Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 18 Part 1.djvu/1091

 'l‘rr1.1·: r.xv.—TELEGRAPHS. 1019 T I T L E L X V. TELEGP RAPHS. Sec. I Sec. 5263. Use of public domain, &c. l 5267. Government entitled to purchase 5264. Use of materials from public lands. { lines. 5265. These rights not transferable. l 5268. Acceptance of obligation to be filed. 5266. Government to have priority in  5269. Penalty for refusal to transmit distransmission of messages. patches. Sec. 5263. Any telegraph company now organized, or which may here- Use of public after be organized, under the laws of any State, shall have the right to ‘l°““"“"¤ M'- oonstruct, maintain, and operate lines of telegra h through and over 24 July, 1866, e. any portion of the public domain of the United States, over and along 23*% S- l, V- 14, p- any of the military or post roads of the United States which have been 22;,, F b ,877 _ or may hereafter be declared such by law, and over, under, or across the 63 ,._ lg `},_ 235 °' navigable streams or waters of the United States; but such lines of tel- i l ` egraph shall be so constructed and maintained as not to obstruct the navigation of such streams and waters, or interfere with the ordinary travel on such military or post roads. Sec. 526-L. Any telegrap company organized under the laws of an Use oirnaterials State shall have the right to take and use from the public lands througll lmm Public landswhich its lines of telegraph may pass, the necessary stone, timber, and 24 July, 1866r c_ other materials for its posts, piers, stations, and other needful uses in the 230, s. 1, v. 14, p. construction, maintenance, and operation of its lines of telegraph, and 22l- may pre-empt and use such por·tion of the unoccupied public lands subject to pre-emption through which their lines of telegraph may be located as may be necessary for their stations, not exceeding forty acres for each station; but spplh statgpns shgll not pe within fiftpen miles plf each other. Sec. 5265. e rig ts an rivi e s rante un er the rovisions i of the act of July twenty-four}? elghtggn Eundrcd and sixty-siic), entitled rmilrlllizglielnggts not "An act to aid in the construction of telegraph lines, and to secure to wg the Government the use of the same for postal, military, and other pur- " °' ` poses," or under this Title, shall not be transferred by any company acting thereunder to any other corporation, association, or person. Sec. 5266. Telegrams between the several Departments of the Gov- Government to ernment and their officers and agents, in their transmission over the ;'°"° P'!°¤jl*Y l¤ lines of any telegraph company to which has been given the right of H;;;;g;‘°“‘°“ “f way, timber, or station lands from the public domain shall have priority_ over all other business, at such rates as the Postmaster-General shall 24Ju1y, 1866, i·. annually tix. And no part of any appropriation for the several De rt- 230, s. 2, v. 14, p. ments of the Government shall be paid to any companv which negllgcts 22;- J or refuses to transmit such telegrams in accordance with the provisions 335 B22? of this section. 287: ’ ’ ` 10 June, 1872, c. 415, s. 1, v. 17, pp. 866, 367_ Sec. 5267. The United States may, for postal, military, or other pur- _ Governmentenposes, purchase all the telegraph lines, property, and effects of any or all  *° P“¤‘ll¤¤° companies acting under the provisions of the act of Julv twenty- ourth, _+__., eighteen hundred and sixty-six, entitled "An act to ard, in the construe- _?4 July, 1866, c. tion of telegra h lines, and to secure to the Government the use of the 2,32- °· 2· "· lt P- same for postal? military, and other purposes," or under this Title, at an 23 _,,,,,,, 1874, ,._ appraised value, to be ascertained by five competent, disinterested per- 461, i-. 18,p. 250. sons, two of whom shall he selecte by the Postmaster-General of the United States, two by the company interested, and one by the four so previously selected. Sec. 5268. Before any telegraph company shall exercise any of the aowptanee ofobpowers or privileges conferred by law such company shall tile their writ- ESEOn tobcfiled. ten acceptance with the Postmaster-General of the restrictions and ob- Ibid_, ,4, ,,_ 222. ligations required by law.