The weekly Placer herald., 1854-04-29
Senator GWin's Bill.

CDCC OCeUU.
Be 1t enacted by ,he Senate and House
of Representatives. of the United States
IN Congress assembled, That good and
substantial first class Railroad, with two
or more tracks, having iron rails weigh
ing not less than seventy pounds to the
yard shall be constructed through the ter
ritories of the United States from some
point in the western boundary of some
one of the Atlantic States west of the
Mississippi, to some point in the eastern
border of the State of California. The
location Of the initial points, and route of
such Railroad, shall be fixed by the in
dividual or company who shall, in man
ner hereinafter mentioned, contract with
the United States for the construction Of
the same. The public land necessary for
the bed of such road, of width to be
determined by the Secretary Of War, to-
gether with ali sites for stations, turn-outs,
watering places, or other necessary in
cidents, shall be, and the same are here
by, granted to the said individual or COM
pany, for the period they shall exist. aud
continue to work such road in conformity
to this act, and thereafter shall be dedicat'
ed for said purpose, as long as it is used
therefor: Provided, hotoeeer, That no
turnout shall exist more than two hun
dred feet literally from the line of the
main trunk, and not more than five square
acres shall be set apart for any one station
or watering place. and no railroad or
other road shall be allowed to cross on
level the railroad authorized by this act,
but all such crossings shall be either over
or under the same. The said railroad
shall be commenced within three years
from the date of such contract, and be
completed within seven years thereafter,
and one-seventh part thereof, having re-
lation to the estimated cost of the entire
construction and equipment of the same,
shall be completed within each of the said
seven years. The road may be construct
ed by any individual, or by any company
or association, or any corporation, which
has been or my be chartered by the legls-
lature of any one of the United States,
with powers for that purpose, who shall
obtain the contract with the United States,
according to the terms hereinafter stipu-
lated; and for the purpose of enabling the
party to whom the contract may be award
ed, under this act, to construct the said
road, there is hereby appropriated every
odd numbers, within twenty miles of each
side of the route of said road, with right
to make good any deficiency within that
range, as near thereto as practicable; and
there is hereby appropriated sum not
exceeding maximum Of six hundred dol
lors per mile for carrying the United
States mail daily on the said road for
period not longer than thirty years from
the time Of its completion, and the mode
of issuing titles for the said lands shall he
as follows: There shall be granted to the
SAID party quantity not exceeding one
thousand sections within continuous
length of fifty miles of said road, when
an officer of the United States engineer
corps, to be designated by the Secretary
Of War for the purpose, shall certify to
the Secretary of the Interior that any fifty
continuous miles of said road is completed,
and then aud thereafter another like guam
tity of land for like length of road shall
be granted, and SO on until the whole of
said road shall be completed, and the con-
tract shall be awarded to the party who
shall bid the lowest sum per mile for car
rying the mail within the maximum
amount hereinbefore specified, and who
shall in all other respects conform to the
stipulations of this act; and if the said
contractors shall obtain from any State or
States west of the Mississippi permission
to extend the said road from its eastern
termination to any point or points on the
Mississippi river, and shall construct such
extensions, then the said contractors shall,
from the time of putting such extension
into operation, be entitled to receive for
carrying the mails the same sum per mile
per annum on such extension as shall be
stipulated in said contract; the Secretary
Of War shall, Immediately after the pas
sage of this act, issue and publish, in
such Of the cities of the United States and
Territories, not less than three in each
State or Territory, if SO many there be,
as he may BEEN proper, for the term of
twelve weeks, notice inviting seal
ed proposals for the construction of
the said railroad. according to the condi-
tons and provisions Of this act; and at the
expiration Of that time, the proposals
shall be opened, and the said Secretary
shall then award and make contract of
that date, provided the President shall
approve the same, for the construction of
the said railroad, to and with the indivi-
dual or company who shall have propos-
ed to construct the same upon the terms
most favorable to the United States, ac-
cording to the provisions Of this act, and
shall comply with the said provisions in