Evening star., 1935-09-10
1612 INDIAN TOWN
CITED IN VIRGINIA
BOUNDARY CLAIM
Attorney Ball Argues 1912
Map Supports States
Right to Area.
AIRPORT DECLARED
IMPERILED BY CASE
Ruling Favoring Government
Would Wipe Out Half the
Field, Counsel Says.

An Indian village once was located
on the point of land" formerly known
as Alexanders Island, where the
Washington Hoover Airport now is
located. Frank L. Ball of Virginia to-
day told the District Virginia Boundary
Commission.
Holding in his hand the famous So
called John Smith" map of the Poto-
mac River as of 1912, former State
Senator Ball said the maker of the
map was unknown to history, but it
had been definitely established that
John Smith himself learned the name
of the Indian village on that point
when he sailed up the Potomac and. in
turn, told this to the mapmaker.
Ball was using the map and refer
ence to this place in support of his
argument that Alexanders Island in
reality was a point of land and never
officially considered by the Govern
ment as an island. Ball called it a
peninsula.
Fears Ruin to Airport.
Claiming the District Virginia
boundary should run at low-water
mark. Ball charged that the Federal
Governments claim to high-water
mark would take over so much OF the
airport that it would practically
ruin" the airport. The burden OF
proof lay on the Government, Ball
claimed. to show that the high-Water
mark was the correct boundary, and
TO do that, he declared, the Govern
ment would have to contradict every
one who had looked at the land per-
sonally in 1871 or anywhere near
that"
Ball referred to several other
maps in support OF his contention,
but concerning the John Smith map,
the Virginian said 1t shows beyond
any peradventure of doubt that John
Smith saw an Indian village there.
and got from the Indians the name
of their village, and that his attention
was directed to this point of land"
Counsel for the United States pre-
viously had claimed that Alexanders
Island was an island, that the STRAIT
between the island and the mainland
of Virginia was bed Of the Potomac
River" and belonged to the United
States.
OF the lat acres Of the airport,
which cost 81 500. 900, it is understood
that the disputed portion consists OF
about half the airport, or about 1914
acres, formerly a marsh, which had
been filled In and Is now used for
runways and part Of the landing field.
Other Property Discussed.
These runways and part of the land
ing field claimed by the Federal Gov
ernment were declared by Ball to be
necessary to the airport and to its
very existence"
The Virginia State counsel also
took up the question of several other
pieces of property in the disputed
area to the south of the airport along
the river front.
Recent agreement as to the bound
ary line at Alexandria, however, was
believed to have disposed Of the largest
part of the controversy as regards
property values. The agreement, for
mally filed by Judge G. A. Iverson,
special assistant attorney general, has
been approved by representatives Of
both Alexandria and the United States
and it is understood will be recon-
mended by the Commission to Con-
gress and to the Legislatures OF Vir-
ginia and Maryland.
Remaining in controversy now are
principally the airport lands, Roose-
velt Island, Reaches Run and some
other property. Originally the dis
puted property was estimated to be
valued at more than $300,000,ooo.