Evening star., 1926-10-10
DISTRICT CLAIM TO VIRGINIA
LAND DEPENDS ON HISTORY
Disputed Tract Once Known as Alexan-
ders Island, and Still Under Capitals
Jurisdiction, Engineers Maintain.

presumably. a tract of low, SWampy
land where tide water flows. Ii is
contained in a deed from Philip Alex
ander. in which he grants right OF
way through his land To the Wash
ing,on and AleXa ndria Turnpike Co.
This would seem to support the con-
tention that there actually was land
connection between the isla nd and
the main land.
Complete Study Ordered.
But the physical evidence gathered
by the Federal engineers is TO the con
trary.
To obtain an early settlement, it
has been recommended that Capt
Harris Jones of the Pubic Buildings
and Public Parks Office. be designated
10 make an exhaustive study vi the
whole queation--the survey report.
early MAPS and records and deeds Of
the various transfers from The time
of the original grants by the British
crown-or rather by his pienipoten-
tiary, Cecil Calvert. baron of Balti-
more.
Just now it is an orphan land. Vir.
ginia exercises nominal jurisdiction.
But neither the State nor Federal Off
cials are willing to assert their rights
until they are upheld by legal
decision.
one point in question is who is
responsible fei the improvement Of
the cUtGestone road which begins at
Alexandria and ends at the railroad
tracks near the ii.chwaE Bri!.-e. Tri.
Ia nd was purchased by the United
States as an approach to the High
way Bridge. but when the bridge was
transferred to the Distric; of Column
bia it was not understood that this a D.
proach was, and therefore no one is
taking any steps to improve it.
Virginia has paved this highway be-
tween Alexandria and The sO-called
bridge approach. but District Officia Is
contend District taxpayers money
cobblestones.
Title Investigated in 1919.
The commission. which in 1912 in
veStigated the title to land of the
United States in the District of Co
lumbia. expressed the opinion that
the Federal Government had valuable
rights in made lavd below the high
water line on the Virginia shore and
recommended an appropriation to de
ternine this.
The matter was allowed to lie dor
mant until 1922. when efforts We're
being made to find a site for bath
ing beach, at which time considerable
land was found at the south end of
the Key Bridge. This was surveyed
and the shore line, as ii existed in
1864, was established and marked
some distance back from the shore
line in fact today. At that time the
Attorney General of the United States
was asked to institute proceedings to
acquire title to this land. but little
or nothing has been done.
Congress in 1923 appropriated s. 900
for another survey, and this is the
one the report on which has just be
come public. This particular land
was that being made presumably on
the bed Of the Potomac lying along
the south of AleXa nder'S Island. it
heing assumed that this waterway. or
slough. was properly part of the
Potomac River and. therefore. a part
of the District of Columbia by nature
Of it's cesson by Maryla nd,
The survey indicates that a high
water mark existed back of Alex
ander's Island, and must have existed
in the early part of the Civil War.
according to reconnais nee maps of
Army officers which were unearthed
in pursuing the survey.
Delves Into History.
The report goes at great length into
the history of the claim by Maryland
TO jurisdiction to high water mark on
the Virginia shore. II gives an in
teresting early history of the grants
from the crown, with all of the dis
turba noes of the various settlers over
the question of their respective grants.
1t brings the lines bounding the
grants down to the grant to Cecil,
Baron of Baltimore. the son of Lord
Baltimore.
The data compiled show that in
the establishment of the original Dis
trict of Columbia there was particu-
lar reference to the Potomac River
which would change the lines as laid
down in the original grant. There is
accompa nying the record an abstract
of the title to the land of AleXa nder'S
Island in which il is referred to as
an island in the Potomac" The be.
lief is expressed that additional search
will strengthen this contention and
aid in A final settlement of the dis
pute that this Is United States la nd
and within the District of Columbia