Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 27.djvu/306

 FIFTY-SECOND CON GBESS. Sess. I. Ch. 27 4. 1892. 279 CHAP. 2'I4.—An act to build a bridge across the Tennessee River between a point July 27. 1892. in Whitesburg Precinct, in Madison County, and Morgan County, in the State of vi; Alabama. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Huntsville Bridge Huntsville snags Company, a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of ¥§',{',{§,“,f,,'§“{§Y,.}f",{‘[§,‘f the State of Alabama, its successors or assigns, be, and are hereby, b=····=~ authorized to construct and maintain a bridge, and ap roaches thereto, across the Tennessee River between a point in Whitesburg Precinct, in Madison County, and Morgan County, in the State of Alabama. Said bridge shall be constructed to provide for the passage of railroad 1<a1¤pm,wtg0¤,mu trains, wagons, and vehicles of all kinds, steam and street cars, ani- f°°° b"dg°‘ mals, foot passengers, and for all road travel, for such reasonable rates of toH and under such ieasonable rules and regulations as may be pre- nu, em. scribed by said corporation, its successors or assigns, and approved by the Secretary of War. Sec. 2. That any bridge built under this act and subject to its limi- au{·,“l,';fl}mu:j“°*"° tations shall be a lawful structure, and shall be recognized and known ` as a post route, upon which also no higher charge shall be made for the transmission over the same of the mails, the troops, and the munitions of war of the United States than the rate per mile paid for the transportation over the railroad or public highways leading to said bridge, and it shall enjoy the rights and privileges of other post roads in the United States; and equal privileges in the use of said bridge shall be granted to all telegraph and telephone companies, and the United States shall have the right of way across said bridge and its approaches for rum telegraph. postal and telegraph purposes. Sec. 3. That said bridge shall be constructed as a pouton draw-span Penton aww. bridge, and shall contain a pouton drawspau of not less than two hundred feet in length, which drawspan shall be maintained over the main channel of the river at an accessible and navigable point, and the piers of said bridge shall be parallel with and the bridge itselfat right angles to the current of the river: Provided, That said draw shall be opened Proven:. promptly by said company or corporation upon reasonable signal for 0"""'“g"""‘"‘ the passage of boats and rafts, and said company or corporation shall maintain, at its own expense, from sunset to sunrise, such lights or other Lights etc. signals on said bridge as the Light-House Board shall prescribe. No bridge shall be erected or maintained under the authority of this act U¤<·¤»»¤w¤¤·~·1 um which shall at any time obstruct the free navigation of said river, and g"""" if any bridge erected under such authority shall, in the opinion of the Secretaryof War, obstruct such navigation, he is hereby authorized to cause the entire removal thereof or such change or alteration of such bridge to be made as will eifectually obviate such obstruction, and all such alterations shall be made and all such obstructions shall be removed at the expense of the owner or owners of said bridge, and in case of any litigation arising from any obstruction or alleged obstruc- rmgmss. tion to the free navigation of said river caused or alleged to be caused by said bridge, the case may be brought in the district court of the United States in the State of Alabama in whose jurisdiction any portion of said obstruction or bridge may be located: Provided further, That nothing in this act shall be so construed as to repeal or modify lixisting laws not any of the provisions of the law now existing in reference to the pro- ““°"'?‘*· tection of the navigation of rivers,_ or to exempt this bridge from the operations of the same: Provided, That said company may con- Wagon spa cw: Struct a wagon and foot bridge alone, and in case of the construc- b""g° "°`"“°""' tion of a wagon and foot bridge alone the drawspau shall be of such length and shall be of such construction as shall be approved by the Secretary of War, and shall be subject to all the provisions herein contained in respect to being promptly opened to admit of the unobstructed navigation of said river, and of keeping the said bridge lighted as herein provided in case of a railroad and wagon bridge, and in such