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Show 1 REPORT OF THE COMMIS8IONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 63 I RAILROADS ACROSS RESERVATIONS. I The most important mattar of legislation during the past year in connection with railroads across Indian lands waa the passage of the act of Congress of March 2,1899 (30 Stat., 990, andp. 505 of this report). The act provides that any railway company duly organized under the laws of the United States or under the laws of any State or Territory, may acquire right of way through Indian reservations, Indian lands, and Indian allotments by complying with its terms aud with the rules and regulations of this Department prescribed thereunder. April 18, 1899, the Secretary of the Interior prescribed rules and regulations governing railway companies in the acquirement of sx~ch rights of way. The roles and regulations will be found printed in this report at page 661. Such tights of way shall be for the construction of rail-way, telegraph, and telephone lines, not to exceed 50 feet in width on each side of the central line of the road, except where there may be heavy cuts and fills, in which case they shall not exceed 100 feet in width on each side of the central line of the road; the companies may also acqnire station grounds adjacent to the rights of way, not exceed-ing 100 feet in width, by a length of 2,000 feet. Under the provisions of this general act, and subject to the rules and regnlations of this Department, authority has been granted for railroad companies to survey their lines of road through Indian lands, as follows: Arkansas Valley and Gnlf Railroad Company.-On March 7, 1899, the Department ,granted authority for the above-named company to make a preliminary survey of its line of road through Indian lands in Oklahoma and through the Indian Territory, beginning at a point to be selected by said railroad compally on the Kansas line a few miles southeast of Arkansas City, Eans., running thence by the most practi-cable route through the Indian Territory in a southeasterly direction along the valley of the Arkansas River to the southern boundary; and also for the construction of a branch line beginning at a point not exceeding 35 miles south of the south line of Kansas, thence in a south-easterly direction to connect with the main line. Gulf and Northern Railroad Company.-March 18,1899, the Acting Sec-retary granted authority for the above-named company to make a pre-liminary surrey for the location of its line of road through the Osage, Pouca, and Otoe and Missouria renervations, Okla., and also through the landd of Five Civilized Tribes in the Indian Territory. Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas Railroad Company.-July 18, 1899, the Acting Secretary of the Interior granted authority for the Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas Railroad Company to locate and survey s line of railroad from a point on the south line of the State of Kansaa, at or near Ooffeyville, through the Cherokee and Osa.ge nations and the counties of Pawnee, Payne, Logan, Kingfisher, Oklahoma, Canadian, |
