Chap. 170.—An ACT to provide for the removal of obstructions from
the Chickahominy river, and to punish the obstruction' of the
pame.

Approved May 10, 1887.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
it shall be the duty of the county courts of Hanover anc
Henrico counties, annually, at the June terms of their courts
respectively, to appoint each a commissioner for the purpose
of attending to the removal of obstructions, such as fallen
timber, hammocks, and so forth, from the Chickahominy
river, from Bowe's bridge to New Kent county line. Said
commissioners shall meet annually on the first Monday in
July, or as soon thereafter as practicable, at some convenient
place on said river, between the above-named points, and shall
designate and allot to the coterminous owners or occupiers of
the land on opposite sides of the said river, a fair proportion
of said river to be cleaned of all fallen timber, hammocks.
and such like obstructions by them respectively. The said
owners or occupiers of said lands shall be required to remove
all such obstructions from said river for the distance so desig-
nated and allotted to them, respectively, by or before the
fourth Monday in August next ensuing. And on said tourth
Monday in August, the said commissioners shall again meet
at some convenient place on said river, and inspect it between
said Bowe’s bridge and New Kent county line, and shall pro-
ceed to remove any obstructions then remaining in said river,
the Hanover commissioner removing such obstructions as
should have been removed by the owner or occupier of the
land in Hanover county, and the Henrico commissioner re-
moving such obstructions as should have been removed by
the Henrico county owner or occupier. And for such re-
moval each commissioner shall be authorized to hire such
hands, teams, implements, and so forth, as may be necessary.
Each of said commissioners shall return to his respective
county court an account, on oath, of the expense so incurred
and for the hire of hands, teams, implements, and so forth,
and they shall be allowed the same or so much as may be
justly due, to be paid out of the county fund in the same
manner in which the accounts of surveyors of roads are now
paid. The compensation to be paid to said commissioners
for their personal services and for the time of hands, teams,
implements, and so forth, shall double the amounts paid to
surveyors of roads, for hire of hands, teams, implements, and
so forth, used for working the public roads of the counties
respectively. The amounts of the cost incurred under this
act, together with a penalty of ten per centum additional,
shall be a lien upon the land, the owner or occupier of which
has been in default, and shall be collected in the same manner
as county tuxes are now collected. For all services pertormed
by said commissioners under this act, and other than in the
removal of obstructions, he shall be paid a per diem by the
ourts respectively, in same manner that surveyors of roads
re now paid, and double the amount now paid to said sur-
ey ors.

2. Any person found felling trees so as to obstruct such
iver, shall be fined ten dollars for each offence, to be recov-
red before any justice of the peace of either county—one-
alf of said fine to go tothe informer and the other to the
Oommonwealth. All acts and parts of acts in conflict here-
vith are hereby repeuled.

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