Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 31.djvu/327

 F].FTY—SIXTH CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 782. 1900. 275 CHAP. 782.-eAn Act To authorize the construction of a railroad bridge across the_ June 6,1900. Mississippi River at Saint Paul, Minnesota. ····—······——· - I Be it enacted by the Senate and House ofRe esentatives of the United States of Amertea in Congress assembled, Tligt the South Saint Paul B§,*{‘g(§},*dSfh,fx?‘§u§,§. Belt Railroad Company, a corporation duly organized and incorporated Mississippi arm. ·· under the laws of the State of Minnesota, its successors and assigns, . be, and is hereby, authorized to construct and maintain a bridge for the (passage of railroad traflic, and also, at the o tion of the said railroa company, for the Eassage of vehicles of all kinds, animal.s, and. foot passengers, across the Mississippi River at a point suitable to the L<>¢¤¤¤¤- interests of navigation, and between the crossing of the south line of section four of townshép twenty-eight, range twenty-two, and the crossing of the north an south center line of section five of the same township, and within the incorporated limits of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota; that the location and plan of construction of said bridge jsgggfggiwuw shall be subject- to the approval of the Secretary of War, and until pp P decided by him to be such as will not materially affect the interests of _ navigation the said bridge shall not be built. And there shall be submitted to the Secretary of War, for his examination and approval, a plan of the proposed bridge and a map of the location thereof}? giving, for a distance of a mile above and below the proposed location, the topography of the banks of the rivcr, the shore line at high and low water, the direction of the current, and soundings accurate y showin the bed of stream, and the location of any other bridge or bridges; and should any change be made in the plan of the said bridge during the progress of construction, such change shall be subject to the approval oft e Secretary of Wa1·; and the said bridge shall at all times be so kept Aids °° ¤"*¢¤°*°¤· and maintained, and_ provided with protection piers and sheer booms, so as to offer reasonable and proper means for the passage of vessels and other iioating craft through or under said structure; and for the mghm safety of vessels passing at night there shall be displayed on said bridge, from the hours of sunset to sunrise, such lights as may be pre- SC1‘lb€d by the Light-House Board; and the said structure shal be Ch°“¥°°·· changed, at the cost and ex ense of the owners thereof, from time to time, as the Secretary of Vlpar may direct, and as may be necessary to preserve the free and convenient navigation of said river. That said ,g§‘{§§f’ °b“"“°‘“‘“" iridge shall not interfere with the free navigation of said river beyond what is necessary in order to carry into effect the rights and privileges hereby granted; and in case of any litigation arising from any obstruc- Li¤&'¤*i°¤- tion, or alleged obstruction, to the said free navigation of said river, the cause may be tried before the circuit court of the United States in and for the district in which the said bridge is located: Provided, That  pmvmom nothing herein contained shall be construed as repealing or modifying oflawunchauged,etc. any of theprovisions of law now existing in reference to the protection of the navigation of rivers, or as exempting this bridge from the operations of the same. . Sec. 2. That said bridge shall be constructed either as a_high—level Dm'- bridge without a drawspan, or a low—level bridge with a drawsylaan, as the said railroad company may elect. If constructed as a hig —level bridge, the main span over the navigable channel of the river shall be of such length as will give a clear width of waterway at low—water level of not less than three hundred and [ifty feet, and a clear headroom under the full length of said span of not less than fifty-five feet above extreme high-water level; if constructed as a low—level bridge, there shall be a drawspan with openings under each arm thereof, giving such clear widths of waterway, not less than one hundred and eighty feet each, as in the opinion of the Secretary of War are required by the interests of navigation; the remaining spans, if either of a high or low level bridge, shall each give a clear width of water·way not less than one hundred and fifty feet at the low-water level of the l‘lV€1`, and a clear headroom not less than ten feet above extreme high-water mark. l