Section 2. Determination of interests of adverse claimants
If any person or persons shall claim, adversely to each other, any estate or interest in the ground selected by the commissioners of any county for the purposes mentioned in the act (act of 1883, June 1, P.L. 58 to which this is a supplement, and the viewers shall not be able to determine who are the owner or owners of said premises, or the value of their estates and interests therein, they shall so report, valuing the ground as a whole, and upon the confirmation by the court of the report of said viewers, if no appeal shall be taken therefrom, the commissioners of the proper county shall pay into court the whole of the said valuation money, and thereupon the title to the land or ground, and the estates and interests of all the owners thereof, shall become vested in fee in the county requiring and taking said ground; and the court of common pleas of the said county shall, by rule, process or motion, require of all the said claimants to appear therein, and may, by an issue framed between them to be tried by a jury, or by a reference to a master, or by such orders and decisions as shall appear to be just under all the circumstances of the case, determine the estates and interests of said claimants in said ground or valuation money, and upon the final determination of such proceeding, shall direct the said valuation money to be paid to the person or persons ascertained to be entitled thereto.
In case any of said claimants shall appeal from the award of said viewers, the said county commissioners may, upon filing in the said court, and having approved thereby, a bond in double amount of said award to the said owners and claimants for the benefit of the persons owning said ground, with at least two sufficient sureties, conditioned for the payment by the county of such an amount as the owner or owners shall be entitled to receive for said ground, when the same shall have been finally ascertained by due course of law, lawfully enter upon and take possession of said ground, and the said court shall thereupon proceed to determine the estates and interests of said claimants in said ground, as is hereinbefore provided, when the valuation money is paid into court. Which said proceedings shall be finally determined before the issue framed upon the said appeal shall be tried, and if it be determined that the party appellant has no estate or interest in said ground, his appeal shall be disallowed. 1889, April 26, P.L. 55, Sec. 2.