Chapter 182. Authorizing the Secretary of Commerce to exchange the land now occupied by the Schooner Ledge Range Front Light Station at the mouth of Crum Creek, Pennsylvania, for other lands adjacent thereto which are intersected by the axis of the Chester Range Line of the Delaware River, and authorizing the Se
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CHAP. 182.— An Act Authorizing the Secretary of Commerce to exchange the land now occupied by the Schooner Ledge Range Front Light Station at the mouth of Crum Creek, Pennsylvania, for other lands adjacent thereto which are intersected by the axis of the Chester Range Line of the Delaware River, and authorizing the Secretary of Commerce to remove said Schooner Ledge Range Front Light Station after certain conditions have been complied with. June 28, 1916. [[S. 5244](/us/bill/64/s/5244).] [[Public, No. 118](/us/pl/64/118).] *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, * Schooner Ledge Light Station, Pa.
Exchange of lands with Alba B. Johnson and Samuel M. Vauclain on Delaware River. Land conveyed by United States. That the Secretary of Commerce be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to grant and convey to Alba B. Johnson and Samuel M. Vauclain all that certain lot or piece or parcel of land granted and conveyed to the United States of America by the president and company of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company by deed dated December twenty-ninth, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, situated in Tinicum Township, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, described according to a recent survey as follows:
Beginning at a point in the south side of the entrance gate to the basin (for the storage of canal boats in winter) on the upper side of the mouth of Crum Creek and running thence along the cross bank dividing said basin from the meadow at the mouth of Crum Creek south four degrees west one hundred and fifty-seven feet; thence south thirteen degrees fifty-five minutes east one hundred feet; thence south twenty-six degrees east three hundred and nineteen feet, more or less, to low-water line in the Delaware River; thence by the low-water line of the Delaware River and Crum Creek to the place of beginning, containing five acres, more or less, being part of a certain larger tract or parcel of land which240 the “president, managers, and company of the Schuylkill Navigation Company,” by a certain indenture dated the twelfth day of July, anno Domini eighteen hundred and seventy, recorded, and so forth, granted, and conveyed unto the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company, their successors and assigns, together with the free and uninterrupted use, right, liberty, and privilege of passage in and along a certain roadway sixteen feet wide next to the line of Crum Creek and upon the bank extending along and following the course of the said creek from the railroad of the Philadelphia and Wilmington Railroad Company to the herein-described premises as now in use; for and in consideration of the said Alba B.
Johnson and Samuel M.By Alba B. Johnson and Samuel M. Vauclain. Vauclain granting and conveying to the United States in fee simple the following-described premises and rights of way situated on Crum Creek, after its course shall have been changed, in the county of Delaware, State of Pennsylvania, now belonging to them, to wit: A certain piece or parcel of land whose boundaries shall form a parallelogram containing one acre, more or less, with two hundred feet frontage on the east side of the new course of Crum Creek, Pennsylvania, which frontage shall be intersected by the axis or center line of Chester Range, at a point to be approved by the Secretary of Commerce, together with the full and uninterrupted use, right, liberty, and privilege of passage for persons and vehicles over an accessible, direct, and improved right of way sixteen feet wide, wholly above high-water mark, from the premises above described to the right of way of the Chester branch of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company, the said right of way to be used in common and wholly maintained by the said Alba B.
Johnson and Samuel M. Vauclain, their heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, and kept in passable condition at all times; also a suitable and sufficient right of way for beams of light on the Chester Range Line over all the property on said range line between the proposed permanent front and rear lights of Chester Range, and to the southward and westward of said front light: *Provided, *That the Attorney General shall*Provisos.*Examination of title. first examine the title of said Alba B.
Johnson and Samuel M. Vauclain to premises to be conveyed to the United States as aforesaid and shall furnish his written opinion in favor of the validity thereof: *ProvidedConveyance. further, *That the said Alba B. Johnson and Samuel M. Vauclain, within such reasonable time after the passage of this Act as may be determined by the Secretary of Commerce, shall deed to the United States the premises herein described to be conveyed by them: *And provided further, *That the conveyance of the herein-described lot orImprovements on land to be conveyed. parcel of land now owned by the United States of America shall not be made and the title thereto shall not pass to the said Alba B.
Johnson and Samuel M. Vauclain until the following shall have been done by said persons without expense to the United States and to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Commerce: First, erect a bulkhead of permanent construction on the easterly side of the new course of Crum Creek along the entire frontage of the premises to be conveyed to the United States of America, which shall consist of a timber pile foundation supporting a timber platform, and a gravity section concrete retaining wall of the same construction as approved by the United States Engineer office and now being erected on the southwest side of the mouth of Crum Creek; second, fill the entire plot of land to be conveyed to the United States with sand, earth, or other suitable material to an elevation of twelve feet above mean low water; third, dredge a channel from the premises to be conveyed to the United States to the main channel of the Delaware River having a depth of not less than six feet at mean low water; fourth, construct and make available for the purposes of the United States the improved right of way for the passage of persons and vehicles provided for herein: *And provided further, *That the conveyance shall not be made by theErection of light station.241 United States and title shall not pass from the United States until the permanent tower and dwelling proposed to be built by it on the land to be conveyed to it shall be ready for occupancy, nor until all valuable lighthouse property is removed by the United States from the site to be conveyed by it: *And provided further, *That the existingExisting lights continued. lights now in use shall Continue, without interference by said Alba B.
Johnson and Samuel M. Vauclain, until the establishment by the United States of permanent lights on Chester Range. Sec. 2. That the said Alba B. Johnson and Samuel M. Vauclain,Commencement of improvements. upon the passage of this Act, and after the rendition by the Attorney General of his opinion in favor of the validity of the title to be conveyed to the United States and the conveyance to the United States of such title, shall have the right to proceed with improvements upon the tract to be conveyed by the United States, except upon such portions as are actually required for lighthouse purposes, under conditions to be prescribed by the Secretary of Commerce.
Sec. 3. That all expenses incurred by the United States in makingExpenses to be paid from Lighthouse Service. the exchange of property herein authorized, including the cost of such abstracts, official certifications, and evidences of title as the Attorney General may deem necessary, and all expenses incurred in removing such lighthouse property on the present site as may be advantageous to the interests of the Government shall be payable from the appropriation “General expenses, Lighthouse Service,” for the fiscal years in which such expenses are incurred.
Approved, June 28, 1916.