Chap. 56.—An ACT to incorporate the Fork Ferry Company, and to
authorize it to establish a ferry aeross‘the south braneh of the Shen-
andoah river in Warren county.

Approved April 1, 187).

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, That William H.
Barley, Isaac N. King, John A. Thornhill, Joseph Ridgway,
Richard R. Loveless, Gideon W. Jones, M. M. Johnson, John
S. Menefee, Augustine King, Smith S. Turner, John N. Ridg-
way, and such other persons as are now or may hereafter be
associated with them, are hereby constituted a body politic and
corporate, under the name of The Fork Ferry Company, and
by that name shall have power to sue and be sued, shall have
perpetual succession and a common seal, and power to make
such by-laws and regulations for its government as are not in-
consistent with the laws of this state or of the United States.

2. The object of said company shall be the establishment of
and the keeping and maintaining a ferry across the south
branch of the Shenandoah river in Warren county, at a point
thereon opposite the former residence of William Carson, de-
ceased, and for this purpose may condemn for the landings of
and approaches to said ferry land not exceeding one-fourth of
an acre on each bank of said river.

3. The capital stock of said company shall not be less than
two hundred dollars nor more than twenty-five hundred dollars,
divided into shares of five dollars each. Every stockholder
shall be entitled to one vote for each share of stock he may
own, and the stock may at any time be increased to an amount
not exceeding ten thousand dollars by a vote of a majority of
the stockholders.

4. The principal office of the said company shall be in the
town of Front Royal, Warren county, state of Virginia, and
the said company may hold real estate not exceeding in quantity
five acres.

5. The directors of said company may when necessary make
assessments upon the stockholders for the purpose of repairing
or improving its proverty not exceeding twenty-five per centum
upon the par value of the stock; and they mayissue bonds not
exceeding twenty-five hundred dollars in amount, secured by a
deed of trust upon all or a part of the property of said company.

6. If any stockholder shall fail or refuse to pay his subscrip-
tion or any part thereof for thirty days after the same shall be
due and payable, or shall fail and refuse to pay any assess-
ment made upon him in accordance with the fifth section for
thirty days after he shall have been notified thereof, the board
of directors may, upon ten days’ notice in writing to such de-
linquent stockholder, after first advertising the time and place
of sale for five days, sell his stock at public auction, and out
of the proceeds of sale first pay to the said company whatever
sum or sums may be due for subscriptions or assessments, in-
cluding the expenses of sale, and the balance, if any, shall pay
‘to the said stockholder, his personal representatives or assigns.

7. No stockholder in the said company shall ever be held
liable or made responsible for its debts and liabilities in a
larger or further sum than the amount of any unpaid balance
due to the said company for stock subscribed for in the name
of the stockholder.

8. If shall be lawful for said company to establish and keep
a ferry across the south branch of the Shenandoah river, from
some point on the land of Samuel B. Gardner, on the east
bank of sald river, to some convenient point on the west bank
of said river, opposite the former residence of William Carson :
provided the said eompany shall, within three months from the
date of the passage of this act, provide and have in readiness
for use at the ferry, a good and substantial ferry-boat, of dimen-
sions sufficient for the transportation of any ordinary vehicle,
and shall hove hands sufficient for the proper and safe manage-
ment of sucaf rry-boat.

9. Unless the county court of said county shall, after due
proceedings had in said court, fix other rates of ferriage, the
rates of ferriage at such ferry shall be as follows, to-wit: For
every person, five cents; for every horse, mule, jack and work-
ox, five cents ; for each cow, calf and steer, four cents; for every
head of sheep and of swine, two cents; and for every cart,
wagon, carriage, or other vehicle, five cents for each animal
attached to the same, and five cents for each wheel.

10. The ferry hereby authorized to be established shall be
subject to all the rales, regulations, conditions and penalties
prescribed by general statutes now in force, or hereafter to be
enacted, governing ferries established under the provisions of
chapter sixty-four of the Code of eighteen hundred and seventy-
three, and the owners of such ferry shall be entitled to all of
the rights, privileges and remedies given to them as such un-
der said statutes, and for all purposes the said ferry shall be
deemed to have been established under the provisions of said
chapter of said Code: provided, however, that the franchise
hereby granted shall at all times be subject to the control of
the general assembly, and may at any time be revoked by it.

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