Chapter LXXVI. *to authorize the Construction of a submerged Tubular Bridge across the Mississippi River at the City of Saint Louis.* Feb. 25, 1867. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, * A submerged iron tubular bridge may be built and ma
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CHAP. LXXVI.— An Act *to authorize the Construction of a submerged Tubular Bridge across the Mississippi River at the City of Saint Louis.* Feb. 25, 1867. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, * A submerged iron tubular bridge may be built and maintained across the Mississippi river at Saint Louis. That the “Mississippi Submerged Tubular Bridge Company,” a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Missouri, be, and the same is hereby, empowered to construct, maintain, and operate a submerged iron tubular bridge across the Mississippi river, between the city of Saint Louis, in the State of Missouri, and the city of East Saint Louis, in the State of Illinois, subject to all the conditions contained in said act of incorporation and not Questions of obstructing the free navigation of the river may be tried in what courts.inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
And in case of any litigation arising from any obstruction, or alleged obstruction, to the free navigation of said waters, 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. Sec. 2. Top of bridge to be below the bed of the river, &c. *And be it further enacted, *That any bridge built under the provisions of this act shall be tubular in construction, and sunk below the bed of said river, so that the top of said structure shall be below the bed of the channel of the Mississippi river, and so that the same shall in no wise interfere with or obstruct navigation when completed, or prevent a safe and expeditious transit for all classes of vessels upon said river during construction.
Sec. 3. Any such bridge to be a lawful structure and a post-route.Charges for transportation. *And be it further enacted, *That any bridge erected under the provisions of this act 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, the munitions of war of the United States, than the rate per mile which the railroad companies terminating at either end receive for such services.
THIRTY-NINTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 76, 77. 1867. 409 Sec. 4. *And be it further enacted, *That no exclusive right or privilegeBridge to be open equally to all steam railroads, &c. and at what charges. shall ever be granted to any of the steam railroads now concentrating at Saint Louis or East Saint Louis by the said bridge company to use the same, but it shall be equally open to all, under such regulations and at such charges as may be fixed, not to exceed those now charged by the Wiggins Ferry Company.
Approved, February 25, 1867.