Pennsylvania Act 1943-244 — ALLOWING THE UNITED STATES TO ACQUIRE LAND

Act text

ALLOWING THE UNITED STATES TO ACQUIRE LAND
                  Act of May 21, 1943, P.L. 554, No. 244              Cl. 29
                                  AN ACT

     Giving the consent of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the
        acquisition by the United States of America of two tracts of
        land in the City and County of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
        known as the Frankford Arsenal, and ceding jurisdiction to
        the United States.

        The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     hereby enacts as follows:

        Section 1.  The consent of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     is hereby granted, in accordance with the seventeenth clause,
     eighth section of the first article of the Constitution of the
     United States, to the acquisition by the United States of
     America of two tracts of land in the City and County of
     Philadelphia, known as the Frankford Arsenal, the first tract
     known as the "Main Reservation" being bounded and described as
     follows:
        Beginning at the Northwest corner of the reservation, which
     is the point of intersection of the center lines of Tacony and
     Bridge Streets, in the City and County aforesaid and running
     thence: Along the said center line of Tacony Street the
     following three courses: (1) N. 80 degrees 23' 15" E., 802.26
     feet to a point; thence: (2) N. 67 degrees 42' 15" E., 1,157.75
     feet to a point; thence: (3) N. 52 degrees 42' 15" E., 490.35
     feet to a point in the Westerly right-of-way line of the
     Kensington and Tacony Railroad (now Pennsylvania Railroad);
     thence:
        Along the said Westerly right-of-way line the following five
     courses: (4) Southeasterly, 132.03 feet, along the arc of a
     curve to the right with a radius of 1,418 feet and a central
     angle of 5 degrees 19', the bearing and length of the subchord
     being South 38 degrees 22' 45" E., 131.99 feet, to the point of
     tangency; (5) S. 35 degrees 40' 30" E., 1,331.16 feet, along the
     tangent to said curve to the point of beginning of a curve to
     the right; (6) Southerly, 491.52 feet, along the arc of said
     curve to the right with a radius of 463 feet and a central angle
     of 60 degrees 49' 30", the bearing and length of long chord
     being S. 5 degrees 19' 00" E., 468.78 feet, to the point of
     tangency; (7) S. 25 degrees 05' 45" W., 223.47 feet, along the
     tangent to said curve to the point of beginning of a curve to
     the right; (8) Southwesterly, 192.19 feet along the arc of said
     curve to the right with a radius of 2,849.93 feet and a central
     angle of 3 degrees 51' 50", the bearing and length of subchord
     being S. 27 degrees 01' 40" W., 192.16 feet, to a point in the
     outer face of channel wall along the Northerly bank of Frankford
     Creek; thence: Along the said outer face of channel wall
     coincident with low water line of Frankford Creek the following
     four courses; (9) S. 84 degrees 18' 05" W., 78.13 feet, to a
     point; (10) N. 61 degrees 25' 25" W., 503.38 feet, to angle
     point; (11) N. 56 degrees 38' 55" W., 329.18 feet, to an angle
     point; (12) N. 61 degrees 29' 55" W., 132.72 feet, to an angle
     point; thence: (13) Westerly, 455 feet, more or less, along low
     water line to an angle point in said wall, the bearings and
     distances along the outer face of said wall (not the true
     boundary) from beginning to end of course No. 13 being as
     follows: (13-a.) N. 84 degrees 14' 10" W., 58.27 feet, to an
     angle point; (13-b.) N. 69 degrees 24' 05" W., 174.62 feet, to
     an angle point; (13-c.) S. 49 degrees 44' 05" W., 24.96 feet, to
     an angle point; (13-d.) S. 33 degrees 20' 45" W., 113.53 feet,
     to an angle point; (13-e.) S. 32 degrees 52' 25" W., 55.73 feet,
     to an angle point; (13-f.) S. 59 degrees 55' 40" W., 27.35 feet,
     to an angle point; (13-g.) S. 69 degrees 06' 05" W., 10.30 feet,
     to an angle point; thence along the said outer face of channel
     wall coincident with low water line of Frankford Creek, the
     following seven courses: (14) S. 73 degrees 50' 45" W., 16.47
     feet, to an angle point; (15) S. 73 degrees 26' 15" W., 11.27
     feet, to an angle point; (16) N. 88 degrees 51' 45" W., 8.71
     feet, to an angle point; (17) S. 82 degrees 05' 15" W., 25.44
     feet, to an angle point; (18) N. 86 degrees 39' 45" W., 76.62
     feet, to an angle point; (19) N. 84 degrees 44' 45" W., 93.69
     feet, to an angle point; (20) N. 83 degrees 05' 45" W., 217.72
     feet, to an angle point; thence: (21) Westerly, 545 feet, more
     or less, along the low water line, coincident in part with the
     Southerly face of abandoned wharf, to an angle point in said
     wall, the bearings and distances along the outer face of said
     wall (not the true boundary) from beginning to end of course No.
     21 being as follows: (21-a.) N. 84 degrees 12' 25" W., 41.31
     feet, to an angle point; (21-b.) S. 80 degrees 59' 15" W.,
     233.06 feet, to an angle point; (21-c.) S. 84 degrees 55' 05"
     W., 100.11 feet, along the wharf site to an angle point; (21-d.)
     S. 75 degrees 05' 35" W., 73.61 feet, to an angle point; (21-e.)
     S. 67 degrees 18' 15" W., 95.97 feet, to an angle point; thence:
     (22) S. 67 degrees 52' 35" W., 116.64 feet, along the outer face
     of said channel wall coincident with low water line of Frankford
     Creek, to an angle point; thence: (23) Westerly 323 feet, more
     or less, along the said low water line to a point; from which
     point the bearing and distance to the intersection of the face
     of said channel wall with the Easterly face of the stone post at
     the end of the stone wall along Bridge Street is N. 4 degrees
     15' 50" E., 21.79 feet, from said intersection the bearing and
     distance along the face of said channel wall (not the true
     boundary), to the point of beginning of course No. 23 is N. 61
     degrees 11' 35" E., 304.86 feet; thence: (24) N. 19 degrees 00'
     00" W., 66 feet, along the Easterly edge of a former road to a
     point; thence: (25) S. 71 degrees 00' 00" W., 16.5 feet, to a
     point in the center line of Bridge Street; thence: (26) N. 19
     degrees 00' 00" W., 547.58 feet, along the said center line of
     Bridge Street to a point; thence: (27) N. 12 degrees 11' 25" W.,
     627.67 feet, along the said center line to the point of
     beginning.
        The main reservation as above described containing an area of
     87.73 acres, more or less, subject to an easement to the City of
     Philadelphia, dated October 16, 1926, for right-of-way for sewer
     purposes.
        The second tract known as Parcel A., being described as
     follows:
        Beginning at the corner in the present sea wall which marks
     the intersection of the pierhead line and bulkhead line of the
     Delaware River at the mouth of Frankford Creek as established in
     1908 and running thence: (1) N. 87 degrees 02' 17" W., 44.99
     feet, along the outer face of said sea wall on the North side of
     said creek to a point; thence: (2) S. 84 degrees 18' 05" W.,
     70.04 feet, continuing along said wall, to a point in the
     Southeasterly right-of-way line of the Kensington and Tacony
     Railroad (now Pennsylvania Railroad), which point is 15.00 feet
     distance Easterly measured at right angles from the center line
     of the right-of-way of said railroad; thence: (3) Northeasterly,
     173.55 feet, along the said right-of-way line, 15.00 feet
     distant from, and parallel to said center line, following a
     curve to the left, with a radius of 2,879.93 feet, and a central
     angle of 3  degrees 27' 10" the bearing and distance of the
     subchord being N. 26 degrees 49' 20" E., 173.52 feet, to the
     point of tangency; thence: (4) N. 25 degrees 05' 45" E., 512.72
     feet along said right-of-way line which is the tangent to said
     curve to the extreme Northerly corner of parcel; thence: (5) S.
     35 degrees 43' 30" E., 500.22 feet, to the pierhead line in
     Delaware River, intersecting the outer face of concrete sea wall
     at a point 197.13 feet from beginning of course; thence: (6) S.
     32 degrees 20' 10" W., 262.76 feet, along said pierhead line,
     downstream, to a point; thence: (7) N. 87 degrees 25' 15" W.,
     331.35 feet, along the pierhead line of 1908, to the point of
     beginning.
        The parcel as described contains an area of 4.532 acres, more
     or less, of which 1.904 acres, more or less, are upland and
     2.628 acres, more or less, are submerged lands, together with
     any rights to submerged lands the United States may have
     acquired by the revised pierhead line of 1921.
        The entire reservation consisting of the main reservation and
     Parcel A contains an area of 92.26 acres, more or less, of which
     2,628 acres, more or less, are submerged lands together with any
     rights to submerged lands the United States may have acquired by
     the revised pierhead line of 1921, excepting, however, those
     tracts over which jurisdiction was ceded by sections three and
     four of the Act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
     Pennsylvania, approved the thirteenth day of June, one thousand
     eight hundred forty (Pamphlet Laws, six hundred seventy-nine),
     entitled "An act to authorize the Lewisburg and Jersey Shore
     Turnpike Road and Bridge Company, to erect gates and receive
     tolls, and for other purposes," and the Act of the General
     Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, approved the
     thirtieth day of March, one thousand nine hundred seventeen
     (Pamphlet Laws, twenty-nine), entitled "An act giving the
     consent of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the purchase by
     the United States of land contiguous to the Frankford Arsenal,
     in Philadelphia County, for arsenal purposes, and ceding
     jurisdiction over said land; and providing for the retention of
     concurrent jurisdiction by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with
     the United States, over said land for the service of legal
     processes thereupon."
        Section 2.  Exclusive jurisdiction in and over the aforesiad
     lands is hereby ceded to the United States of America by the
     Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the erection of forts,
     magazines, arsenals, dock yards and other needful buildings,
     with the exception of roads abutting on said lands to be used by
     the United States for military and other public purposes which
     are not already under the jurisdiction of the United States.
        Section 3.  The jurisdiction so ceded to the United States of
     America is granted upon the express condition that the
     Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall retain concurrent
     jurisdiction with the United States in and over the lands and
     buildings aforesaid, in so far that civil process in all cases
     and such criminal process as may issue under the authority of
     the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania against anyone charged with
     crime committed outside said land, may be executed thereon in
     the same manner as if this jurisdiction had not been ceded. The
     United States shall retain such jurisdiction so long as the said
     land shall be used for the purposes for which jurisdiction is
     ceded and no longer.
        Section 4.  The jurisdiction so ceded to the United States
     shall be upon the further condition that the Commonwealth
     reserves to itself and its political subdivisions whatever power
     of taxation it may constitutionally reserve to levy and collect
     all taxes now or hereafter imposed by the Commonwealth and its
     political subdivisions upon property, persons and franchises
     within the boundaries so ceded.
        Section 5.  This act shall become effective immediately upon
     its final enactment.