Chap. 337.—An ACT declaring certain streams in the county of Prince Edward to
be highways.

Approved March 28, 1902.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That Briery
river, from the bridge across said river on the public road frora Worsham
to Redd’s shop to its mouth; Bush river, from Falkland farm to its mouth,
and Sandy river, from the southern boundary of Wing’s farm to its
mouth, all in the county of Prince Edward, shall be considered, and are
hereby declared, to be highways, and shall be subject to all the provisions
of law in reference to public roads now in force and applicable thereto,
except as hereinafter provided.

2. It shall be the duty of the owners of land lying and bordering on
each bank of the said creeks above designated as highways to keep the
said creeks lying within or bordering on their lands and the banks thereof
properly cleared out and free from all obstructions, except where au-
thorized by law, and where any one of the said creeks is the line between
different land owners, the owners on each side shall keep their banks and
the bordering creek to the middle of the stream properly cleared and free
from such obstructions.

3. The county court of Prince Edward shall, from time to time, ap-
point one or more overseers of the said creeks, who shall hold office for
two years from the date of their qualification, unless sooner removed for
cause by said court. The said overseer or overseers shall be charged with
the dutv of inspecting the said creeks above designated as highways
during the months of April and October of each year, and at such other
times as obstructions in the said creeks or on the banks thereof may be
reported to him or them. The said overseer or overseers, if, upon in-
specting the said creeks, find that the owner or owners of the lands lying
and bordering on the banks of the said creeks has or have failed to keep
the said creeks, or either of them, and the banks thereof, clear of ob-
structions as required by this act, shall notify in writing the said owner
or owners, if resident in the county, or his or their tenant or agent, if
any such reside in the said county, of any and all such obstructions in
the said creeks, or cither of them, or on the banks thereof, and require
him or them to remove and clear out such obstructions in twenty days
from the time such notice is served on him or them. If the said owner
or owners shall fail or refuse to remove or clear out such obstructions in
the said creeks, or either of them, or on the banks thereof, within twenty
days after he or they has or have been so notified by said overseer or over-
seers of such obstructions, the said overseer or overseers shall at once
proceed to cause the said obstructions to be removed, and report the cost
to the board of supervisors of the county, who, if thev approve of the
amount of the bill rendered for the removal of said obstructions, shall
order the treasurer of the county to pay the same, and shall at the same
time levy a tax on the said land owner or owners sufficient to defray all
the expenses incident to the removal of the said obstructions, including
the cost of collecting the same, and the said tax shall have the same lien
302 ACTS OF ASSEMBLY.

and be collected by the treasurer of the county as other taxes assessed by
the said board. But if the said land owner or owners shall furnish the
said overseer or overseers with labor to remove the said obstructions,
they shall have proper credit therefor.

4. All of the acts mentioned in the preamble of this act, and all acts
and parts of acts inconsistent with this act, are hereby repealed.

5. The board of supervisors of Prince Edward county shall allow each
of the said overseers the sum of two dollars for each day he may be neces-
sarily employed in discharging the duties imposed upon him by this act,
to be paid out of the county treasury.

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