Chap. 914.—An ACT to incorporate the Richmond and Petersburg railway com-
pany.

Approved March 3, 1898.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That. Ferdinand
Beach, George L. Catlin, James Parker, John 8. Primrose, James G. B.
Woolworth, of New York city; C. M. Mahoney, T. M. Dietrick and Mer-
riwether Jones, of Richmond city, or such of them as may accept the
provisions of this act, their associates, successors and assigns be, and
the same are hereby, incorporated a body politic and corporate, under the
name and style of the Richmond and Petersburg electric railway com-
pany, and as such they are empowered to locate, construct, equip, and
operate a standard gauge or narrow gauge electric railway, commencing
in or near the city of Petersburg, Virginia, and running thence through
the county of Chesterfield to the city of Manchester, and through said
city of Manchester by such street or streets as the common council may
approve of and designate to James river; thence across said river into
the city of Richmond, through the streets of the city of Richmond by such
street or streets as the common council and boaid of aldermen of said
city may designate, or it may stop at Manchester. But the said com-
pany shall not enter or construct any part of its works within the limits
of either of the cities of Richmond, Manchester or Petersburg, without
the consent of the common council of said cities respectively. But no
power is given by any provision or section of this act to enter upon or
use any street of any city herein named, until the consent of the city
council thereof shall have been first obtained, and then subject to every
restriction and condition imposed by such council.

2. The said company shall have the right to acquire lands along the
route of said railway by donation, purchase, or in any other legal man-
ner, not to exceed four thousand acres; to use, sell, or hold the same;
and shall have the further right, with the consent of the board of super-
visors of Chesterfield county, to use as a roadbed for said railway a por-
tion of the road known as the Manchester and Petersburg turnpike,
which portion of said turnpike shall be selected by the board of super-
visors, or to select any other route as the directors of said company may
deem advisable and which may hereafter be selected.

3. The company may acquire by condemnation, according to the laws
of Virginia, the lands required for the necessary ‘stations, ‘depots, and
power plants for its operations, not to exceed one thousand acres in all;
and should it not use the turnpike as the roadbed between Manchester
and Petersburg, may acquire by condemnation a right of way for its
roadbed along its whole route one hundred feet in width. But no power
is given by any section of this act to condemn any land within the limits
of the cities of Manchester and Richmond, and no real estate shall be ac-
quired by condemnation other than that occupied by its roadbeds, plant,
and works.

4. Said company will have the right to build bridges over the Appo-
mattox river and the James river, and over all intermediate streams that
it may be necessary for its road to cross, and may acquire by condemna-

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tion or purchase the lands necessary therefor, or to contract with corpo-
rations or managers of bridges spanning said streams for the use of such
bridges, and, with the consent of the city councils of Richmond, Man-
chester and Petersburg may use such streets as may be agreed on, and
use only electricity as its motive power. Butas to the James river free
bridge no such contract shall be made, except with the commissioners of
sald bridge.

5. The said company shall have perpetual succession, and have power
to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, defend and be defended,
in all courts, whether in law or in equity, and may make and have a
common seal, and alter or renew the same at pleasure, and shall have,
possess, and enjoy all the rights and privileges of a corporation or body
politic in the law and necessary for the purposes of this act.

6. The capital stock of said company shall be fifty thousand dollars,

and it may be either preferred or common stock, the par value of which
shall be one hundred dollars per share, and the directors may receive
cash, labor, services, material, bonds, stock of like corporation, real or
personal property not to exceed one thousand acres, in payment of sub-
scriptions to the capital stock at such valuation of said labor, services,
and so forth, as may be agreed upon between the directors and sub-
seribers to said stock, or the directors may award shares of full paid up
stock to subscribers to the bonds of said company as an inducement to
make subscriptions for the same; and any three of the incorporators
named herein may, at any time after the passage of this act, organize
said company, by electing a president and board of directors, and pro-
viding for the selection of such other oflicers as may be necessary for
the control and management of the business and affairs of the company;
and they shall have and exercise all the powers and functions of a cor-
poration under their charter and the laws of the state until said presi-
dent and board of directors take charge of the same, when their functions
and powers shall cease.
7. It shall be lawful for said company to borrow money, and issue
and sell its bonds, from time to time, for such sums and on such terms
as its.board of directors may deem expedient and proper, for any of the
purposes of the company, and may secure the payment of said bonds,
by mortgages or deeds of trust, upon all or any portion of its property,
real, personal, or mixed, its contracts and privileges, including its fran-
chises to be a corporation, and it may, as the business of the company
shall require, sell, lease, convey and encumber the same.

5. It shall be lawful for said company to subscribe to and hold shares
of the capital stock of any other electric railway corporation whose lines
may connect therewith. The company is authorized and empowered to
locate, construct, equip and operate any lateral or branch roads or tram-
ways which a majority of the stockholders Gin par value of the stock)
may determine upon, not exceeding ten miles in length, and by such
route or routes as may be selected by its board of directors, but no such
lateral or branch roads shall be permitted to be built unless first author-
ized by the councils of the cities named or the board of supervisors and
the county court of the said county of Chesterfield, through which the
said lateral or branch lines shall pass, and the same shall be subject to
all such restrictions, conditions and limitations as may be placed
thereon by the said councils and the said board of supervisors and
county court. And said company may unite or connect its road with
that of any other electric company or companies, or consolidate or
merge its stock, property and franchises with and into any other electric
company or companies operating or authorized to operate a connecting
electric railway or railways upon such terms and under such name
as may be agreed upon between the companies so uniting or con-
necting, merging or consolidating; and for that purpose power is hereby
given to it and to such other electric company or companies to make and
carry out such contracts as will facilitate and consummate such connec-
tion, merger or consolidation, or any lease or sale: provided, that the
same be not Inconsistent with the laws of this state. But it shall not
purchase any road in the city of Richmond, except such as are now in
operation. Whenever any part of the railroad constructed under this
charter shall hereafter be brought within the limits of a city or town
herein mentioned by extension of the corporate limits, it shall then be
subject to the limitations and conditions to which the connecting part
of its line in such city or town may then be subjected.

9. The said company shall be required to commence the construction
of its railway within one vear from the passage of this act, and to com-
plete the same within two years thereafter, otherwise the powers, privi-
leges and franchises hereby granted shall be void.

10. The principal office of said company shall be located in Richmond,
Manchester or Petersburg, as may be hercalter determined upon by its
board of directors.

11. Each stockholder inthe company shall at all meetings or elections
be entitled to one vote foreach share of stock registered in his name, and
the president and board of directors of said company may enact such
by-laws and regulations for the management of the affairs of said com-
pany as they may deem proper and expedient: provided, that the same
be not inconsistent with the laws of this state.

12. The board of directors shall be stockholders of said company,
and shall consist of such number as. the incorporators who organize the
company may determine on, but this number may be subsequently in-
creased or diminished by the stockholders, and the board chosen by the
incorporators shall remain directors until the first meeting of the stock-
holders, which shall be called within twelve months of the date of in-
corporation by said directors, when a new board shall be chosen by said
stockholders.” But those theretofore acting may be re-clected. The stock-
holders shall meet once in each year upon a day to be fixed by the
board of directors, and there may be special mectings of stockholders
whenever called by the board of directors or by the owner or owners (par
value) of one third of the stock, and all business that could: be transacted
at a general meeting of stockholders may be transacted at special meet-
ings. The directors elected at the first meeting of stockholders shall hold
their places until their successors are elected and qualify, and there shall
be a new election of president and directors at each annual meeting of
the stockholders, though the old president and the old directors may be
re-elected. In case of the de: ith, resignation, or incapacity of any mem-
ber of the board of directors during his term of oflice the said board shall
elect his successor for the unexpired part of his term.
13. Any county, town, or city along the line or at the termini of said
railway may, pursuant to the general laws of Virginia, subscribe to the
capital stock of said railway company, and the company is authorized
to accept the same.

14. Whenever the corporation shall exercise any of the privileges con-
ferred by this act it shall be Jiable to the same taxes as may be imposed
by the law upon other corporations or persons exercising Jike privileges.
And all taxes shall be paid in lawful money of the United States.

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