An Act to authorize the acquisition of certain lands for addition to Harpers Ferry National Monument, and for other purposes.
PL 86-655 (S.2674), enacted 07/14/1960

520 
PUBLIC LAW 86-655-JULY 14, 1960 
[74 ST A T , 
Effective date. 
the claim. 
No suit shall be instituted involving any claim described 
in section 3 unless the claimant shall have first given notice to the Dis-
trict in accordance with the Act of February 28, 1933 (47 Stat. 1370; 
sec. 12-208, D.C. Code, 1951 edition) and shall have presented to the 
District in writing a claim for money damages in connection therewith, 
and the District has had six months from the date of such filing within 
which to make final disposition of such claim. 
The administrative 
disposition of a claim by the District shall not be competent evidence 
of liability or amount of damages in proceedings on any such claim. 
SEC. 5. In any case involving any claim described in section 3 in 
which the trial court shall consider the verdict excessive, the court 
may order a remittitur of so much of the amount of such verdict or 
judgment, as the case may be, as it considers excessive, and either 
permit the party in whose favor the verdict was rendered or the party 
recovering such judgment, as the case may be, to file a remittitur. 
SEC. 6. After the effective date of this Act, no civil action or proceed-
ing shall be brought or be maintained against an employee of the 
District for loss of or damage to property or for personal injury, 
including death, resulting from the operation by such employee of any 
vehicle if it be alleged in the complaint or develop in a later stage 
of the proceeding that the employee was acting within the scope of 
his office or employment, unless the District shall, in an action brought 
against it for such damage or injury, including death, specifically 
deny liability on the ground that the employee was not, at the time 
and place alleged, acting within the scope of his office or employment. 
If in any such civil action or proceeding pending in a court in the 
District of Columbia as of the effective date of this Act the District 
has not been named as a defendant, said District shall be joined as a 
defendant and after its answer has been filed and subject to the pro-
visions of the preceding sentence, the action shall be dismissed as to 
the employee and the case shall proceed as if the District had been a 
party defendant from the inception thereof. 
SEC. 7. Nothing in this Act ^hall be construed so as to relieve any 
District employee from liability to the District for negligent damage 
to or loss of District property. 
SEC. 8. This Act shall take effect thirty days after its enactment. 
Approved July 14, 1960. 
July 14, 1960 
[S. 2674] 
Public Law 86-655 
AN ACT 
To authorize the acquisition of certain lands for addition to Harpers Ferry 
National Monument, and for other purposes. 
Harpers 
F e r r y 
National M o n u-
ment. 
16 u s e 
450bb-
450bb-2. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That to further the 
commemorative purposes of the Act of June 30, 1944 (58 Stat. 645), 
by providing historic properties and administrative facilities, the 
Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to acquire, in the manner 
hereafter stated, the Storer College site, the original site of John 
Brown's "Fort" and the old Federal armory, comprising altogether 
approximately thirty acres, for addition to Harpers Ferry National 
Monument. 
SEC. 2. (a) The Secretary of the Interior may accept the convey-
ance of all right, title, and interest of the trustees of Storer College 
in and to the lands and improvements in Harpers Ferry, West Vir-
ginia, granted to their predecessors for educational purposes pursuant 
74 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-656-JULY 14, 1960 
521 
to section 2 of the Act of December 15,1868 (15 Stat. 266), upon pay-
ment to said trustees of not more than the current fair market vahie of 
the improvements located upon such lands. The Secretary may also 
purchase lands, interests therein, and improvements thereon, which 
lands were granted to the trustees of Storer College pursuant to such 
Act of 1868 and subsequently were alienated by the tinistees: Pro-
vided^ That he may pay not in excess of the amount paid therefor by 
the then owners plus the cost of existing improvements placed thereon 
by them, and, in no event may he pay more than the current fair mar-
ket value. 
The Secretary may also purchase from the trustees of 
Storer College, at not more than their fair market value, other lands 
and interests in lands acquired by them or their predecessors as a part 
of the college site, together with any improvements thereon. In addi-
tion, up to seven acres of privately owned lands, interests therein, and 
improvements thereon, which are interspersed with the aforesaid col-
lege lands may be purchased by the Secretary. 
Lands and interests 
purchased under this subsection may be exchanged for other lands, 
and interests therein, of approximately equal value, which comprise 
the college and interspersed lands otherwise authorized herein for 
purchase. 
(b) To facilitate the acquisition of the original site of the engine 
house known as John Brown's "Fort" and the old Federal arsenal, 
the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorized to exchange therefor 
federally owned park lands or interests in lands of approximately 
equal value in the vicinity of Cumberland, Maryland, which he finds 
are no longer required for park purposes. 
SEC. 3. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums, not to 
exceed $300,000, as may be necessary for the purchase of lands, inter-
ests therein, and improvements thereon pursuant to this Act. 
Approved July 14, 1960. 
Appropriation. 
Public Law 86-656 
AN ACT 
T(t authoiize the award posthumously of appropriate medals to Chaplain George 
L, Fox, Chaplain Alexander D. Goode, Chaplain Clark V. Poling, and Chaplain 
John P. Washington. 
July 14, I960 
[S. 2969] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Rejyresentatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President 
is authorized to award posthumously appropriate medals and certifi-
cates to Chaplain George L. Fox of Gilman, Vermont; Chaplain 
Alexander D. Goode of Washington, District of Columbia; Chaplain 
Clark V. Poling of Schenectady, New^ York; and Chaplain John P. 
Washington of x\rlington, New Jersey, in recognition of the extraor-
dinary heroism displayed by them when they sacrificed their lives in 
the sinking of the troop transport Dorchester in the North Atlantic 
in 1943 by giving up their life preservers to other men aboard such 
transport. 
SEC. 2. The medals and certificates authorized by this Act shall be 
in such form and of such design as shall be prescribed by the President, 
and shall be awarded to such representatives of the aforementioned 
chaplains as the President may designate. 
SEC. 3. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may. 
be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
Approved July 14, 1960. 
Medals and dec-
orations. 
Chaplains. 
Approjiriation.