Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-05-22
OFFICIAL.
<SsA
LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES.
Passed at the second Session OF the Thirty
seventh Congress.

PuDLIc-No. SCI
AN ACT relating to highways in til
county of Washington aud Distric
of Columbia.
BE II enacted by The Senate and Hous
Of Representatives. of The United States o
Ameriea an Congress assembled, That
from and after the passage of this act
it shall be lawful for the levy court O
Washington county, in the district O
Columbia, to alter, repair, widen, ant
regulate the public roads and high
ways in said county, and to lay Ou
additional roads as hereinafter speci
fed.
SEC. 2. And he IL further enacted, Tha,
all roads within said county Of Wash
ington which have been used by the
public for period Of twenty-five
years or more as 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, arc declared public highways,
whether the same have been recorded
or not and any person who shall OBJ
struct the free use of said highways,
or any one Of them, without authority
from said levy court, shall be subject
to a fine for each and every offence of
not less than one hundred or more than
two hundred and fifty dollars, to be
imprisoned till the said fine and the
costs Of suit and collection of the
same arc paid said fines to be COL
lected in the name of the United
States, for the use Of the levy court.
SEC. 3. And be II further enacted, That
within one year from the passage of
this act the levy court shall cause the
surveyor Of the said county of Wash
ington to survey and plat all such
roads as are named in the last prcce.
ding section, and have the same re.
corded among the records of said
county now used for recording sur
veys and plats Of other public county
roads and, in making said survey,
the county surveyor shall follow, as
nearly as possible, the lines and boun-
daries heretofore used and known as
a highway, and ho shall cause the
lines and boundaries Of the same to
be permanently marked and fixed by
the erection of stones or posts at the
different angles thereof.
Sec. 4. And be IL further enacted, That
all such roads as are named in the Sec
ord section of this act as have been Oh
structed 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 pub
lie convenience requires it and the
expenses thereby incurred shall be
paid by the person or persons who
shall have obstructed the same, which
expenses shall be collected as fines
are required to be collected under the
second section Of this act.
Sec. 5. Aad be IL further enacted, That
hereafter, in laying out new roads in
said county of Washington. the levy
court shall cause such roads to be Of
a width of not less than fifty nor more
than one hundred feet, and it may also
cause the width of any Of the exist
ing roads in said county to be incrcas-
ed 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
empowered to cause to be condemned
any land or lands necessary for the
same, as other lands are now condemn
ed by law.
Sec. 6. Andbe IL further enacted, That
in any case where materials shall be
necessary for making or repairing a
public road, il the levy court cannot
agree with the owner as to their pur
chase, the said court may proceed in
the same manner for cOndemning said
materials as in cases Of condemnation
of land for the purposes of public
road.
Sec. I. And BE- II further enacted, That
no field or garden or yard, in actual
cultivation. shall be laid open or used
as public highway until after the
usual time of taking off the crops
growing thereon.
Sec. 8. And be II further enacted, That
the requirement in the existing laws,
that members of the levy court shall
be appointed from amongst the justi.
ces Of the peace in the county oi
Washington, is hereby repealed.
Approved, May 3, 1862.