Commencement and completion. SEC. 12. That if the construction of said bridge is not commenced in two years from the passage of this act, and completed in five years thereafter, all rights hereby conferred shall cease and determine. Approved, July 19, 1888. July 19, 1888. Act of New Mexico San Juan County rat legislature creating ified. Territorial legisla counties. Vol. 24, p. 170. CHAP. 679.—An act to ratify an act entitled "An act creating the county of San Juan," in the Territory of New Mexico. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the act of the legislative assembly of the Territory of New Mexico, passed February twenty-fourth, eighteen hundred and eighty-seven, entitled "An act creating the county of San Juan," be, and the same is hereby, ratified and confirmed. SEC. 2. That nothing in the act approved July thirtieth, eighteen tures may create hundred and eighty-six, entitled an act "to prohibit the passage of local or special laws in the Territories of the United States, to limit Territorial indebtedness, and for other purposes," shall be construed to prohibit the creation by Territorial legislatures of new counties and the location of the county seats thereof. July 19, 1888. Americus, Preston, Company may bridge Flint River, Georgia. and Lumpkin Railroad Draw. Proviso. Approved, July 19, 1888. CHAP. 680.—An act authorizing the construction of a bridge across Flint River, in the State of Georgia. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the assent of Congress is hereby given to the Americus, Preston, and Lumpkin Railroad Company, an organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Georgia, its successors and assigns, to construct and maintain a bridge over Flint River, in the State of Georgia. SEC. 2. That said bridge shall be a draw-bridge, to consist of two spans of forty feet on each side, and a draw of one hundred and eighty-four feet in the centre of the stream; the spans shall not be less than thirty-eight feet above low-water mark: Provided, That if said Unobstructed navi- bridge shall, in the opinion of the Secretary of War, obstruct the navigation of said river, he is hereby authorized to cause such change or alteration of said bridge to be made as will effectually obviate such obstruction; and all such obstructions shall be removed, and alterations made at the expense of the owner or owners of said bridge. gation. Lawful structure and post-route. Postal telegraph. Secretary of War to pprove plans, etc. SEC. 3. That any bridge built under this act and subject to its limitations shall be a lawful structure, and shall be recognized and known 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, or passengers or freight passing over said bridges, than the rate per mile paid for the transportation over the railroads or public highways leading to said bridges; and they shall enjoy the rights and privileges of other postroads of the United States. And equal privileges in the use of said bridge shall be granted to all telegraph companies, and the United States shall have the right of way across said bridge and its approaches for said postal telegraph purposes. SEC. 4. That said bridge shall be built and located under and subject to such regulations for the security of navigation of said rivers as the Secretary of War shall prescribe; and to secure that object said company or corporation shall submit to the Secretary of War a design and drawings of said bridge, for his examination and approval, and a map of its location, and shall furnish such other infor-. mation as may be required for a full and satisfactory understanding of the subject, and in all things shall be subject to such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of War; and until said plan and location of said bridge are approved by the Secretary of War the construction of said bridge shall not be commencéd; and should any change be made in the plan of said bridge, during the progress of the work of construction, such change shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of War. completion. SEC. 5. That this act shall be null and void if actual construction Commencement and of the bridge therein authorized be not commenced within one year and completed within three years from the date thereof. SEC. 6. That the right to alter, amend, or repeal this act is hereby Amendment. expressly reserved; and the right to require any changes in said structure, or its removal, at the expense of the owners thereof, whenever the Secretary of War shall decide that the public interest requires it, is also expressly reserved. Approved, July 19, 1888. CHAP. 685.—An act to authorize the building of a railroad bridge at Fort Smith, Arkansas. July 19, 1888. Fort Smith, Paris and Dardanelle Railway Railway, wagon, and foot bridge. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That it shall be lawful for the Fort Smith, Paris and Dardanelle Railway Company, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Arkansas, to construct and maintain a bridge, and approaches thereto, over the Arkansas River, at a point on said river at or near the city of Fort Smith, in the state of Arkansas, and to lay on and over said bridge a railroad track or tracks for the more perfect connection of any railroad or railroads that are or shall hereafter be constructed to the said river, on either or both sides thereof, at or opposite said point, under the limitations and conditions hereinafter provided; said bridge shall be constructed to provide for the passage of railway trains, and, at the option of the builders and owners thereof, may be used for the passage of wagons and vehicles of all kinds, for the transit of animals of all kinds, and for foot-passengers for such reasonable rates of toll as may be approved from time to time by the Secretary of War. SEC. 2. That any bridge built under this act and subject to its lim- Lawful structure and itations shall be a lawful structure, and shall be recognized and post-route. known as a post-route, upon which also no higher charge shall be made for the transmission over the same of the mails, troops, and the munitions of war, or other property of the United States, than the rate per mile paid for the transportation of the same over the railroads or public highways leading to the said bridge, and it shall enjoy the rights and privileges of other post-roads in the United States. Equal privileges in the use of said bridge shall be granted to all telegraph companies; and the United States shall have the right of way across said bridge and its approaches for postal-telegraph Postal telegraph. purposes. SEC. 3. That the said bridge shall be constructed with a draw or pivot span which shall be over the main channel of the river at an accessible navigable point, and the openings on each side of the pivot pier shall not be less than one hundred and sixty feet in the clear, and, as nearly as practicable, both of said openings shall be accessible at all stages of water; that the spans be not less than ten feet above extreme high-water mark, as understood at the point of location, to the lowest point of the superstructure of said bridge; that the piers and draw rests of said bridge shall be built parallel with the current at that stage of the river which is most important for navigation, and the bridge itself at right angles thereto; and that no riprap or other outside protection for imperfect foundations be permitted to approach nearer than four feet to the surface of the water at its extreme low stage, or otherwise to encroach upon STAT L-VOL XXV-22 Draw. Spans. Proviso. Lights. Use by other companies. Terms. Secretary of War to approve plans, etc. Amendment. Commencement and completion. Litigation. the channel-ways provided for in this act: Provided, That said draw SEC. 4. That all railroad companies desiring the use of said bridge shall have, and be entitled to, equal rights and privileges relative to the passage of railway trains over the same, and over the approaches to the same, upon payment of a reasonable compensation for such use; and in case the owner or owners of said bridge, and the several railroad companies, or any of them, desiring such use, shall fail to agree upon the sum or sums to be paid, and upon rules and conditions which each shall perform in using said bridge, all matters at issue between them shall be decided by the Secretary of War upon hearing of the allegations and proofs of the parties. SEC. 5. That any bridge authorized to be constructed under this act shall be built and located under and subject to the regulations for the security of said river as the Secretary of War shall prescribe; and to secure that object the owner or owners thereof shall submit to the Secretary of War, for his examination and approval, a design and drawings of the bridge, and a map of the location, giving, for the space of one mile above and one mile below the proposed location, the topography of the banks of the river, the shore-line at high or low water, the direction and strength of the current at all stages, and the soundings, accurately showing the bed of the stream, the location of any other bridge or bridges, and shall furnish such other information as may be required for the full and satisfactory understanding of the subject; and until such plan and location of the bridge are approved by the Secretary of War, the bridge shall not be commenced or built; and should any change be made in the plan of said bridge during the progress of construction, such change shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of War. SEC. 6. That the right to alter, amend, or repeal this act is hereby expressly reserved, and the right to require any changes in said structure, or its entire removal at the expense of the owners thereof, whenever the Secretary of War shall decide that the public interest requires it, is also expressly reserved. SEC. 7. That this act shall be null and void if actual construction of the bridge herein authorized be not commenced within one year and completed within three years from the date hereof. And if any litigation shall arise in regard to said bridge under the provisions of this act, the same shall be had in the circuit court of the United States in whose jurisdiction the bridge or any part thereof is located. Approved, July 19, 1888. July 20, 1888. enlisting in 1861. CHAP. 690.-An act for the relief of certain volunteer soldiers. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Bounties to soldiers United States of America in Congress assembled, That the act entiTime limit of muster tled "An act in relation to bounties," approved April twenty-second, eighteen hundred and seventy-two, be amended by striking out the words "before August sixth, eighteen hundred and sixty-one"; and said act, as hereby amended, shall have full force and effect from April twenty-second, eighteen hundred and seventy-two. repealed. Cla is to be reconsidereu. SEC. 2. That the proper accounting officers of the Treasury be, and they are hereby, authorized and directed to reconsider the claims of all soldiers and their heirs who may have been denied the bounty of one hundred dollars granted by the act of April twenty-second, eighteen hundred and seventy-two, under any construction of said act which has since been modified or rescinded, and such claims shall, if found correct and just, be allowed and paid, provided the soldiers were enrolled or enlisted for three years prior to July twenty-second, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, under the proclamation of the President of the United States of May third, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, and the Vol. 12, p. 1260. orders of the War Department issued in pursuance thereof, and were actually mustered into the service of the United States and honorably discharged. Approved, July 20, 1888. CHAP. 691.-An act to provide for the sale of the site at Fort Omaha, Nebraska, the sale or removal of the improvements thereof, and for a new site and the construction of suitable buildings thereon. July 23, 1888. tion, Nebraska, to be Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary Fort Omaha Reservaof War is hereby authorized to sell the military reservation known as sold. Fort Omaha, near the city of Omaha, in the State of Nebraska, and such of the buildings and improvements thereon as can not be economically removed to the new site herein provided for. In disposing of said property the Secretary of War shall cause the grounds to be plat- Plats to be made. ted in blocks, streets, and alleys, if in his judgment it would inure to the benefit of the Government in making sale of said site, having due reference to the requirements of the houses and buildings located on said grounds, in such cases as they may be sold with the ground. The Secretary of War shall also cause the lots, lands, and buildings to be appraised and sold at public or private sale, at not less than the appraised value, having first been offered at public sale. The expense Expenses. of advertising, appraisement, survey, and sale shall be paid out of the proceeds of said sale, and the balance paid into the Treasury of the United States. Appropriation. SEC. 2. That the Secretary of War is authorized and shall purchase Purchase of new site. suitable grounds of not less than three hundred and twenty nor more than six hundred and forty acres in extent, to be situate within a distance of ten miles of the limits of said city of Omaha, in the State of Nebraska, and construct thereon the necessary buildings, with appurtenances, sufficient for a ten-company military post, to be known as Fort Omaha, in accordance with estimates to be prepared by the War Department; and a sufficient sum of money, not exceeding two hundred thousand dollars, is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to enable the Secretary of War to comply with the provisions of this act: Provided, That the title to the lands authorized to be purchased under the second section of this act shall be approved by the Attorney-General: And provided further, That not more than one-third of said sum shall be expended Limit. in the purchase of a site; and the whole expenditure for site and improvement shall not exceed the sum of two hundred thousand dollars. SEC. 3. That section one of this act shall be of effect when the purchase of a new site provided for in section two shall have been effected. Approved, July 23, 1888. Provisos. Title. Effect. CHAP. 692.-An act to extend the limits of the Port of New Orleans. July 23, 1888. New Orleans, La. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the limits of the port of entry of New Orleans, Louisiana, shall be, and the same tended. are hereby, extended so as to include that portion of the Parish of Jefferson lying between the Mississippi River, Lake Ponchartrain, July 23, 1888. New Mexico legislature ratified, the upper line of the Parish of Orleans, left bank, and a line running parallel thereto, commencing at the Mississippi River at a point two miles above the upper line of the said Parish of Orleans, and extending to Lake Ponchartrain. Approved, July 23, 1888. CHAP. 693.-An act relating to certain acts of the twenty-seventh legislative assembly of the Territory of New Mexico. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Issue of bonds by United States of America in Congress assembled, That the act of the twenty-seventh legislative assembly of the Territory of New Mexico, entitled "An act to create a funded indebtedness of the Territory of New Mexico to pay and discharge certain claims for carpets, furniture, gas fixtures, gas, and water, and fuel, and for shelving the vaults and library room, and for insurance and other incidental and contingent expenses, now accrued and to accrue during the ensuing two years," and approved February fourteenth, anno Domini eighteen hundred and eighty-seven; and the act of the said legislative assembly, entitled "An act to provide for the payment of current expenses of the Territory until the tax income shall meet the same," approved February twenty-fourth, anno Domini eighteen hundred and eightyseven, be, and they are hereby, approved and declared valid acts of the said legislative assembly of the Territory of New Mexico, and the said Territory is and shall be bound by the terms of the said several acts, and shall be held to the payment of the respective sums stipulated to be paid in the bonds, the issuance of which is provided in the said acts respectively, and in the manner and form therein prescribed. Sinking fund. SEC. 2. That it shall be the duty of the Territorial auditor to make an estimate of the amount of taxes required to be levied in each county in the Territory, in order to raise a sufficient fund to pay all interest, together with a sinking fund for the payment of the principal, of all bonds issued under the provisions of the "Act to provide for the payment of current expenses of the Territory until the tax income will meet the same," herein before recited, when the same shall become due and payable. Approved, July 23, 1888. CHAP. 694.—An act providing for the appointment of police matrons for the District of Columbia, defining their duties, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Commissioners of the District of Columbia be, and they are hereby, authorized to appoint three matrons for the police department of said District, at a salary of six hundred dollars per annum, as soon as the necessary accommodations may be authorized and provided by Congress, and the work completed. SEC. 2. That it shall be the duty of said police matrons to search, when necessary, examine, and care for the female prisoners who may be taken into custody by the police, and to take charge of lost or abandoned children while detained at a station-house to which a matron may be assigned, under such rules and regulations as the Commissioners of the District of Columbia may from time to time make. SEC. 3. That no woman shall be appointed a police matron unless suitable for the position, and recommended therefor in writing by ai least ten women of good standing, residents of the District. Approved, July 23, 1888. |