Chap. 19.—An ACT to amend the charter of the Royal Land Company
of Virginia, and to enlarge the corporate powers and franchises, so as
to enable it to purchase, construct and operate a railroad from its
lands to the Potomac river, and ship from the terminus thereof min-
erals and merchandize.

Approved January 11, 1877.

Whereas it appears to the general assembly that the char-
ter of incorporation granted by the Honorable M. Bird, judge
of the eighteenth judicial circuit, on the twenty-seventh day
of March, eighteen hundred and seventy-six, to S. D. Karns,
P. Y. Hite, and others, under the corporate name of the
Royal land company of Virginia, and the amended charter
of the said company granted by the same judge on the twen-
ty-fifth day of September, eighteen hundred and seventy-six,
are insufficient and inadequate in the scope of the rights,
powers and privileges therein delegated, to enable the said
company to develop fully and utilize its various coal-fields,
iron ore beds, and other minerals, because of lack of power
and franchises under said charter in said company to con-
struct, own, equip, and operate the railroads needful for the
successful mining and manufacturing operations of said com-
pany; and whereas it is represented that this absence of
means of transportation to and from the coal-fields and iron
ore bed owned by the said company, greatly impedes and re-
tards the mining, removal and shipment of its coal, iron and
other minerals to the markets of the world; and that it is
desirable on the part of said company to secure and obtain
railroad facilities from its anthracite coal-fields in the county
of Rockingham to tide-water in Virginia; and it appears to
the general assembly that the grant of ample powers and
franchises to said company to acquire such railroad facilities
will increase its capacities for large industrial operations, as
well as create new lines of transportation beneficial to the
people of the state; therefore,

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, That it shall and
may be lawful for the Royal land company of Virginia to
own, construct, equip, contro], work, and manage a railroad
from the western boundary of this commonwealth in Augusta
or Rockingham counties, eastward by the town of Harrison-
burg, through Rockingham, Greene, Orange, Spotsylvania,
Stafford, and King George counties, to some point on the
Potomac river at or between Matthias’ Point and Quantico,
with all the privileges and subject to all the provisions of law
regulating internal improvement companies.

2. That it shall and may be lawful for the Royal land
company of Virginia to purchase, own, control, construct,
equip, and operate the Potomac, Fredericksburg and Pied-
mont railroad, with the privilege of reducing the gauge
thereof at its pleasure, upon the terms and conditions that
may have heretofore been agreed upon, by and between the
president and board of directors of the said railroad company
and the individual stockholders of the Royal land company
of Virginia; and upon the full performance of the terms and
conditions of said contract of purchase as to the completion
and equipment of the railroad from Fredericksburg to Orange
Courthouse the Royal land company of Virginia shall have
and enjoy as full power, authority, and right to own, hold,
operate, and use said railroad as are granted to railroad com-

anies under the general railroad law of Virginia, and shall
in all respects be subject to all the provisions of law relating
to internal improvement companies.

3. That it shall and may be lawful for the Royal land
company of Virginia to purchase and hold the rights, fran-
chises, and privileges of the Shenandoah Valley and Ohio
railroad company heretofore incorporated by the general
assembly, upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed
on by and between the stockholders of the said railroad
company and the Royal land company of Virginia, and upon
the completion of such purchases all the rights, franchises,

rivileges, property, and things of the said Shenandoah Val-
ey and Ohio railroad company shall pass to and shall be fully
and absolutely vested and incorporated in the Royal land
company of Virginia, and said internal improvement company
shall then be known by that name only; and it sball and
may be lawful for the Royal land company of Virginia, in
the construction of the said Shenandoah Valley and Ohio
railroad, to diverge and deviate from the prospected route
named in the act of incorporation of the said railroad, and to
construct its railroad along or near the following route: that
is to say, beginning at a point on the West Virginia line not
further south than Briery Branch gup, and running thence
along Dry river eastward by way of Mole Hill to Harrison-
burg, and thence by way of Swift Run gap through the
counties of Orange and Greene to or near Orange Courthouse;
and to construct said road upon such gauge as to said com-
pany may seem desirable; and the said Royal land company
of Virginia is hereby invested with all the rights, privileges,
and powers, and subject to all provisions of law relating to
internal improvement companies by the general railroad law
of this state now in force: provided, that the said railroad
company shall not locate or construct their road or branches
into or through North River Valley, in Augusta county, that
being the line surveyed and adopted by the Washington,
Cincinnati and St. Louis railroad company; but this prohibi-
tion shall not be construed to prevent said company from
building a branch railroad from its main line, crossing said
North River Valley: provided that such branch road shall
not run in and along said Valley for a greater distance than
two miles: and provided furthemthat such branch shall not
be constructed until after the said Royal land company shall
have constructed its main line from Orange Courthouse to
Briery branch.
4, That it shall and may be lawful for the Royal land com-
pany of Virginia to construct branches or Jateral roads from
its said main line to Madison courthouse, to any point in
Rappabannock county, and to Charlottesville, connecting
with or crossing other railroads; and said company shall
have power to construct a branch of its railroad from any
point on its line cast of Fredericksburg, through the counties
of Stafford, King George, Westmoreland, Richmond and
Northumberland, to any point or points upon the Potomac
river or the Chesapeake bay and their tributaries.

5. That the Royal land company of Virginia shall hold,

Operate, use, and enjoy the railroads so purchased or taken
on: lease during its ownership or lease thereof, in the same
manner, to the same extent, and with the same powers, fran-
chises, privileges 4nd immunities, and subject to all laws, in
all respects that belong or appertain to said railroad compa-
nies from whom the same are purchased or leased, under their
respective charters.

6. That it shall and may be Jawful for the board of super-
visors of any county, and council or trustees of any city or
town through or to which the said road may run, to donate
to the Royal land company of Virginia rights of way, mate-
rial rights, real estate or personalty, but such donation shall
not be made until the voters of any such county, city or
town, shall have agreed to the same by a vote thereof, taken
in the manner that is now prescribed by law for voting sub-
scriptions by counties, cities and towns, to the stock of inter-
nal improvement companies. But nothing herein contained
shall be construed to authorize the taking of private property
or rights of any kird for the use of said company without
just compensation therefor, to be ascertained according to law
in such case: provided that no donation by any one county
under this‘section shall exceed the sum of thirty thousand
dollars m money.

7. That the said company shall have power, and may lay
out any part of its lands into parcels or lots of convenient
size, with intervening roads, lanes, streets and alleys, and
improve, cultivate, sell, grant, lease, mortgage, or otherwise
dispose thereof in such manner and upon such terms as the
said company may think proper.

8. The said company shall have power to borrow money at
a rate of interest not to exceed cight per centum per annum,
issue its bonds for the same, and to pledge the property,
franchises and rights of the company by mortgage or other-
wise, which may exist at the time of the mortgage or other
lien, or be thereafter acquired by said company, for the pay
ment of the same and the interest that may accrue thereon,
and the company may sell its bonds at less than par.

9. That it shall and may be lawful for the said company to
charge the following rates of toll for travel, viz: for a passen-
ger and his baggage (within one hundred and fifty pounds)
not to exceed five cents a mile.
10. The said company shall not for the transportation over
the same distance and in the same character of trains, charge,
take or receive a higher rate for freight consigned to or from
Fredericksburg than is charged, taken or received for freight
consigned to or from any point beyond the limits of this state.
If the said company or its agents shall violate this section,
the said company shall forfeit and pay one hundred dollars
for every such violation, for the use of the commonwealth—
one-half of which shall go to the informer, if he choose to
claim the same; which forfeiture shall be recovered by mo-
tion, on ten days notice to the company, in any court of
record in the state.

11. On and after the date of the completion of the railroad
from Fredericksburg to Orange Courthouse, a daily train
shall be run by said company between Fredericksburg and
Orange Courthouse, both ways, sufficient for the transporta-
tion of passengers with comfort and reasonable speed, and
adequate to moving all freight offered. This requirement
sball be obligatory upon the said Royal land company and
its successors and assignees in the ownership or use of said
road.

12. The said company may own, charter, or otherwise
employ vessels propelled by steam or sail, in order to facili-
tate and meet the demands of trade and commerce along its
lines of railroad.

13. The said company may cross, either at or under or
above grade, any railroad now constructed or hereafter con-
structed, by agreement made with such railroad, or in case of
a failure to agree, then by such procedure for determining
the mode and terms of passing as is prescribed by law in such
case.

14. The said company may do an express business on its
road, and may construct and operate telegraph lines along
the same.

15. The principal office of the company shall be in Vir-
ginia; but the company may have branch offices in other
states, at which it shall be competent for the board of direc-
tora to transact the business of the company.

16. This act shall be in force from its passage.