Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-05-16

LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES
Passed at the Second Session of the Thirty
Congress.


AN ACI relating to highways in the county
of Washington and District of Columbia.
Be it enacted by the senate and house of
representatives Of the United States of Amer
lea in congress assembled, That, from and af-
ter the passage of this act, it shall be lawful
for the levy court of Washington county, in
the District of Columbia, to alter, repair, wild
en- and regulate the public roads and high
ways in said county, and to lay out additional
roads as hereinafter specified.
Sec. =. And be it further enacted, That all
roads within said county of Washington which
have been used by the public for a period of
twenty-five years or more as a highway and
have been recognized by the said levy court as
public county roads, and for the repairs of
which the said levy court has appropriated
and expended money, are declared public
highways, whether the same have been record
ed or not; and any person who shall obstruct
the free use of said highways, or any one of
them, without authority from said levy court,
shall be subject to fine for each and every
offence of not less than one hundred or more
than two hundred and fifty dollars, to be I'M
priSOned till the said fine anu the costs of suit
and collection Of the same are paid; said fines
to be collected in the name of the United
States, for the use of the levy court.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That
within one year from the Passage of this act,
the levy court shall cause the surveyor Of the
said county of Washington to survey and plat
all such roads as are named in the last proceed
ing section, and have the same recorded among
the records of said county now used for re-
c0rding surveys and plats of other public cOun-
ty roads; and in making said survey, the coun-
ty surveyor shall follow, as nearly as possible,
the lines and boundaries heretofore used and
known as a highway, and he shall cause the
lines and boundaries of the same to be perma-
nently marked and fixed by the erection of
stones or posts at the different angles thereof.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That all
such roads as are named in the second section
of this act as have been INSTRUCTED by any
person or persons in any manner within the
last six years shall be re-opened by the levy
court, if, in the Judgment of said court, the
public convenience requires it and the eXpens-
es thereby incurred shall be paid by the per-
son or persons who shall have INSTRUCTED the
same, which expenses shall be collected as fines
are required to be collected under the second
section Of this act.
Sect. D. And be it further enacted, That
hereafter, in laying out new roads in said
comfy of Washington, the levy court shall
cause such roads to be of width of not less
than fifty nor more than one hundred feet and
1t may also cause the width of any of the eX-
isting roads in said county to be increased to
not more than one hundred feet, and change
the location of any of them, as the said levy
court may deem best for the public interest
and, for the purpose Of opening or widening
such roads, the said levy court is hereby en-
powered to cause to be condemned any land
or lands necessary for the same, as other
lands are now condemned by law.
Sect. s. And be it further enacted, That in
any case where materials shall be necessary
for making or repairing public road, if the
levy court cannot agree with the owner as to
their purchase, the said court may proceed in
the same manner for condemning said materi-
ais as in cases Of condemnation of land for
the purposes of public road
Sect. T. And be it further enacted, That
no field or garden or yard, in actual cultiva-
ton, shall be laid open or used as public
highway until after the usual time of taking
oft the crops growing thereon.
Sect s. And be it further enacted, That
the requirement in the existing laws, that
members Of the levy court shall be appointed
from amongst the justices of the peace in the
county of Washington, is hereby repealed.
Approved, May 3, 1862.