Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 25.djvu/422

 376 FIFTIETH CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 752. 1888. tR{*})WS:1Y·*¤8°¤·¤¤d for crossin said rivers with its railroad line. Said bridges shall be °°' H g°S` constructed to provide for the passage of railway trains, and at the option of the said railway company by whom they may be built, may be used for the assage of wagons and vehicles of all k1nds, for the transit of animails, and for foot-passengers, for such reasonable rates of toll as may be fixed by said railway company, and approved by the Secretary of War. Mwfui S¤¤‘¤¢¤1¤>$ SEO. 2. That said bridges built under this act and subject to its md p°s°`r°°°“ limitations shall be lawful structures, and shall be recognized and known as post-routes, upon which also no higher charge shall be made for the transmission over the same of the mails, the troops, and munitions of war of the United States than the rate per mile paid for the trans ortation over the railroad or public highways leading to the said bridges, and they shall enjoy the rights and privileges of other ost-roads in the United States; and equal privileges in the use of said) bridges shall be granted to all telegraph companies; and the United States shall have the right of way across said ridges, and its P<>¤¤1¤e1¤z¤·¤r>¤· approaches, for postal-telegraph purposes. Unobsrwcwd mvi- Sec. 3. That if said bridge or b1'1dg6S erected and maintained under g°°°"‘ the authority of this act shall at any time substantially or materially obstruct the free navigation of said bayou or river, or shall, in the opinion of the Secretary of War, obstruct such navigation, he is hereby authorized to cause such change or alteration of said bridge or bridges to be made as will eifectually obviate such obstruction; and such alteration shall be made and all such obstructions be removed at the expense of the owner or owners of said bridge; and in msgauou. case of any litigation arising from any obstruction or alleged obstruction to the free navigation of said bayou or rivers, or either of them, the casemay be brought in the district court of the United States of the State of Louisiana in which any portion of said obstruction or Pmm. bridge may be located: Provided, That nothing in this act shall be E¤i¤¤¤e MM- so construed as to repeal or modify any of the provisions of law now existing in reference to the protection of the navigation of rivers, or to exempt said bridge or bridges from the operation of the same. mit; "Y °“‘°" °°“" Sec. 4. That all railroad companies desiring the use of said bridge ` or bridges shall have and be entitled to equal rights and rivileges relative to the passage of railway trains over the same, and) over the Compensation. approaches thereto, upon payment of a reasonable compensation for such use. Swwgaqvfggw Sec. 5. That the bridge or bridges authorized to be constructed °p‘°”°v p °S’under this act shall be built and located under and subject to such regulations for the security of navigption of said bayou and rivers as the Secretary of War shal prescribe, and to secure that object the said company or corporation shall submit to the Secretary of War, for his examination and aplproval. a design and drawings of said brid e or bridges. and a map of t ie location. givin for the space of one mile above and one mile below the proposed lbcation of the brid e or bridges, the topography of the banks of the bayou or rivers, the sliorelines at high am low water, the direction and strength of the currents at all stages, and the soundings, accurately showing the bed of the stream, the location of any other bridge or bridges, and shall furnish such other information as may be r uired for a full and satisfactory understanding of the subject; add until the said lans and location of the bridges are approved by the Secretary of 1l’Var, the bridge or bridges shall not be built, and should any change be made in the plan of the said bridge or bridges during the progress of con- Ch¤·¤ze¤· struction. such change shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of War, and said structure or structures, shall be changed at the cost and eépense of the owners thereof from time to time as the Secretary of ar may direct so as to preserve the free and convenient navigation of said bayou or rivers.