What Does "...until water ceases to run and grass ceases to grow ..." Mean?

 I occasionally have been searching for records of my "mystery ancestors" in the FamilySearch Full-Text Search feature, and having some success.

Today, I found a land record for William Knapp that I had not found before, although I searched Sussex County, New Jersey land records on FamilySearch microfilm about 20 years ago.  But this deed has a mystery phrase of its own.  

Here is the record page image:

The article of agreement from William Knapp to Martin Myers is the bottom half of the right-hand page o the image.

The transcription of this record is (done by me since the Full-Text Search transcription is fairly poor):

William Knapp

to

Martin Myers

Article of agreement made and entered into this twenty seventh day of September

eighteen hundred and fifty five Witness that I William Knapp of the township of Newton in the

county of Sussex and State of New Jersey do let and lease unto Martin Myers of the same place a certainpiece of land and premises situate in the Village of Newton in the county aforesaid adjoining the West side of the lot now owned

by the said Martin Myers  said land so leased is eight feet in breadth and extending the whole length of the lot now owned by the 

said Martin Myers for and during and until water ceases to run and grass ceases to grow.  And the rent for the

said lot of land is hereby acknowledged to have been received by me the said William Knapp.  In Witness

whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 27th day of September 1855

                                                                                        his

                                                                                Wm  X  Knapp              {LS}

                                                                                      mark

Signed Sealed and delivered  }

in the presence of                   }

Robert T. Shenon                   }       New Jersey        }

                                                         Sussex County   } Be it remembered that on this Sixteenth day of 

December AD 1856 before me a Master in chancery of said State personally came Robert T. Shenon of full age

who being duly sworn on his oath says that he saw William Knapp the above named grantor sign seal & deliver the

within Indenture as his Voluntary act and deed and that he the said Robert T. Shenon subscribed his name 

to the same at the same time as an attesting Witness thereto.

Sworn a& Subscribed this 16'th day of December 1856  }

   W. S. Johnson   Master in chancery                               }

                                             Received and Recorded 16'th December 1856

                                                                                 E Arends  clerk.

The source citation for this agreement is:

Sussex, New Jersey deeds, William Knapp and Martin Myers lease agreement; imaged, "Deeds, Sussex county: Sussex. Deeds 1855–1857,"FamilySearch (https://

www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSGD-3KHQ?view=fullText : accessed Dec 27,

2024), page 591 (image 314 of 342).

Now the mystery I alluded to is the phrase in the agreement:

                      "...for and during and until water ceases to run and grass ceases to grow ..."

I think that it probably means "forever" but I've not seen it before.  One could take it literally and say the lease is void if it stops raining and the grass stopped growing, but that makes little sense.  Note that the agreement does not describe the "rent" received by William Knapp.  

A second mystery is this:  Is this my 3rd great-grandfather, William Knapp (1775-1856), who died on 16 June 1856 at age 81 in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey?  Or is it his son, William Knapp (1823-1860) who resided in New York City at the time?  The agreement clearly identifies William Knapp as being of the township of Newton, but it doesn't identify him further.  

William Knapp (1775-1856) had a shoemaking business in Newton on the southwest corner of Adams Street and Spring Street.  Apparently, Martin Myers owned the land to the west of William Knapp's land in Newton. 

My opinion is that this article of agreement was made by William Knapp (1775-1856).  

Now I need to look for a deed or some other record that shows William Knapp obtaining or selling his land in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey.  Since he leased only part of his land to Martin Myers, then he may have died owning some land and there should be another deed record or a probate record, neither of which I have found to date!

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