United States Statutes at Large/Volume 4/21st Congress/1st Session/Chapter 95
Chap. XCV.—An Act to alter the bridge and draws across the Potomac, from Washington city to Alexandria.
Draw to be made, &c.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the corporation of Georgetown, in the District of Columbia, be, and they are hereby, authorized, within six months from the passing of this act, to form a draw in the bridge leading from Washington city to Alexandria, across the Potomac river, not less than sixty-six feet in length, nor less than twelve feet wide;$6000 appropriated. and for defraying the expense of making said draw, the sum of six thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, out of any unappropriated money in the treasury.
Lamps to be kept, &c.
Width may be reduced to 24 feet, &c.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Washington Bridge Company shall hereafter be required to keep eight reflecting lamps, to be lighted during the night, of which four shall be at the principal draw, two at the smaller draw, and one at each end of the bridge; and in repairing said bridge, the company may, and hereby are, permitted to reduce the width of the bridge to twenty-four feet, leaving four feet on one side of said bridge for foot-passengers, which shall, by a strong and sufficient railing, be separated from the carriage-way.
Form of warps.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That, in making said draw, the opposite side of the warps, above and below the bridge, shall be curved off in circular form; and the sides of the spaces covered by said draw, shall be sufficiently and strongly planked up on each side; and said bridge company shall remove from the passage through it, all obstructions to safe navigation.
Sec. of War to be inspector of this work.
Appropriation made conditionally.Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That so soon as the Secretary of War shall be fully satisfied that the work contemplated by this act to be done, under the superintendence and authority of the corporation of Georgetown, is properly and sufficiently well done, and is entirely safe for the passing of wagons, then, and not before, shall the appropriation herein be paid, or so much of the same as shall be sufficient to meet the expenses of making said draw.
Passage over bridge not to be interrupted for more than sixty days.
Penalty.Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That said corporation of Georgetown shall not interrupt the passage across said bridge for a longer period than sixty days, under the penalty of paying to the bridge company, an amount equal to ten dollars, for each and every day over sixty days, that the passing of said bridge may be interrupted.
Consequences of refusal of Corporation to, &c.Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That if said company shall refuse to the corporation of Georgetown the right to execute the provisions of this act, then the rights and provisions in favour of said company, secured by the second section of this act, shall be null and void, and of no effect.
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That if the said company shall refuse to permit the alteration in the draw herein provided for, and shall, within thirty days after the passage of this act, notify the corporation of Georgetown of such refusal, then this act, and every thing therein contained, shall cease to have effect.
Another draw to be made.$2,000 appropriated, under same stipulations, &c.Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the corporation of Washington, in the said District of Columbia, be authorized to form a draw in said bridge, over the eastern channel of said river, thirty-five feet wide; for which purpose the sum of two thousand dollars is hereby appropriated, and is to be applied in the same manner, by the corporation of Washington, to the construction of the said last-mentioned draw, as the appropriation in the first section of this act is to be made and applied by the corporation of Georgetown, to the construction of the first-mentioned draw; and, further, that all the provisions of this act, relating to the first-mentioned draw and the corporation of Georgetown, shall apply to the draw last mentioned and the corporation of Washington.
This act not to be considered as construing, &c.Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That nothing contained in this act shall be considered as giving a construction to so much of the tenth and eleventh sections of the original charter of said bridge company, as relates to the construction of draws in said bridge.
Approved, May 14, 1830.