Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 29.djvu/528

 498 FIFTY-FOURTH CONGRESS. Sess. 11. Ch. 93. 1897. in the State of Louisiana. Said bridge shall be constructed to provide for the passage of railway trains and, at the option of the said railway company, may be used for the passage of wagons and vehicles of all kinds, for the transit of animals, and for foot passengers, for such T•>¤· reasonable rates of toll as may be iixed by said railway company and approved by the Secretary of \Var. Lawful ¤¤r¤¤t¤r¤ Sec. 2. That said bridge built under this Act and subject to its limi- “° ’°“ '°"°°‘ 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 munitions of war of the United States than the rate per mile paid for the transportation over the railroad or public highways leading to the said bridge, and 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 Postal mlegmph. gran ted to all telegraph and telephone companies, and the United States shall have the right of way across said bridge and its approaches for §;<{:ia·;·nmmi0__ postal telegraph purposes: Provided, That the bridge herein authorized " °to be constructed shall be so kept and managed by the company owning or operating it as to atibrd proper ways and means for the passage through or under it of vessels, barges, or rafts at all times, both by day and by night; and there shall be displayed on said bridge, from sun- LigM¤·¤¤¤· set to sunrise, such lights and signals as the Light House Board shall prescribe. Q¤¤¤¤*¤¤¤*°° ¤"*· Sec. 3. That if said bridge, erected and maintained under the authorg° l°°' ity of this Act, shall at any time, substantially or materially, obstruct the free navigation of said 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 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 I·i'·*¤**°¤· bridge. And in ease of any litigation arising from any obstruction or alleged obstruction to the free navigation of said river the case may be brought in the district court of the United States for the western laws not distriet of Louisiana: Provided, That nothing in this Act shall be so airmmi. ” 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 from the operation of the same. Pugejs W °'“°' *`°“" Sec. 4. That all railroad companies desiring the use of said bridge ' shall have and be entitled to equal rights and privileges relative to the passage of railway trains over the same and the approaches thereto C<>r¤po¤¤¤¤¤·>¤· upon payment of a reasonable compensation for such use; or, in case of disagreement, upon such terms and conditions as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of War upon hearing the allegations and proofs of the parties in interest. _ $j$,{j}*m:Q gf} ‘° Sec. 5. That the bridge authorized to be constructed under this Act pp "shall be built and located underand subject to such regulations for the security of navigation of said river as the Secretary of War shall prescribe, and to secure that obiect the said company or corporation shall submit to the Secretary of War, for his examination and approval, a design and drawings of said bridge and a snap of the location, prepared with reference to a known datum plane, upon prescribed scale, iurnished by the Engineer officer having supervision of said river, and givingtbr the space of two miles above and two miles below the proposed location of the bridge the topography of the banks of the river, with shore lines at high and low water, the direction and strength of the currents at all stages, and the souudings, accurately showing the bed of the stream, the location of any other bridge or bridges, and shall tnrnish such other information as may be required for a full and satisfactory understanding of the subject; and until the said plans and location of the bridge are approved by the Secretary of War the bridge shall not be built; °'“"$°°· and should any change be made in the plan of the said bridge during the process of construction such change shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of War, and said structure shall be changed at the