Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 26.djvu/546

 4.92 FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 1001. 1890. September 27,1990- CHAP. 1001.-An act authorizing the establishing of apublic park in the District; "`"(U of Columbia. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the District of 0<>i¤¤¤i>i¤· United States of America in Congress assembled, That a tract of land Roqk Greek Park lying on both sides of Rock Creek, beginning at Klingle Ford Bridge, mi$ and running northwardly, following the course of said creek, of a- nesmption. width not less at any point than six hundred feet, nor more than ’ twelve hundred feet, including the bed of the creek, of which not less than two hundred feet shall be on either side of said creek, south of Broad Branch road and Blagden Mill road and of such greater width north of said roads as the commissioners designated in this act may select, shall be secured, as hereinafter set out, and be perpetually Dedication- dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasure ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States, to be known P'°*"?’°· by the name of Rock Creek Park : Provided, however, That the whole tract so to be selected and condemned under the rovisions of mmm size mm this act shall not exceed two thousand acres nor the total) cost thereof °°°”‘ _ _ exceed the amount of moneiy herein appropriated. ,p"j,‘j)$P°” *° "° Sec. 2. That the Chief 0 Engineers of the United States Army, ` the Engineer Commissioner of the District of Columbia, and three citizens to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, be, and the are hereby, created a commission D¤*·i¤¤ to select the land for said park, ofy the quantity and within the limits aforesaid, and to have the same surveyed by the assistant to the said Engineer Commissioner of the· District of Columbia in charge of Executive omccr. public highways, which said assistant shall also act as executive V officer to the said commission. Sec. 3. That the said commission shall cause to be made an accurate map of said Rock Creek Park, showing the location, quantity, and character of each parcel of private property to be taken for such. ` purpose, with the names of the respective owners inscribed thereon, mpmtemea. which ma shall be filed and recorded in the public records of the- District of) Columbia, and from and after the date of filing said ma the several tracts and parcels of land embraced in said Rock Creek C°¤¤· Park shall be held as condemned for public uses, and the title thereof nee. vested in the United States, subject to the payment of just compen- Compensation. sation, to be determined by said commission, and approved by the P·‘<¤‘i··¤- President of the United States; Provided, That such compensation “$¤¢¢1>¢¤¤¤+> by ¤w¤— be accepted by the owner or owners of the several parcels of land. irmumgo mw, That if the said commission shall be unable by agreement with. the respective owners to purchase all of the land so se ected and condemnee within thirt days after such condemnation, at the price approved by the President of the United States, it shall, at the expira- ·'“d‘°‘°*P*'°°°‘*°’°· tion of such gzriod of thirty da s, make application to the supreme Rg{>g;¤;>:¤<>¤ fvr M- court of the istrict of Columbia, by petition, at a general or spe- ' cial term, for an assessment of the value of such land as it has been unable to purchase. P°‘**i°¤ ¤¤•i ¤¤¤P· Said (petition shall contain a particular descri tion of the property selecte and condemned, with the name of the owner or owners thereof, if known, and their residences, as far as the same may be ascertained, together with a cop of the recorded map of the plark; and the said court is hereby authorized and required, upon suc ap- N¤¤i¤¢¤¤<>=¤ plication, without delay, to notify the owners and occupants of the and, if known, by personal service, and if unknown, by service by · publication, and to ascertain and assess the value of the land so skglvvwisai ¤<>¤¤¤i» selected and condemned, by appointing three competent and dism- ` terested commissioners to appraise the value or values thereof, and vd}jg€*¤i¤m¤¤* <>i to return the appraisement to the court; and when the value or val- ` ues_ of such land are thus ascertained, and the President of the United States shall decide the same to be reasonable, said value or Y¤Y¤¤¤¤i· Values shall be paid to the owner or owners, and the United States Title- shall be deemed to have a valid title to said land; and if in any case