Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1856-08-23


/ me State Of Tcras, That the sum OF three
hundred thousand dollars be, and The same !.
hereby appropriated and set apart as special
| fund for the improvement Of the naVlgable
!, rivers, bayOus, lakes, and bays Oi Texas and
/ that the Governor is hereby authorized 10 draw
from the Treasury said fund for the use and
benefit Of laid nveTs, bayOus, lakes, aud bays
as herein provided ia this Act, and TO report
/ To the Legislature, Rt each and every session
thereof, his acts and proceedings relative 10
sand fund.
SE". ., That any navirnble river, bayou,
lake, or hay, for the improvement oI whleh
any specified amount, moi less than one thou
sand dollars may he raised by private subscriP'
tion, or other contribution or appropriation,
except by the State, shall be entitled TO receive
from said fund four times tie amount ol said
sum so raised and contributed; provided no
me river, bayou. lake or by shall be entitled,
under the provisions Of this net, TO more ihnn
fifty thousand dollars Of said fund ; and, pro.
yidcd further, that snid sums so contributed by
the State nnd private subscription. shall be
expended Tor the improvement Of the nnviga'
tion of such rivers, bayous, lakes and bays by
the removal of all serious obstacles from the
mouth up, or on such portions as shall be Spc'
cnlly designated on said subscription.
SEC. 3. That wh enever the citizens inter-
csred in the improvement Of any naHignble
river, bayou. lake, or bay may desire TO secure
the benefits of this act to Snd river, bnyon,
lake, or bay they shall have power in puh'ic
meeting 10 appoint some good and responsible
person as collector and treasurer who shall be
authorized to take up subscription for the
benefit of said river, bayou, lake. or hN", aud
which subscription must specify for what river
bayou, lake, or bay il is taken. And no sub
scription shall be received by said collector and
treasurer unless al least five per cent OF said
subscription is paid in actual cash that snld
collector and trsasurer, before entering upon
the duties of his office, shall enter into bond
with good and sufficient security in the sum
of twenty thousand dollars, payable TO the
Governor and his successor in office, which
bond shall be approved by the Governor and
filed by the Secretary of State, and may be
sued upon as other like bonds. That said
collector and treasurer shall be eutitIed to five
per cent on the amount received, and five per
cent on the amount disbursed by him. AS here
; after required to be subscribed and raised inde
/ pendent of the amount raised for said rivers,
bayous, lakes, and bays; and he shall BE- uu.
thorized to sue and recover in his own name
T for the benefit of said river bayou, lake or bay
any amount subscribed for the improvement of
the same as in other cases in law and equity
and he shall !.rye the po~er tc call npon said
subscribers, at any time, for instaiIments on
SAID subscription, provided no more than twen-
ty per cent of sand subscription shall be reqnr-
ed every sixty days.
SEC. H. That said collector and treasurer
shall be required to report quarterly TO the
Governor all accounts collected and dishursed
BY him, together with copy of his subscription
lists aud all hls acts and accounts connected
with said business. and shall also be required
to keep an accurate record OF the same in a
book TO be kept for that purpose.
SEC. 5. That there shall be elected by the
Legislature on joint ballot, State engineer
and superintendent, who shall receive an
annual salary of ST. 800
Aad said engineer and superintendent shall,
before entering upon the duties of his office,
enter into bond. with good and sufficient seen.
riy, in The sum Of ten thousand dollars. paya-
bic to the Governor of the State and his sue
; cessors in Office for the faithful discharge of
the duties which may be- assigned him, ard
with such other conditions as may be prescrib-
ed by the Governor, which bond shall be ap.
proved by the Governor and filed with the
Secretary ol S. te, and may be sued upon as
other like bonds.
And said engineer and superintendent shall
also subscribe the following OATH before any
officer legally authorized to administer the
sariie-"l do soennIy swear Tor affirm, as tho
case may be) that will well and truly dis.
charge all the duties required of me as engin-
eer and superintendent of the following rivers,
bayous, lakes, or bays" Whenever, in the
opinion of the Governor, the State engineer
and superintendent cannot perform the duties
required oil him under this act, consistently
with his performance of other duties, the SUI
per'ntendant may appoint some competent
person to superihtend the work upon any river,
bayou, lake, or hy designated by the Cover
nor, who shall give bond and take an oath of
Office in the same manner as is required of the
State engineer and superintendent. and shall
receive compensation of s.. per day while
so employed.
Sec. 6. That whenever the Governor shall
be notified that a collector and treasurer has
been appointed and qualified as provided in
this act and that he has raised subscription
OF as much as the sum of one thousand dollars
for one or more rivers, bayous, lakes, or bays,
and after five per cent OF said subscription has
been paid in cash, said engineer and superin-
tendant shall surrey, explore, and lay off the
work to be done on said river, bayou, lake, or
bay in sections Of convenient length, and shall
form estimates Of the work and let out the
same TO the lowest bidder at such time and
place as shall be fixed upon by him aud shall
enter INTO writteh contracts with said contract
ors, FULLY specifying the nature of the work to
be done and the time in which the same is TO
be completed. And said contractors shall enter
INTO bond with securities, TO be approved by
said engineer and superintendent, in double
the amount oil his bid, for the faithful perform
ance of his contract, which bond shall be made
payable to the Governor. and may be sued up
on and collected as other like bonds. Said
eneiheer and sunerintendant shall snneri riniend