The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-07-26
Big Price For Land
Investigation Reveals That
Charleston Land Owners Tried
To Hold Up Government

Washington, July 22.-Having found
that the price per acre now demanded
from the government for land requisi-
toned in building the embarkation
terminal at Charleston, S. c., would
represent about 10000 per cent in
crease" over the purchase price of six
years ago, the war department board
Of appraisers has submitted report
recommending a fiat refusal. In
stead of the $79S,500 asked for the
principal claimant, the report recon-
mends payment of $42.460 as fair
and just compensation for the prop
erty and all damage resulting from the
governments reIuiSition.
Lieut.. Col. Ralph w. Donges. chair
man Of the appraisal board, fixed a
maximum value of 500 per acre as
compared with S1,SS7 demanded by
one claimant.
1T is needless to say" the boards
report said, that very compelling
reasons should be shown to warrent
such a remarkable increase in values
as are here claimed. 1t is reported
that there was paid about $4,000 per
acre for Hog Island within a mile or
two of the third greatest city of the
United States, and on the Delaware
River on which is very great volume
of shipping And yet that transac-
ton was made the subject of investi-
cation and much adverse criticism.
Certainly a demand for the same
price for marsh lands six and one
CSl-@ SC 20
for careful. painstaking investigation
to determine the cause of such pro-
nounced increases from IS an acre in
1908 and s35 in 1912 to over $1,000 in
1918"
The claimants are identified in the
report as the Fiibin Corporation es-
tate of J. P. Lockwood, and the Char
lesion Farms Corporation. the last
named being controlled by Mr. Rhett.
a banker who had just finished term
as mayor Of Charleston
Comparison of the various claims
and the awards made in each case
follows:
Claimed. Awarded.
Charleston Farms
Corporation ..s244,52s s5s.43s.5o
Filbin Corporation 7S9, 1850
Estate J. P. Lock
wood SITE
OF the $50 acres requistioned by
the government. the Charleston
Farms Corporation held about 800 Of
which 232 were said to be salt
marsh lands. having an elevation OF
approximately normal high tide ana
being covered at spring tide and storm
tides The upland property was de-
scribed as originally deriving "prac-
tically its entire value from the
standing timber, cut over land being
of very little val1e.
The peninsula was wilderness
with no passable roads through 1t
and visited only by the lulnbernen
working there and an occasiona!
hunter Colonel Donges found. and
calls attention to the fact that prop
erty in the center of the citys water
front sold recently for from $3.50 to
$1,000 per acre.
During the last ten years only tws
new industries have located near the
property in question. the report
shows. These industries paid less than
half the price asked for the terminal
property although they secured III
both cases water and retail facilities
entirely lacking in the acreage now
| involved OF the witnesses produced
by the claimants to bear out the val
lie placed on the property Colone'
!; Donses describes four as promoter:
of the project and naturally saw fu
| ture possibilities rather than presen'
| values. 1T was evident that none o.
| the witnesses had made careful
ANALYSIS of conditions in order to testi
| fy in helpful way. 1t was apparent
tha. all projected their Imagination
| into the future.