New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-07-11

ton arising from any obstruction OF al
legged obstruction, TO the free navigation of
said river, the cause may be tried before
the district court of the United States of
any State in which any portion of
said obstruction or bridge touches:
provided, that said bridge shall not
be so located or constructed as to
interfere in any manner with the approach
es to the railroad bridge now erected at
Clinton, or with the piers of the same, or
so as TO obstruct in any manner the passage
of said bridge by boats, vessels, or rafts, or
to render such passage more difficult or
dangerous; Provided, however, That this
clause shall not be construed to prohibit
the crossing of the approaches to said
bridge, if such crossing shall be found neees-
sary.
SEC. 9 That any bridge built under the
provisions of this act may, at the option OF
the company building the same, be built as
a draw-bridge, with pivot or other form
Of draw, or with unbroken OF continuous
spans; provided, that if the said bridge shall
be made with unbroken and continuous
spans, it shall not be of less elevation, in
any case, than fifty feet above extreme,
high water mark, as understood at the
point of location, to the bottom chord of
the bridge; nor shall the spans of said
bridge be less than two hundred and fifty
feet in length, and the piers of said bridge
shall be parallel with the current of the
river, and the main span shall be over the
main channel of the river, and not
less than three hundred feet in length
and provided also, that if any bridge
built under this act shall be constructed as
a draw-bridge, the same shall be construct
ed as a pivot draw bridge, with a draw
over the main channel of the river at an
accessible and navigable point, and with
spans of not less than one hundred and
sixty feet in length in the clear on each
side of the central or pivot pier of the draw;
and the next adjoining spans to the draw
shall not be less than two hundred and fifty
feet; and said spans shall not be less than
thirty feet above low-water mark, and not
less than ten feet above extreme high-water
mark measuring to the bottom chord of the
bridge; and the piers of said bridge shall be
PARALLEL with the current of the river,
where said bridge may be erected: And pro-
vided also, That saidsdraw shall be opened
promptly, upen reasonable signal, for the
passage of boats.
SEC. 3, That any bridge constructed I'M
der this act, and according to its limita-
tiOns, shall be a lawful structure, aud shall
be known and recognized as postrOute,
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 their transportation over the
said bridge, and the United States shall
have the right of way for postal telegraph
purposes across said bridge.
SEC f. THAT all railway companies de-
string to use the said bridge shall have and
be entitled to equal rights and privileges
in the passage Of the same, and in the use
of the machinery and fixtures thereof and
of all the approaches thereto, under and
upon such terms and conditions as shall be
prescribed by the Secretary of War, upon
hearing the allegations and proofs of the
parties in case they shall not agree.
Sec. ). That the structure herein author
lied shall be built and located under and
subject TO such regulations for the security
of navigation OF said river as the Secretary
of War shall prescribe, and the said struc-
ture shall be at all times so kept and man
aged as to offer reasonable and proper
means for the passage of vessels through or
under said structures; and the said strue-
ture shall be changed at the cost and
expense of the owners thereof, from time to
time as Congress may direct, so as to pre-
serve the free and convenient navigation of
said river. And the authority to erect and
continue said bridge shall be subject to re-
vocation or modification by law whenever
the public good shall, in the judgment of
Congress so require, without any expense
or charge to the United States.
SEC. 8. That the Muscatine Western Rail-
road Company, or their assigns, corpora
ton existing under the laws Of the State of
Iowa, be, and is hereby, authorized to con-
struct and maintain q bridge across the
Mississippi river at the city of Muscatine,
in the State Of Iowa. The bridge authorized
to be built by this section is hereby declared
to be post-route, and shall have all the
privileges, and is subject to all the terms,
restrictions and requirements contained in
the foregoing sections of this act.
7 L. 4
and maintained across the Mississippi river,
at any point they may select, between the
counties of Carroll and Whitesides in the
State of Illinois, and the counties of jackson
and Clinton, in the State of Iowa, either by
the Western Union Railroad Company or
the Sabula, Ackley, and Dakota Railroad
Company, or both of them; or by either or
both of their successors or assigns, or by
any person, company, or corporation haY-
ing authority from the States of Illinois
and Iowa. The bridge authorized to be
bnilt by this section is hereby declared to
be post route, and has all the privileges,
and is subject to all the terms, restrictions,
and requirements contained in the fOregO-
ing sections of this act.
SEC. 8. That a bridge may be construct
ed and maintained across the Mississippi
river, at any point they may select, between
the county of La Crosse, in the State Of
Wisconsin, and the county of Houston, In
the State Of Minnesota, by the Milwaukee
and Saint Paul Railway Company, their
successors NOr assigns, or by any person,
company, or corporation having authority
from the States Of Wisconsin and MinnesO-
Ia. The bridge authorized to be built by
this section is hereby declared to be post
route, and has all the privileges, and is sub
ject to all the terms, restrictions, and re-
guirements contained in the foregoing sec
tons of this act.
Sec 9. That the right to alter or amend
this act, so as to prevent or remove all MAJ |
terial distractions to the navigation Of said
river by the construction Of bridges, is here |
by expressly reserved.
SEC. 10. That this act shall take effect
and be in force from and after its passage,
without any expense or charge to the
United States.
Approved April ], 1879.
[GENERAL NATURE-No. 80.
An act in addition to an act entitled ''An
act to amend an act entitled An act for
the removal Of causes in certain cases