FIFTIETH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Cns. 396, 397. 1889. 879 the same grades during the fiscal year then current; such appoint— ments to be made from the final graduates of the year, in the order of merit as determined by the Academic Board of the Naval Academy, the assignment to be made by the Secretary of the Navy u on the recommendation of the Academic Board at the conclusion of the fiscal year then current; but nothing contained herein or in the naval- ap- B¤<i¤¢¤i<>¤ <>f arpropriation act of August fifth, eighteen hundred and eighty-two, p°t%i°e°Z;°j2g5_ sha l reduce the number of appointments of final graduates at the end of their six years course below twelve in each year to the line - of the Navy, and not less than two shall be appointed annually to . the Engineer Corps of the Navy, nor less than one annually to the Marine Corps; and if the number of vacancies in the lowest grades Filling vacancies. aforesaid, occurring in any year shall be greater than the number of final graduates of that year, the surplus vacancies shall be filled from the final graduates of following years, as they shall become available; and 1t is provided that in a dition to the appointments to - the Engineer Corps of the Navy hereby authorized, there may also be appointed Eve Assistant Engineers from the graduates, in the Five ¤¤¤is¤¤¤¢ engiorder of merit, of the Naval Academy of the class which finished its l`§§§" fm"` dm °t six years course in June eighteen hundred and eighty-six, to take ran and receive pay only from the date of their appointment; and said Engineer Corps is hereby enlarged for the purpose of the additional appointments hereby authorized. · Sec. 2. hat after the fourth dag of March, eighteen hundred and Ageof admission; eighty-nine, the minimum age of a mission of cadets to the Academy ,,£,;,$3,°,§°‘1517"‘”°'· shall be fifteen years and the maximum age twenty years. » Approved, March 2, 1889. CHAP. 397.-An act to authorize the Natchitoches Railroad Company to con- Mm·cb2, 1889. struct and maintain a bridge across the Red River, in Louisiana. {www Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States gif America. fin Congress assembled, That the Natchi- Natchitoches neu. toches Railroa Company, a corporation created and existing under {,}.’i§g,, §‘§}‘§‘}{.‘§,_"f_§Y and by virtue of the laws of the State of Louisiana, be, and is hereby, authorized to construct and maintain a railroad and wagon bridge brglnilwny and wagon across the Red River at such point as may be selected by the said g°` railroad com any in the paris 1 of Natchitoches or in the parish of Red River, the said bridge to be so constructed as not to interfere Uuohszmcm naviwith the navigation of said river, and to be provided with a suitable ““S,?j‘,;._ draw: Provided, That any brid e constructed under this act and ac- 1·¤»·:m. cording to its limitations shall be a lawful structure, and shall be 1·¤wf¤¤1;;¤¤¤¢ur¤¤¤d known an recognized as a post-route, and the same is hereby de- '°°°"°“ i' clared to be a post route, upon which also no higher charge shall be made for the transmission over the same of the mails, the troops, and the munitions of war of the United States, or for through passengers or freight passing over said bridge, than the rate per mile paid for their transportation over the railroads leading to the said bri ge; and equal privileges i11 the use of said bridge shall be granted to all telegraph companies; and the United States shall have the right of Pmiwkwvhway for a iostal telegraph across said bridge. _ Sm: 2. Cllhat the bridge authorized to be constructed under this seemmgsg wu-m act shall be located and built under and subject to such regulations “*’*"°'°p ·“°‘ for the security of the navigation of said river as the Secretary of \Var shall prescribe; and to secure that object the said company or corporation shall submit to the Secretary of War, for his examination anel a zproval, a design and drawings of the proposed bridge, and a ma iof the location. giving, for the space of one mile above and one mile below the proposed location. the topography of the banks of the river, the shore-lines at high and low water the direction and strength
