Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 29.djvu/419

 FIFTY-FOURTH CONGRESS. Siiss. I. Ch. 415. 1896. 389 by reason of the construction of the said bridge the cause may be tried before thecircuit court of the United States in and for any district in whose jurisdiction any portion of said obstruction or bridge may be. Stand bridge shall be constructed to provide for the passage of railroad R¤*1*°¤<* l>¤idS¤· ams. Sec. 2. That said bridge shall be provided with one or more openings, DrawbridB¤· each having not less than one hundred feet clear channel way at low water, and in addition to said openings one or more fixed channel spans, if required by the Secretary of War, each having not less than fifty feet clear channel way; and every part of the superstructure of said bridge shall give a clear headroom of not less than six feet above _ extreme known high—water mark: Provided, That all spans shall be so §),f§§‘;°" located as to afford the greatest possible accommodation to the river traflic: Provided also, That if the physical characteristics of the locality 1<<=><i-¤•¤¤i¤¤¤- so require, and the interest of navigation be not injured thereby, the lengths of the fixed spans or the number of openings may be reduced: Provided also, That for any two adjacent openings of one hundred feet I¤°’°¤¤°· each one opening of two hundred feet or more may be substituted if, in the opinion of the Secretary of War, the interests of navigation be not injured thereby. Sec. 3. That all draw spans, if any are found necessary and are 0v¤¤i¤= ¤¤•W- required by the Secretary of War, by this Act shall be operated by steam or other reliable power, and shall be opened promptly upon reasonable signal for the passage of boats, except when trains are passing over said span or spans; but in no case shall unnecessary delay occur in opening said draw after the passage of trains, and also that in case the opening of a draw is delayed by reason of the passing of a train after the signal has been given from a boat ready to pass through the drawshall be opened for the passage of such boat before another train is allowed to pass over the said span or spans; nor shall there be any unnecessary delay in the passage of trains over the bridge. _ Sec. 4. That all piers shall be built as nearly as may be parallel with °°“““'“°"°“· the current of the river at that stage of water which is most important for navigation, and the bridge itself shall be built as nearly as may be at right angles thereto; and that riprapping or other protection for imperfect foundations which will lessen the required waterway shall not be permitted; and also that piers which will produce cross currents or bars dangerous to navigation shall not he constructed; and if after construction any piers or accessory works are found to produce the above-mentioned effects, or if any riprapping or other protection prohibited by this section is found to exist, the nuisance shall be abated or corrected under the direction of the Secretary of War at the expense of the company or persons owning, controlling, or operating said bridge. A h Sec.  That the approaches to said bridge shall be so designed and ”'°‘° °* constructed as not to interfere with the free discharge of said river in seasons of flood; and any encroachment on the high-water cross section by piers, solid cmbankments, or otherwise which will result in unduly accelerating the high-water current at the site of the bridge shall not be allowed. . . . Sec. 6. That any corporation, company, or persons owning, control- **"“*"“““g“"°“· ling, or operating the bridge built under the authority of this Act shall build and maintain at all times as accessory work to such bridge such booms, piers. (likes, guard fences, and similar devices as may be necessary to insure at all times a permanent channel for a sufficient distance above and below the bridge site, and for the guiding of rafts, steamboats, and other water craft safely under or through said bridge; and if at any time after the construction of the bridge and its accessory works the approaches to draw openings, channel spans, or raft passages in said bridge are found to be dangerous or difficult of access by river traffic the Secretary of War may, upon the recommendation of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, order the corporation, company, or persons owning, controlling, or operating said bridge to construct, under his direction, and to maintain such additional sheer booms,