Chapter 153. To authorize the construction of a bridge across the Mississippi River from a point within the limits of the city of Dubuque, in the State of Iowa, known as Eagle Point, to the opposite bank of said river in the county of Grant and State of Wisconsin
953 words·~4 min read·
/statutes-at-large/vol-28/chapter-153-541823·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
CHAP. 153.— An Act To authorize the construction of a bridge across the Mississippi River from a point within the limits of the city of Dubuque, in the State of Iowa, known as Eagle Point, to the opposite bank of said river in the county of Grant and State of Wisconsin.July 23, 1894. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled*,Dubuque and Wisconsin Bridge Company may bridge Misissippi River, Dubuque, Iowa. That the Dubuque and Wisconsin Bridge Company, a corporation duly organized and incorporated under the laws of the State of Iowa, its successors and assigns, be, and is hereby, authorized to construct and maintain, at a point suitable to the interests of navigation, a bridge for the passage of vehicles of allWagon and foot bridge. kinds, animals, and foot passengers across the Mississippi River from a point at or near Eagle Point, in the city of Dubuque, in the State of Iowa, to the opposite shore of said river in the county of Grant, in the State of Wisconsin.
That said bridge shall not be built within twoLocation. miles of any other bridge on said river, following the course of the main channel. That the location and plan, or manner of constructing saidSecretary of War to approve plans, etc. bridge, shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of War, and until decided by him to be such as will not materially affect the interests of navigation, the said bridge shall not be built. And there shall be submitted to the Secretary of War, for his examination and approval, a design and drawing of the proposed bridge and a map of the location, giving, for the space of a mile above and below the proposed location, the topography of the banks of the river, the shore line at high and low water, the direction and strength of the currents at all stages, and the soundings accurately showing the bed of the stream, the location of any other bridge or bridges, and all other information required, and should any change be made in the plan of said bridge during the process of construction, such change shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of War; and the said structure shallAids to navigation. at all times be so kept and managed, and provided with such guard fences, sheer booms, and other structures, as to offer reasonable and proper means for the passage of vessels and other floating craft through or under said structure; and for the safety of vessels passing at night there shall be displayed on said bridge, from the hours of sunset to sunrise, such lights as maybe prescribed by the Light-House Board;Lights, etc. 120 and the said structure shall be changed or removed, at the cost and expense of the owners thereof, from time to time, as Congress may direct, so as to preserve the free and convenient navigation of said river; and the authority to erect and continue said bridge shall be subject to revocation and modification by law when the public good, in the judgment of Congress, so requires, without any expense or charge Free navigation.to the United States.
That said bridge shall not interfere with the free navigation of said river beyond what is necessary inorder to carry into effect the rights and privileges hereby granted; and in case of any Litigation.litigation arising from any obstruction, or alleged obstruction, to the free navigation of said river the cause may be tried before the circuit court of the United States in and for any district in which any portion of said bridge or obstruction is located. Sec. 2. That said bridge, between the Iowa shore and the lowlandsSpans. or islands on the Wisconsin side of the river, shall be constructed with Channel span.unbroken and continuous spans, and the main span shall be over the main navigable channel of the river, and shall give a clear width of waterway not less than three hundred and fifty feet, and shall give clear bedroom the full length of said span of not less in any case than fifty-five feet above extreme high-water mark, as understood at the point of location.
The remaining spans shall each give a clear width of waterway not less than two hundred feet and a clear headroom not less in any case than fifteen feet between extreme high-water mark and the lower chords of the superstructure. Said bridge shall be constructed at right angles to, and its piers parallel with, the. current of the liver. Sec. 3. That said Dubuque and Wisconsin Bridge Company shall haveToll. the right to charge and collect a reasonable rate of toll for the passage across said bridge of vehicles, animals, and foot passengers, and travelers, subject to approval by the Secretary of War.
Sec. 4. That this Act shall be mill and void if actual construction ofCommencement and completion. the bridge herein authorized be not commenced within one year and completed within three years from the date of the passage hereof. Sec. 5. That the bridge built under this Act, and subject to its Lawful structure and post route.limitations, shall be a lawful structure, and shall be known and recognized as a post route, and it shall enjoy the rights and privileges of other post roads in the United States; and equal privileges in the use of said bridge, shall be granted to all telegraph and telephone Postal telegraph.companies; and the United States shall have the right of way across said bridge and its approaches for postal-telegraph purposes.
Sec. 6. That the right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act is herebyAmendment, etc. expressly reserved. Approved, July 23, 1894.