June 1888: In Craig v. Brand, the plaintiff had deposited a boatload of oyster shells in Maurice River Cove. Later, germs of oyster attached themselves to the shells and developed into marketable oysters. The Court of Errors and Appeals held that the new oysters were the property of the plaintiff, and that even if the depositing of the shells was a public nuisance, it did not justify the defendant converting them to his use.
100 Years Ago
June 1913: Judges seemed unable to agree on what to call the law governing workers’ injury claims. Some called it the Employers’ Liability Act, others the Workingmen’s Compensation Act and still others the Workmen’s Compensation Act. The Law Journal editors pleaded for consistency, if for no other reason than to allow them to report the cases under a uniform heading. In England, new acts of law were given short titles, but "as this has not been done, custom should make a title," they said.
