The Ghost of a Property Blunder
Years after a land sale to the federal government for a Seattle lighthouse, officials find a clerical error that threatens the entire title to the property.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Several years ago, when the United States government purchased a tract of land for a lighthouse, it bargained for forty acres, but in making out the deed an error was made in the description that held sixty acres were transferred. This error was discovered a few weeks ago, and the matter referred to Washington. When the facts were laid before the general land office, they at once sent an agent to Seattle to consult with Attorney N. B. Scott on the matter. Mr. Scott learned that the grantor was still alive and residing in the city. A quitclaim deed has been prepared to rectify the mistake in the original deed, and if the grantor refuses to sign it, a bill in equity will be filed to compel them. Buildings and improvements on the island at the mercy of the federal government made it imperative that the title be straightened out.
“Buildings and improvements on the island at the mercy of the federal government made it imperative that the title be straightened out.”
Long before digital records, a 'simple' typo in a land deed could put the ownership of vital public infrastructure at risk for years. Today, while title insurance and electronic databases have streamlined the process, the underlying anxiety of 'clouded titles' remains a common, high-stakes headache for Seattle property owners and developers alike.
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