Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 31.djvu/793

 FIFTY-SIXTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 181. 1901. 741 _ CHAP. 181.-An Act To authorize the construction of a bridge across the Missis- ·T¤·¤¤¤1'¥ 26.1901; sippi River at or near Grays Point, Missouri. "";""""'_ Be it emcted by the Senate and House of Rrlegesentatwives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, at the Southern Illinois ufguggysgllfillligggg and Missouri Bridge Company, a corporation created and organized Coiggzpy mg mage under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Illinois, its successors M ppl vi" and assigns, be, and the same are hereby, authorized and empowered to erect, construct, maintain, and operate a bridge and a proaches ·‘°°*“°¤· thereto OVB1‘ the Mississippi River from a oint on the Llhssissippi River in Alexander County, in the State of Illinois, opposite the terminus of the Saint Louis Southwestern Railway, at or near Grays Point, in Scott County, in the State of Missouri, O1' from sonic other convenient point on said river in said Alexander County, Illinois, to some opposite point on aid river in the State of Missouri, within the distance of three miles above or below the terminus of said railway. Said bridge shall be constructed to provide for the passage of railway '1`¤¤¤¤¤¢· swtrains, an, at the option of said corporation, its successors or assigns, ·· may be so constructed as to provide for and be used also for the pas- · sage of wagons and vehicles of all kinds, for theltransit of animals, and for foot passengers, for such reasonable tolls as may be approved from T¤¤¤· time to time by the Secretary of War. Sec. 2. That the bridge built, operated, and maintained under this “uI&¤p¤g;t¤rLugg¤¤m¤ Act, and subject to its limitations, 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 of the same over the railroads or (public highways leading to said bridge, and it shall enjoy the rights an privileges 0 other post roads in the United States; and equal w'$;L;§é¤Ph· ew-· privi eges in the use of said bridge shall be granted to all telegraplh and telephone companies; and the United States shall have the rig t of way across said ridge and its approaches for postal-telegraph or for te ephone purposes. ` Sec. 3. That an bridge built under this Act shall be a high bridge, $P¤¤ · sm with unbroken and, continuous spans, and shall have at least one channel span, with a clear channel way at low water of not less than six hundred and fifty feet, and all other spans over the waterway, at a bank full stage, shall each have a clear channel way at low water of not less than five hundred feet, and all said spans shal have a clear headroom of not less than sixty-Eve feet, measured from extreme high water as determined at the location of the bridge, to the lowest part of the superstructure of the bridge or anything attached thereto: Promided, hat é, Wm such number of channel spans sha be built as may be recommended for the a proved location y the board of engineers hereinafter provided, ang that all channel ways shall be measured .at right angles to the current of the river at the stage of water that is most important to navigation. Sec. 4. That all iersshall be built parallel to the c1u·rent of the Hmm river at the sta o¥ water that is most important to navigation; and the bridge itself shall be built as nearly as ma? beat right angles thereto; and that riprapping or other protection rom imperfect foundations, which will lessen the required waterway, shall not be ner-- · mitted; also that piers which would produce cross currents or bars dangerous `to navigation shall not be constructed; and, if after construction, an piers O1' accessory works are found to produce the abovementioned edlects, or if any riprapping or other protection prohibited by this section is found to exist, the nuisance shall be abated or corrected in accordance with existing law. Sec. 5. That the approaches to the bridge built under this Act shall be so designed and constructed as not to interfere with the free dis-