Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-29
GIVES UP HIS TITLE
Sidney Bieber ReIinquishes
Claim to Land.
TURNED OVER TO THE U. S.
Congress Had Tried Vainly to Re.
peal Act Authorizing Sale.
COL. LANGFITT GETS THE DEED
Rights in Case Had Threatened to
Interfere With Aancostia River
Improvement Plans.

| Sidney Bieber today voluntarily turn
ed over to the United States quit
claim deed relinquishing all his rights
to strip of land bordering the Ana
costa river between 18th and 23d
| streets southeast Thus is accomplish
ed by Mr.. Bieber's own act what
sturdy but unsuccessful efforts in
Congress have been unable to push
through in the way of a repeal of the
act authorizing the sale of the land to
Mr.. Bieber.
The Improvement of the Anacostia
river. under the appropriations of
Congress, has extended up to this land
in which Mr.. Bieber had right. and
his rights threa tened to interfere with
the further improvement When he
learned of this situation he communi-
Gated with Col. W. c.. Langfitt, en-
gineer officer in charge of local water
way improvements. and offered to give
over the quit-claim deed to remove
the barrier OF course, the offer was
accepted at once. and the deed was
placed in the hands of Col. Langfitt
this morning
The property covered by the deed lies
between other land owned by Mr.. Bieber
and the Anacostia river. Mr.. Bieber still
retains about seven acres of ground
farther back from the river. Its value
will be enhanced by the improvements
in the river alongside the property to
which he today gave the government a
clear title.
Acquired in 1907.
Mr.. Bieber's rights in the property
which he transferred today were acquired
under a paragraph in public buildings
bill approved March 2. 1907. That direct
ed the Secretary Of War to convey to
Mr. Bieber all the interests Of the United
States in the land lying south of squares
previously sold to Mr.. Bieber and between
those squares and the channel Of the
Anacostia river. Mr.. Bieber, 1t was spec
flied, was to pay for the property such
price as the Secretary of War. upon
consideration of all the circumstances.
shall determine proper to be paid for the
said land
The Secretary of War appointed board
of three officers Of the Corps of Engineers
to investigate and report on the value
of the land. On this board were the Of
ficer in charge of public buildings and
grounds. the officer In charge OF the I'M
provement of the Anacostia and Potomac
rivers and the assistant engineer commits
SOner of the District.
This board determined that the value
of the interests of the United States in the
land was 1000. Mr.. Bieber refused to
pay this price, claiming that by reason OF
the character and location of the prop
erty and the fact that a strip sixtysix
feet wide extending through it was occu-
pied by the Pennsylvania railroad the
price was excessive.
Cloud on the Title.
Mr.. Bieber. therefore, never took title
to the land, but the provision of law was
considered a cloud on the title because
Mr. Bieber could take possession just as
soon as he laid down the purchase price
on the desk of the Secretary of War Mr.
Bieber's interest in the land was con-
sidered SO strong that the Senate COM
mittee on public buildings asd grounds in
| May recommended the passage of a bill
repeating the law under which Mr.. Bieber
could buy the land.
The committee urged the repeal on the
ground that the law stood in the way
OF any reclamation work that may be
carried on under the provision OF the
District Of Columbia appropriation bill OF
last year providing 100000 for the I'M
provement and reclamation of the Ana
costa river flats. The appropriation OF
another 100000 in the more recent Dis
| tr1ct appropriation bill made the repeal OF
| this law all the more imperative. If the
reclamation work was to go ahead.
The recent action of the Senate COM
mittee on public buildings and grounds.
however, was not the first attempt in
Congress to repeal the old law and take
away from Mr.. Bieber the right he had
| to purchase 1t. Senator Thomas H. Car
| ter of Montana made the effort several
years ago, and the same move has been
made in practically every Congress since
But the efforts have been uniformly un-
successful