Chapter 162. To authorize the construction of a bridge across the Missouri River at. or near the city of Lexington, Missouri
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CHAP. 162.— An Act To authorize the construction of a bridge across the Missouri River at. or near the city of Lexington, Missouri.July 26, 1894. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled*,Lexington Bridge and Terminal Company may bridge Missouri River, Loxington, Mo. That the Lexington Bridge and Terminal Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Missouri, its assigns, grantees, successors, and legal representatives, be, and is hereby, authorized to build, own, operate, and maintain a bridge and approaches thereto over the Missouri River at Railway, wagon, and foot bridge.or near the city of Lexington, in said State of Missouri.
Said bridge shall be constructed to provide for the passage of railway trains, and, at the option of the persons by whom it may be built, maybe used for the passage of wagons and vehicles of all kinds, for the transit of animals,Toll. and for foot passengers for such reasonable rates of toll as may be approved from time to time by the Secretary of War; and in case Litigation.of any litigation concerning any alleged obstruction to the free navigation of said river on account of said bridge, the cause may be tried 121 before the circuit court of the United States in whose jurisdiction any portion of said obstruction or bridge is located.
Sec. 2. That any bridge constructed under this Act and according toLawful structure and post route. its limitations shall be a lawful structure arid 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 than the rate per mile paid for their transportation over the railroads or public highways leading to said bridge; and the United States shall have the right of way forPostal telegraph. postal telegraph and telephone purposes across said bridge.
Sec. 3. That said bridge shall be made with unbroken and continuous Construction.spans and shall not be of less elevation in any case than fifty feet above high-water mark, as understood at the point of location, to the lowest member of the bridge superstructure, nor shall the spans of said bridge over the waterway of said river be less than four hundred feet in length in the clear, and the piers of said bridge shall be parallel with the current of said river, and the bridge itself at right angles thereto: *Provided*, That in case the approach and passage under the*Provisos*.Aids to navigation. channel span of said bridge be found at any time dangerous or difficult of access by the river traffic, the owners of said bridge shall construct at their own expense, such works of channel regulation and such aids to navigation as the Secretary of War shall order, to render the approach and passage reasonably safe and easy: *Provided also*, fee, ThatLights, etc. the said company or corporation shall maintain, at its own expense, from sunset to sunrise, such lights or other signals on said bridge as the Light-House Board shall prescribe.
Sec. 4. That all railroad companies desiring the use of said bridge Use by railroad companies.shall have and be entitled to equal rights and privileges relative to the passage of railway trains over the same, and over the approaches thereto, upon payment of a reasonable compensation for its use; and in case the owner or owners of said bridge and the several railroadTerms. companies, or any of them, desiring such use shall fail to agree upon the sum or sums to be paid, and to rules and conditions to which each shall conform in using such bridge, all matters at issue between them shall be decided by the Secretary of War upon a hearing of the allegations and the proof of the parties.
Sec. 5. That any bridge authorized to be constructed under this ActSecretary of War to approve plans, etc. shall be built and located under and subject to such regulations for the security of navigation of said river as the Secretary of War shall prescribe: and to secure that object the company or corporation shall submit to the Secretary of War, for his examination and approval, a design and drawing 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 lines at high and 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 shall be required for a full and satisfactory understanding of the subject; and until the said plan and location of the bridge are approved by the Secretary of War the bridge shall not be built: andChanges. 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; and if said bridge is not commenced withinCommencement and completion. one year and completed within three years from the passage of this Act, the rights and privileges hereby granted shall be mill and void.
Sec. 6. That the right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act is herebyAmendment, etc. expressly reserved, and the right to require any changes in the structure or its entire removal, at the expense of the owners thereof, whenever Congress decides that the public interest requires it, is also expressly reserved. Approved, July 26, 1894.