GRGVERSELLgas Av- II.'l%cs~6
*-- O-AX.
RonorableBrtsoom
Glles
&missioner of Gewrel Imd Offioe
AuLustin,Tens
Dear Sir: OpiaioaN. G-6166
Rsr Reservationnad dispositionof
exoessaorsageof river bed in
awardof laadvalidatedby &all Land
Bill,AZ%. 54141,V&C.&, priorto
p&eat.
Wb aoknowlsdgo
rsoeiptof your opialoarequestwhich readsaa
fOllOWSI
“A requesthas beaninadsof tM GeneralLand OfPica
for the.issuaaosoi ptsnts oa two trcrote
of laadwithin
Ssctioa144,BlockD, Ii.d:T.C.Ry. Co. Surreyin Stonewall
county. @nr recordsrwml the hots to be the following;
"Thc&the Roueit?~aadTexas I%*+ Xbilrrry
c_opI~ny
hawingoaupleted a portionof Its road Imd ma, by Jaoob
Kueohlsr, Cdssionsr of the Gsneml Land Offioa, on July 1,
16‘72, issuedLund LloripCertifiolte No. 30/25&p,s&d oampny
beingentitledunderthe provisions of itr ohutsr radths
generallaws gommiagthe same$oeO lore#of land to be
loo&ad upon~9y of tha unresemsd, vacantaad rmrpproprirted
publicdonmiaof the Stateof Tars1
Vhdi bJrtirtusof aid‘lmad Borip&tlf'laateNo, So/
2564 fisldmter owering 640 lren OP laadd;dsrrigaatsda~
Seation144,BlookD, wsre canpiledfrm a surwy made Ootobsr
18, 1672,and fliedin the GoaeralIaad Offioeoa H-bar 25,
1072,
*Thatthr SE/4of Sootion144,BloolrD, aa oontaiaing
160 aortaof'land,wue awardedw Ootober6, 1894,to Reary
Anderaoacm hfs l ppltoatioa
reoeivedin the knd Offfoeoa
Ssptanbar 27, 1894;
""hatthe R/4 of Se&ion 144,BlockD, aa containing
I60 mxwi of land,1.1 oa l!areh12, 1898 warded to R. L.
Vanleeron his applioatioa filedin the t,nd Offioeon Narcm-
her 26, 18978
Bon. B~SOQI51108,Page 2 (o-8166)
"Thnton Ootobsr 26, 1901,thereore fl1ed.b the
Ceaeml Land.OPfioeoorrwted fieldnote8made Prm a SUT-
wy of l4ny9, 1901;showingsUd Soot&n 144,BlookD, to
oontUn 665.8aoreaj
*Thatoa~July27, ISOS,the S/2 of the v2 of Se&ion
144, Rook D, aa aoatUnlng160romr oPland,rae lwwdedk
X. C. hlarron hi8 application
moeivud July 2S;lS02~
"Thatfieldnoterowering the S&/4 of S~otioa144,
Bloc&4 showingasamto ooatain160 aoresOP laad,mm OOQL-
piledfrom l surwv of lPoraPb8r2, 1912,and appmvdd oa
Bomber 16, 19123
*Thatthe said6X/4 of lkotion144,Bloc&D,havlng
lia plated oa Fhrurry 7,
been pUd 3x1Pull Poor160 lo mm,
1915,to li?nr~r
Andarnoaby PIMat No. 697,Volune46;
"Thatthe 8W/4 of Seotion144,BlookD, a. oontalnlag
160 lc.rpg,
R(I awardedto C, P. piaakasyoa Ootober6, 1914,
011hia lpplimtioaPiledin the tid oPPioeon August18, 19141
"'&atPieldnotar oolnpiled on %roh 27, 1956,ooveriag
the SW$4 oP Beotion144, Ehotinl;Ian10to ooat*b~ 163.8.omw,
were appmved on Naroh 27, 1956)
'Thattbs rUd SU@ of fleotion
144, havingbeenpaidin
full for 163.8aomn, m8 patentedto C:E. Fiao&teyoa $rll
3, lgS6,by Fatat &.'357,Volune61-L.
Wth the mquert for ptenta them Ware rutmittsdssp
ante Pfsldnotes oarsringthe I#4 of Beotioa144, l# contUning
160 aorw md the S/2 of the N/2 of Sootion144 a~ contUaiag
172 morea. The field noteafor the north160 Pm88 nere returned
for oormotionand the fieldnotesfor the 172 aore traotare
beingheld in thi8offloe.
"Theodginal fieldbotaaof Be&loon144, msde Pmmna aur-
Wy of Ootdber18, 1672,rweal that the SaltFork of the Braros
River Plorsthrougha portionof Beotion144,enteringat a point
in the SW corner of ths SE/4and leavingthe aeotioaat a point
approximately 500 vara#northof the SW comer of the S&/4 of
Ssotion1444;The,oormutedfieldriots made from a surveyon &y
9, 1901,aalledfor the weat lineof &otion 144 to or0~11 the
SaltFork of fbs BraroaRiver at ~ppmxiz&ely 1225mro'm north
of the SR oornerot Seotioa144.
.
Boa. Bwoaa Oiler,page S (0-6166)
. "DI vie* of the 'ball Land Bill,'Acts of the 41st
Legislature, 1929,pago 296, Chrpter.lS6,~oodifi4da8 A&r-
ole 6414a,V.A.C.S., and rrr@ng tbat,t@.areaofthat
part of the river bed oontained w$tk$~tb,bowiaries oftha
S/partoftb X/2 equalsor axoH& :the0x0~18aoreagecon-.
tainedin 6eotioa144 in its l?tir&y. I larpsotfklly ro-
questyour opinionoa the followingqueltionsr
l..,6’
Tour flrstqusationis a8 Pollwm
"1. IIIthe patentingof the S/p& of the X/2, should
them b rswrmd tothe 6tateout of thatput of the rirer
bd oontaiaed *thin the boundariesof the S/partof the I&
an riea equaltothe entireexcenmof thewhole survey,or
shouldthe pateattbreoa maerm onlyan area equalto the
exoeasin this subdivisioaT"
In the oam of.Mat,'r.Bradford,.60 8.W. (2) 1065 the
gupr~psCo& in holdingthe &mallland Bill (Mt. 6414a,V.A.hL)
conititutional heldthat aroexw~~ aoreagawould be reoognired under the
A,,t.%a this oonnectkmWC set mt thcprmiso Pond in the aecoadmm-
tioa of the Act,
"Providedt&atnothingin thili,&ct.'. . shall
relinquishor quit&aim l~pramber of aoreo of land
in exoo88of the mmber OP aore=ot landto aaid pt-
sntessor amrdeor in the origin1 patent8gmntod
by the &ate.'
Section144,BlockD, an origkmllysuare{sd,mdaooording to
the fieldnote8Piled:iaths GeneralLand OPPicala 1672,contained640
wxes of land. The oorreotsdPlsld8ctaaPiledin 1901 showed6ootion144
aa contUning 656.8aom6 of land.
The 6outhl/2 of tl& Xorth.haif of tbtion 144, laaontainiag
160 *oreaoP.lmnd, was awarded to B. C. %rr oa.July28, 1903. Rowwor,
the recent requestPor,patext oh t@r'laad ia basedon fieldnotes celling
for 172 acre8of land. Thin rapreoeatr U! orwas of 12 LOIWIof land in
this quarter.seotloncwr and abovethe amber of acresc8lledfor in the
originalmwvd of 1903.
The Salt Pa& of t& &&oe Nvor flokthrough a portionof
Sootion14.4,and partlylo r q athes eout#,oae-halfof the northhalf of
the rection. The line8of the originalaurvayof Sootion144 crossed
the river,which is narlgable in law, u did thq lineaof the qwrtsr
ssotlonunder disouaaion here.
..
Hon. BasormOlle~,pagO 4 (0-6lSS)
Thereis no doiAtbut that the originalsurrey1118mlidated
ti tha enactmantof the ball Lknd Bill, Ewwsr, aI)wo cm&rue the ACT,
as it relatesto thisland,if validatedonly the,640acres allledfor in
the originalfieldnotes. Liksnira, the ox%giaalawardin 190s of the
southhalf of the northhalf of (rootion144 II validated,but only to
thsextamt oPthe of land calledfor in ths originalaward.
(LOIWI
Heardet al V. Tom of R.6fugio,103 3.t (2d)728.
The origin&lawardof 190shavlngbsen validatedto the ox-
tent of 160 aoresof lend,aad tha Nl amountof the purchasepries
havingbean paid,the mrdae ia entitledto a patenttothir landwhen
it 18 determined with dac$ess what land is to be iaoludsdIn the patent.
Befom tha patat may lm issuedIt nil1 bs necessaryto da..
telmiaethe n-bar of aore in thatpart of the bed of the river that is
looatedin the quarterarationinvolved. If aftera summy it Is Pound
that the kd of t&a riwr oontain6 +lw lo r w,the totalrmDuatof ths
~X(DII,or lessthan 12 aomt#,theathe patentshouldirsusreaerring
the rho10 of the bed of ths ri+ertit&inths quarter6eaticm tothe State.
Onthe other hand,shouldthebod oftheriwr ocntaiamorethanthe 12
aorw excess,the applicantfor patentis ratitladto a suPPioiant m
of the riwr bed to giw h3m hir Pull conplanetof 160 aoreaaa oalled
for ln the originalarrrdof 190%
Rth reapsotto your firstquertion, 10 answerthat a survey
should'bemade of that partof the bed of the riwr aa locatedin the
south prt of the north halfof Sootion144 to deterrins the nunb+rof
aoresof~landit oontaiaa.Then,if mcwrary, a partition+o be effect-
ed oa the exeesa111that mbdivtriononly,withoutconsidering the bxaa(~f~
in the tiole surrey. A patsntsay thenbe issuedto inoludeor exclude
the bed of the river, or a dividedpart of it, an the P8otsmay bo.
Your otherquestion18 aa Pollarac
"(a) If the Stateir entitledto reeem tk exoeaa
out of the riwr bed, shouldthe Isaemtion be EIIundivided
interartor a iaprata proel? (Ibier to your OpinionRPaber
O-5655datedNovwber 5, MS),
"(b) If the 8tate18 entitledto B rrspmts prowl,
who la ruthorlredto nprenent the gtatein the prtltioning?"
-
we reaPfinnourOpinionlie.O-6636under dateof Xowmber 6,
1943,md hold thata raromtion by the stateof a pa-tof the bed of
the rivershouldbe a diridadpart. It is our opinionthat a patat may
not b io6uedcoveringm undivided intersrtin the land.
Hon. Bmocm '3il.r.
pwe 6 b6166)
In the eventa putitlon of the bed of he riveria moea-
suy, suohprtitloa shouldb effwted by judioialprooeeding.
Yoursvery truly
ATTOHXBPOElIEBIL
OFT HXAS
JackW. Rsmlmd
This opinionooaaidered
end eppnmd in limited
ooxlfemnoa.
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion