Chap. 33.—An ACT to authorize, empower, and direct. the board of supervisors of
Clarke county to build, construct, and maintain a toll-bridge at or near Castle-
man’s ferry, in said county, and to build, construct, and maintain a toll-bri
at or near Berry’s ferry, in said county of Clarke, over the Shenandoah river ;
to issue county bonds to the extent of forty thousand dollars, for the purpose of
raising money for the construction of said bridges; to receive any subscriptions
that may be made for said purpose; to provide for the collection, custody, and
application of said tolls; and to validate an election held in the county of
Clarke, November 4, 1902, approving an issue of the bonds of said county, to the
amount of forty thousand dollars, for the purpose of constructing the said toll-
bridges.

° Approved December 8, 1902.

Whereas. an act was passed by the general assembly of Virginia, au-
thorizing the board of supervisors of Clarke county to build, construct,
maintain, two bridges over the Shenandoah river in Clarke county, and
to submit to the qualified voters of said county at some general election
the question of issuing the bonds of the county in a sum not exceeding
forty thousand dollars for the purpose of constructing the same; and,
Whereas, the following form of ticket was adopted by the electoral
board of said county for use by the voters at a general election held on
the fourth of November, nineteen hundred and two, to-wit:

“For issuing bonds for toll-bridges.

For issuing honds for free bridges.

Against issuing bonds”; and,

Whereas, a majority of said electors voted at said general election in
said county in favor of issuing such bonds for the construction of toll-
bridges at the places mentioned in said act; now, therefore,

1, Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the action
of the board of supervisors in submitting said question to the qualified
voters residing in said county, the form of such submission, and the result
thereof, are hereby made as valid, binding, and legal, as if the same had
been authorized by said act of March twenty-fifth, nineteen hundred and
two. That the board of supervisors of the county of Clarke be, and the
same are hereby. authorized, empowered, and directed to cause to be built
and constructed, two suitable bridges, with the necessary approaches
thereto, across the Shenandoah river, one of them to be located at or near
Castleman’s ferry, and the other to be located at or near Berry’s ferry, in
said county of Clarke: provided. the cost of the same to the tax-payers
of the said county does not exceed the sum of forty thousand dollars.

2. That the said board of supervisors is authorized to condemn, pur-
chase, or acquire by gift to the county, any rights and sites necessary
therefor, on either side of said river, in the manner provided for by law.

3. That the said board of supervisors are authorized, empowered, and
directed to borrow from time to time a sum or sums of money not exceed-
ing in the whole the sum of forty thousand dollars. to he expended in the
erection and construction of said bridges in said county, and to issue
bonds of said county for the loan therefor. The bonds shall be either
registered or coupon, in denominations of one hundred dollars each, or
multiples thereof, in such form as said board may prescribe; shall be
siened vy the chairman of said board, and countersigned by the clerk
thereof; shall bear interest at a rate not exceeding six per centum per
annuum, payable annually or semi-annually at the office of the treasurer
of said county, and shall be pavable not exceeding, twenty vears after date
at said office, and may, in the discretion of said board, be redeemable
within that period, and at such time or times as said board may prescribe.
The said bonds, though of the same issue, may be made payable at dif-
ferent times, so that the same may mature and become due and payable at
diferent and varying periods; but no bonds issued under this act shall be
sold or negotiated at less than par.

4. The said board is hereby given full power to construct the said
bridges, with reference to the subjects mentioned in the foregoing sec-
tions, in such manner as may seem best to them for the public interest,
and to carry into effect the provisions and purposes of this act.

5. The said board is hereby authorized, empowered, and directed to
receive all subscriptions that may be offered to aid in the construction
and building of either or both of said bridges, the said subscriptions to be
received and considered as a gift to said county, and when said board
shall have ascertained that the cost to the tax-payers of said county of
constructing said bridges, including necessary approaches, will not exceed
the sum of forty thousand dollars, it shall proceed to construct them, and
if it shall appear that the cost to the tax-payers of constructing said
bridges will exceed the sum of forty thousand dollars, but that the sums
subscribed from private sources for the construction of any one of them,
together with its ratable share of said sum of forty thousand dollars, are
sufficient in amount for its construction, then it will be the duty of the
board to construct such bridge, the ratable share of such forty thousand
dollars so applicable to be the portion that is to the whole of said sum, as
the cost of building said bridge is to the aggregate ascertained cost of
building both bridges.

6. The said board of supervisors are authorized, empowered, and
directed to secure suitable plans and specifications for said bridges, either
by employment of skilled engineers or from contracting and construction
companies, and to make such provisions for their payment as may be
necessary in making up the annual county levy, and the said board shall
annually include in the county levy, upon the property and lawful sub-
jects of taxation in the said county as a part of the county levy, a sum
and tax sufficient to pay any deficit in the annual interest on said bonds
not realized from the tolls herein provided for, and in such manner as the
said board deems best, create a sinking fund to pay off the said bonds at
or before maturity.

7. The title to said bridges and all rights pertaining to same shall be
in the county of Clarke, and the said bridges shall be, and remain, the
property of the said county of Clarke.

8. The said board of supervisors is hereby authorized to levy toll on
all persons, animals, and vehicles, the latter whether they are propelled
by electricity, steam, or otherwise, the maximum rate so fixed by them
not to exceed the present maximum rates of ferriage charged at Berry’s
or Castleman’s ferries. They shall have the power to employ one or more
bridge-keepers, who shall make monthly settlements with the said board
of supervisors of the tolls collected by them, and who shall give bond,
conditioned according to law, for the faithful discharge of their duties. .
The said board of supervisors shall fix the compensation of said bridge-
keepers at a sum not to exceed five hundred dollars per annum for eack
bridge.

9. The county treasurer shall keep a distinct account of funds acquired
from tolls collected at said bridges in a book provided for that purpose,
and shall, on the order of said board of supervisors, pay out of said funds
the salarics of said bridge-keepers, the cost of keeping said bridges in
repair, the interest of the bonds issued on the authority of this act, and
the balance he shall devote to a sinking fund for the purpose of retiring
said bonds at or before maturity.

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