Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 29.djvu/527

 F IFTY-FOURTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. CHS. 91-93. 1897. 497 the same and over the approaches thereto upon: the payment of gi. rea.· sonable compensation for snoh use; and in case the owner or owners of C°¤P¤¤··*i¤¤· such bridge and the several companies, or any one of them,_de¤iring such use shall foil to agree upon the sum or sums to be paid, and upon rules and conditions to which each shall conform in using said bridge, all mu-tters at 1ssue between them shall be decided by the Secretary of \Var upon a hearing of the allegations ond. proofs of the parties; and equal privileges in the use of said bridge shall be granted to all telegraph and telephone companies. , Sec. 5. Thatany bridge constructed under this Act shall be a. lawihl “Ia°"{‘{_}, $¤'¤°**¤° structure and shall be known as a. post road, over which no higher charge W ° ' shall be made for the transportation of mails, troops, and munitions of war, or other property oi the Government of the United States, or for passengers or height passingover the same, than, the rate per mile charged for their transportation over._tl1e railways or public high ways leading to said bridge. The United States shall also have the right of PMN *¤l¤s¤1>¤·· way over said bridge for posts;]-telegraph purposes. _ . _ _, SBC. 6. _ That said bridge herein ,uutl1orized to be constructed shall be -“d° *° ¤*'i8***°'*· so kept and managed at nH,>tiines as to mibrd proper means and ways for the passage of vessels, barges, or rafts, both by day and by night; and tl;ere,sh;;1l_be_displq1.y•;d_on said bridge by the owners thereof, from sunset to sunrise, such lights or other si gnnls as the Light-House Board Lig'““· °*°· ma.y_prescribe;. mrdssuch changes shall be made from time to time in the structure of spill bridge as the Secretary of War may direct, at the expense of the said company, in order the more eifectually to preserve the free navigation of said river. Sec. 7. That this Act shall be null and void unless the construction mf’u‘;,'{j;j,§'J°°'“°¤*"*‘ of said bridge shall be commenced within one year and completed within ` three years from the passage of this Act- SEc..8. That Congress shall have power at any time to alter, amend, *"‘°““"‘°‘"·°°°· or repeal this Act. Approved, January 26, 1897. CHAP. 92.-An Act For the relief of telegraph operators who served in tlie war January 26, 1897. of the rebellion. ···—··‘··"""’··· Bc it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives ,of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That tho Secretary of Waris {§§,‘,{,'P,[}°‘§§{§\}§‘Q‘Q”· hereby authorized and directed to prepare a roll, of all persons who ¤¤rvi¤¤¤¤¤¤pr¤n»¤¤dY served not less than ninety days in the operation .otT military telegraph lines during the late civil war, and to issue to-each, upon application, unless it appears that his service was not creuitubly performed, or to the representatives of those who me dead, suitable certificates of lionornble service in the military telegraph corps of the Army of the United States, stating the service rendered, the length of such service, and the dates, as near as may be, between which such service was performed: Provided, That this 1a.w shall not be construed to entitle the §;°;:*)?·em persons herein mentioned to any pay, pension, bounty, or rights not ’ herein speciticnlly provided for. Approved, January 26, 1897. CHAP. 93.-An Act Authorizing the Kansas City, Watkins and Gulf Railway J¤¤¤¤¤'y M 1897- ('gmpgny tr) construct and maintain 8 bYidg0 BGTOBS Rod RiV€l‘ at ths city of AIGX- rrr "__*; nndrin, Louisiana. ( Be it enacted by the Senate and H01J8B ofR¢p1‘086ntutives of the United Km C_ wg. States of America in Congress assembled, That the Kansas City, Watkiiis k,,,,a§§'G,,1}°§g,,,,, and Gulf Railway Company, a, corporation created and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Louisiana,,be, and is hereby, .1.·u.,r,¤, ’ authorized to construct and maintain a bridge across Red River at a. b,,{f,;_*"°Y · °*°·· point suitable to the interests of navigation, at the city of Alexandria, STAT L-—v0L 29-:52