Chap. 775.—An ACT to incorporate the Richmond, Manchester and Petersbur
electric railway company.

Approved March 7, 1894.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That Wil
liam H. Palmer, T. William Pemberton, T. M. R. Talcott, George I]
Jewett and Alfred Bishop Mason, and such other persons as ma
hereafter be associated with them, their successors and assigns, bh
and they are hereby, constituted a body politic and corporate to b
known as the Richmond, Manchester and Petersburg electric railwa
company, and by that name to sue and be sued, plead and be im
pleaded in all the courts of law and equity in this state; and ma
have, make and use &@ common seal, and the same alter and renew a
pleasure; and may make, ordain, alter or amend such by-laws an
regulations concerning all matters of organization and business no
herein specially provided for as they may think proper, and general]
may do every act and thing necessary to carry this act into effect
or to promote the objects and designs of the corporation: provide
such by-laws and regulations be not inconsistent with the laws o
this state or of the United States.

2. The said company shall be, and is hereby, empowered, for th
purposes hereinafter specified, to erect, establish, maintain and ope
rate a plant or plants in the cities of Richmond, Manchester an:
Petersburg, in the state of Virginia, and in the counties of Henricc
Chesterfield and Dinwiddie, of said state, for the generation of elec
tricity and the supply of the electric current, for its own use an
for sale to persons, natural or artificial, desiring to use the same fo
heat, light or power, or any or all other uses to which the electri
current may be now or at any time hereafter applied or applicable
and may manufacture, use and sell, distribute and furnish the sam
for all said purposes to all and any persons and corporations desir.
ing to use the same, upon such terms as may be agreed on between
the contracting parties.

3. The said company may build, purchase, rent, or otherwise ac-
quire and maintain and operate in streets, alleys, avenues, public
highways and waterways (subject, however, to the consent or au-
thorization thereof by the said cities, and subject to the consent or
authorization thereof by the county judges of the counties aforesaid,
or the supervisors of said counties respectively, who are vested with the
power or authority so to do, within and through which poles, wires,
subways, underground conduits, submarine cables and other electri-
cal conductors may be constructed), such or any line, or lines, of
poles and wires, and of underground conduits or subways, and sub-
marine cables, or other conductors and conduits for the carriage and
support of electric wires, with the necessary fixtures, stations, termi-
nals or other facilities connected therewith as may be necessary and
suitable for the proper, full and convenient carrying on of the busi-
ness of the company; and the same may acquire by purchase, lease,
or otherwise, and hold and thereafter sell, or otherwise dispose of
such real estate, not exceeding the amount hereinafter limited and
provided for, as may be found necessary and convenient for the
establishment, erection and maintenance of such line or lines of
poles and wires, and underground conduits, and subways and sub-
marine cables, together with the necessary fixtures, stations, termi-
nals or other facilities, for the purposes and uses of the said com-

any.

4. The said company may utilize for its purposes steam and water
power, and erect, own and operate and lease all the buildings, struc-
tures, factories, machine shops and machinery that may be necessary,
convenient and suitable for the general business of the company; may
purchase or construct, own, maintain and operate canal flumes and
any other structures and devices for the utilization of water power,
including water-wheels, dams and sluices, waterways, wasteways
and gates in the beds of the streams and rivers in the counties of
Henrico, Chesterfield and Dinwiddie, of the state of Virginia, and
through the intervening country between the cities of Richmond and
Petersburg.

5. The said company may construct, own, maintain and operate a
railway for passenger, mail, freight and express business in the said
counties of Henrico, Chesterfield and Dinwiddie, and in the streets
of the said cities of Richmond, Manchester and Petersburg, and
bridges, the property of the said cities, upon such terms as the com-
mon council of the said cities and the said counties may agree upon,
and may construct, own, maintain and use the usual station and ter-
minal facilities to accommodate its business, and may occupy with
their railway such roads in the said counties for such distances, and
with such power, and subject to such conditions and restrictions and
limitations as may be agreed upon between the said company and
the board of supervisors of said counties, which contracts the boards
of supervisors of said counties respectively are authorized to make;
and the said company may construct, maintain and operate its rail-
way over bridges already constructed across the James and Appo-
mattox rivers and intervening streams, subject to such reasonable
limitations and agreements as to the repair and maintenance of said
bridges, or as to the rental of the privileges of laying tracks upon the
same as may be imposed by the persons or corporations owning or
controlling the same, or in case of the free bridge between Rich-
mond and Manchester, by the commissioners of the James river
bridge. Whenever it shall be deemed best to avoid crossing any
railroad at grade, along the line of this railway, this company may
elect to cross such railroad by an underground or overhead crossing,
and for that purpose shall have the right to condemn such property
as may be necessary.

6. The capital stock of said company shal! not be less than twenty
thousand dollars nor more than three hundred thousand dollars,
divided into shares of one hundred dollars each, and the same may
be issued as common or preferred stock, or part thereof common
and part preferred, as the directors may determine. Subscription
to the capital stock may be received by the corporators herein named,
or any three of them, at such time and place as they may appoint,
and with or without public notice, as they may deem best, and as
soon as the minimum capital stock has been subscribed, the said
subscribers may organize as a corporation and proceed to elect a
president and board of directors and adopt such by-laws and regula-
tions as may be proper for the management of the affairs of the
company, and thereafter further subscriptions to the capital stock
may be received by the board of directors. Subscriptions to the
capital stock may be payable either in money, land, labor, services,
materials, rights or other property, or in the capital stock of other
corporations, upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon
between the said company and the subscribers.

7. The company hereby incorporated may acquire by lease, pur-
chase, subscription to its capital stock or otherwise, and use and ope-
rate the works, property, franchises, rights, privileges and immuni-
ties of any other electric railway company or companies, and the
company hereby incorporated may unite and consolidate with such
other company or companies upon such terms as may be agreed
upon between them; and power is hereby conferred on such other
company or companies to transfer, by sale or lease, their works,
property, franchises, rights, privileges and immunities to the com-
pany hereby incorporated, or to unite and consolidate with it upon
such terms as may be agreed upon between them.

8. The amount of real estate to be owned and held by the said
company, exclusive of its road-bed and canals, shall not exceed ten
acres in each incorporated city or town, nor one thousand acres in
each of said counties of Henrico, Chesterfield and Dinwiddie, in the
state of Virginia.

9. The principal office of the company shall be in the city of Man.
chester, in the state of Virginia, but it may establish branch offices
in any other place within the state or elsewhere in the United State:
wherever convenient or necessary for the use of the company and
the conduct of its business.
10. The company may dispose of the whole or any part of ite
property, however acquired, by sale, lease or otherwise; may borrow
money and may issue bonds, either registered or coupon, and may
secure the payment of the same by mortgage or deed of trust upon
the whole or any part of its property, works, rights, franchises and
privileges.

11. Work shall be begun by said company within two years and
the railway completed from Richmond to Petersburg within five
years from the date of the passage of this act.

12. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby
repealed.

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