Year: 1872

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 moi
be so located or constructed as t
interfere in any manner with the approach
es to the railroad bridge now erected al
Cinten, or with the piers of the same, OF
so as to obstruct in any manner the passage
of said bridge by boats, vessels, or RATS, OF
to render such passage more difficult OF
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 neces-
sarY.


SEC. . That any bridge built under the
provisions of this act may, at the option of
the company building the same, be built as
draw bridge, with a pivot or other form
Of draw, or with unbrOken or 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 A;
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 atm
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 teet above l0w-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 said draw shall be opened
promptly, upen reasonable signal, for the
passage OF boats.


SEC. 3. That any bridge constructed IN
der this act, and according to its limita
tiOns, shall be a lawful structure, and shall
be known and recognized as a pOst-rOute,
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





railroads public highways leading to the
said bridge, and the United States shall
have the right of way for postal telegraph
purposes across said bridge.


SEC. 4. 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





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 10 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 structure; and the said struc-
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



SEC. :. 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 a 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 p0st-rOute, and shall have ali the
privileges, and is subject to all the terms
restrictions and requirements contained i'll
the foregoing sections of this act.


SEC. 7. That bridge may be constructed
and maintained across the Mississippi
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 hav
ing authority. from the States OF Illinois
and Iowa, The bridge authorized to be
built by this section is hereby declared to
be a 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. s. That 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 or 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
iect to all the terms, restrictions, and re-
quirements 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 ma
teUial distractions to the navigation OF said
river by the construction of bridges, is here
by expressly reserved.


SEC. TO- 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 l, 1872.


GENERAL NATURE-NO. %.


An act authorizing the President of the


United States to re-establish the Monroe


land district in the State Of Louisiana.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States OF
America in Congress assembled, That the
President of the United States be, and he is
hereby authorized, if IN his judgment the
public interests would be subserved there
by, to re establish. the Monroe land district
in the State Of Louisiana, with the same
boundaries thai existed before the cOnsOh-
dation of said land district with the land
district at New Orleans.


Approved !March l6, 1872.


GENERAL NATURE-NO G9.I
An act to authorize the construction OF


certain bridges across the Mississippi


river, and to estabIish the Same as post.