The Washington herald., 1913-09-08
VALUABLE Land
TITLES DISPUTED
Government Property De-
clared to Be Held by Per-
sons and Corporations. :
LARGE SUM Is INVOLVED
Equity Suits Are Being Prepared for
Assertion of Rights Of the
United States.
LARGE SUM IS INVOLVED

said to be clearly vested in the Unitet
States
Many parcels of land along the watel
front of the city have been found by
the commission to have been added Il
the original city of Washington an6
probably the property of the United
States. Upon evidence accumulated by
the Investigations Of the commission
several equity suits have been filed by
direction of the Attorney General in the
District Supreme Court, under the act
approved April p, 1919, and many similar
suits may follow.
Commission Adds Land.
The amount of land which the commits.
sion determined has been added to the
original city is 2,7o3.SOS square feet, OF
62.07 acres. A moderate estimate of the
value of this land is placed at $50, ISL
though, according to estimates based
upon the asking price in several trans
actions in which the United States or
the District of Columbia is attempting
to purchase property in the vicinity OF
the water front, an estimate OF approx
mately one million dollars is given The
lands entering into this bulk estimate
are situated on the AnacOstia river, Rock
Creek and the Potomac river.
The saving OF these water front land:
to the United States probably will prove
the principal accomplishment Of tht
labors OF the commission. provided the
title of the United States to these lands
is upheld and established by the District
Supreme Court, which has been given
Jurisdiction in these cases by the afoIe-
mentioned act of Congress.
Various interior parcels of land were
found in the course OF the commi ssion's
inVaGfipufinnG nf uvhf the limited
States still seems to be the owner
though not in possession of the property;
and many other instances where the
United States remained in the possession
of bare legal titles, but wnere the gov
ernment's interest in the property was
little or nonassertible.
One of the outgrowths or the m 1ute
investigation was the report upon the IN
satisfactory condition of the old records
of title of lands in the District. A sim
liar dissatisfaction was expressed with
the present law of the District as to the
basis of title. and the commission has
suggested to Congress that the convey
ances of the original Commissioners OF
the city of Washington and their sue
cessors should be established as the
origin of real estate titles in the city.
In order to correct the confusion that
exists to some extent in the land records
of the District, the commission has made
a card index of the titles in the original
city of Washington by squares and lots
as far as the Investment of these titles
from the United States. It is intended to
deposit this index in the office of Public
Buildings and Grounds, along with the
original records of the city, which have
been ordered by the commission and ar
ranged for permanent preservation. The
notes and other data collected by the
commission will be placed in the same
office.
Firms Possess Land.
Several prominent firms and corpora
tions are in possession of parcels of water
front land. the titles to which the COM
mission believes it can show are still
vested in the United States and in which
the United States has all the elements
of ownership except that of possession.
Among these firms and corporations are
the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washing
ton Railroad Company. the Washington
Gas Light Company, American Ice Com
pany, Alfred Richards Brick Company.
the Washington Asphalt Block Tile Com
pany, Littlefeld, Alvord & Co., Christian
Heurich. the Crawford Paving Company
Analostan Boat Club, the J. Maury Dove
Co., and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Company.
There are twenty-five equity suits now
prepared for the assertion of the owner
ship of the United States to various par
cells of land adversely claimed on the
city's water front on the Anacostia and
Rivers and on Rock Greek.
Among those made defendants by these
suits are the Washington Gas Light Com
pany, the Philadelphia, Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad Company; the American
H. q
Littlefield, AKord & Co.: Christian
Crawford Paving Company, J.
Maury Dove Co.. Analostan Boat Club
and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Com
cany.
With the opening term Of the District
Supreme Court in October, the prosecu-
ton of these and other cases will be
,arried forward. According to the latest
analysis Of the suits already filed by the
several of the actions have
been suspended pending negotiations for
Basis of Litigation. q,
In its last report to Congress, the
indicated that reason may be
'ound for additional litigation under the
general heads:
l. Made land existing on the Virginia
side OF the river.
2. Made land on the south side of the
Anacostia River.
3. Made land on the Georgetown side
of Rock Creek.
4. Property within the original high
water lines of the Anacostia River, north
y the limits OF the original city of WASH
ngton.
Basis for the United States claim to
water front lands in question is that in
The original Manning of the city Water
Street marked, along much of its course,
the bounds of the city squares of the
original city, which squares constituted
he only land In the city that the original
OF Washington were
bound to divide in fair proportions with
he original owners of the land; all other
land fell to the United States in fee
simple.
The water front land in litigation, or
to be put in litigation for the establish
nent Of the title Of the United States