Year: 1860

|


River Improvement and abolshing tie
Office of Commissioner thereof.


| 81. Be it enacted by the General As.
sombly of the State Of Iowa, That the
fifty Thousand acres Of land to be set
apart by the Register Of the State Land
Office under the second section of an
act Of the General Assembly approved
March 22d, 1853, entitled can act dis
posing OF the grant Of land made by an
act of Congress granting land to the
Territory Of Iowa to aid in the Improve.
mcnt of the Navigation Of the Des
Moines River" shall be taken from the
lands next above those transferred by
the State to the Des Moines Navigation
and Railroad Company by the terms Of
settlement with that Company author.
lied BY Joint Resolution Of the General
Assembly approved March ed, 1853.
So That the uncompleted dams to oe
built by the Keoku Fort Des Moines
and Minnesota Railroad Company as
provided by the said second section Of
the act above referred to shall be com
pleted as follows, that is to say, the dam
at Keosauqua shall be completed in one
year after the lands granted to said Rail
road Company by said act shall have
been certified by the General Govern
ment to the State Of Iowa or otherwise
become the property Of said Company,
and the dam at Plymouth and the other
works within two years after the lands
shall have been certified as aforesaid.


S3. That the Office Of Commissioner
of the Des Moines River improvement
be and the Same is hereby abolished.


s. That George G. Wright, Of Van
Buren Co., Edward Johnston, Of Lee Co.;
and Christian W. Slagle, Of Jefferson
County, be and they are hereby appoint
cd Board of Commissioners for the
purpose of ascertaining all the liabilities
whether in suit or otherwise against said
Des Moines River Improvement and
against the State Of Iowa growing out
of said Improvement and which are to
be paid by the Keokuk, Fort Des Moines
and Minnesota Railroad Company as
provided by the said second section of
the act Of the 22d Of March, 1853, above
referred to.


IS. Said Commissioners or a majority
Of them shall meet at the city Of Keo-
sauqua in the County Of Van Buren,
within six months after the passage Of
this act or as soon thereafter as practical
BILE, and shall organize the Board by
taking an oath that they will we'll and
truly discharge the duties imposed upon
them by this act.


Sc. After having organized, said Com
missioners shall give public notice Of
the time and place Of their meeting and
the objects Of the commission, by gen
eral notice to all persons claiming to bo
entitled to be paid by the provisions Of
the said section of the said act Of March
22d, 1868, that unless they present their
claims within six months after the time
fixed in said notice for the meeting of
the Board, they will not thereafter be
received or acted upon, but forever barr
ed which notice shall be published for
at least four weeks in some newspaper
published at the County Seat Of Van
Buren Co., and q newspaper published
in the City Of Keokuk.


81. After said notice shall have been
given, said Commissioners or majority
of them, shall meet at the time and place
appointed by said notice and proceed to
hear testimony and decide upon tho va
lidity Of all claims presented which are
legal and equitable and the amount
thereof, which decision shall be final
and conclusive, and may adjourn from
time to time during and after the said
six months from the time Of their meet
ling, until they shall have decided upon
all the claims presented within said six
months and at any timo during said six
months when said Board shall not be in
session, claims may be filed with the
Clerk Of the District Court Of the Coun-