Chap. 355.—An ACT to prohibit stealing and taking away sand and gravel
from the banks of the Potomac river in certain cases, and to repeal an
act entitled an act to punish stealing and taking away sand within this
Commonwealth, on the banks of the Potomac river, approved March

8, 1894. IS B 198]
Approved March 16, 1918.

Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That it
shall be unlawful for any person or corporation to dredge, dig or
otherwise remove and carry away any part of any deposit of sand
or_ gravel, or mixture of sand and gravel, from any part of the

fast land, or beach or bluff, abutting upon any of the rivers,
streams or other waters within the jurisdiction of this Common-
wealth, or from any part of the bed of such rivers, streams or
other waters, between high and low water mark.

In case any such deposit extends uninterruptedly from low
water mark out into the bed of such waters, it shall, except as here-
inafter provided, be unlawful to dig and carry away any part
of such extended deposit lying between such low water mark and
the middle line of the said waters.

Any person or corporation violating the provisions of this act
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be
subject to a fine of not exceeding three hundred dollars, or im-
prisonment not exceeding six months, or both, in the discretion of
the court.

That any owner of any such fast land or beach, bluff, or bed
of stream, between high and low water mark on which any such
deposit exists or from which it extends towards the middle line of
the water, as aforesaid, may, by appropriate proceedings brought
by such owner, have a perpetual injunction against any person or
corporation removing and carrying away or attempting to remove
and carry away any such deposit or extension thereof, and may,
in such proceeding, or by separate action, recover against such
violator of this act damages in treble the value of the material
removed.

The prohibitions of this act shall not apply to any owner of
any fast land, bluff, beach or bed of stream, upon or in front. of
which such deposits may lie, nor to any person or corporation acting
under written permission from, or contract with such owner, nor
to any person or corporation, acting under the authority of the
United States, necessarily removing such deposit in the lawful im-
provement or regulation of navigation of any waters subject to
the authority of the United States.

Provided that none of the provisions of this act shall be deemed
to interfere in any manner with the provisions of any law of this
State relating to taking fish and oysters.

Be it further enacted, That an act entitled an act to punish
stealing and taking away sand within the Commonwealth, on the
banks of the Potomac river, approved March the eighth, eighteen
hundred and ninety-four, be, and the same is hereby, repealed.