings he would have no choice in the
matter except to sell at the price
named by the condemnation commits
s%ioners, which fixed the value Of the
land at about $500 an acre.
Mr.. Faulks told of the great increase
in lam values in that neighborhood in
recent years and called attention to the
railroads running through it or ad-
jacent to it and also the large railroad
yards of the Pennsylvania and of the
Lehigh Valley roads lying practically
contiguous. He also referred to the fact
that several streets had been opened
in the canal one long ago.
He proved this when George e.
Brandley. of the city engineers office,
was put on the stand as the first wit
ness. He said that Peddie street had
been opened as a street by city ordi-
as far as Avenue \ in 1871 and
tl.& =, 1900 - hi l.,,. .,TN1anl e, N-aY4-
ark bay as a ditch for drainage rur-
poses. Avenue r was opened by ordi-
nance in 1896 and Bay avenue in 1895.
Mr.. Faulks claimed that he would be
able to show that the land in ques-
ton. and in close proximity to the land
in question, had sold at high prices for
many years past. For railroad prop
critics and for manufacturing plants he
said as high as S1.200 an acre had been
1f1%.eaFs ago in the canal zone. He
said that railroads had purchased land
removed from the water front in
1897 for $500 an acre and that lane
between the main line of the Pennsyl-
eanio Railroad. rear Avenue a, and the
Newark Bay water front had frequent
~ sold for from $1,000 to $500 an acre.
For this reason he claimed that the
value of $500 an acre placed on the
owned by Senator Smith was en-
tirely too low. Mr.. Faulks told the
jury all he or his client wished was
proper value for the hand in question.
George A.. Gardner. William II. Will
and Dennis L. Hanrehan. all of
whom had dealt in meadow lands as real
dealers and agents. testified hat
property in the vicinity of the tracts in
question was worth far more Than the
appraisal value fixed by the condemna-
ton commission.