2198

SOMERSET COUNTY.

Penalty on
overseers
for refusing
to serve,
&c.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That each and every person, so
appointed overseer as aforesaid, who shall neglect or refuse to
accept of his appointment, after receiving his warrant as afore-
said, shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding ten dollars ;
Provided nevertheless, that no member of the legislature, ma-
gistrate, clergyman, schoolmaster, practising attorney, coroner,
sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable, physician, or commisssioner
of the tax, shall be liable to serve as overseers of the said
roads, without his or their consent; And provided also, that no
person shall be compellable to act as overseer of any road more
than one year in every three years, without his consent.

Overseers
to keep the
roads clears
ed,&c.

SEC. 5. And be it enacted, That it shall be the duty of the
said overseers to keep all the public roads in the said county
well and sufficiently cleared and grubbed, fit for travelling,
twenty feet wide at the least, and to make and keep good
and substantial bridges over all the heads of rivers, creeks,
branches and swamps, where the same shall be necessary, for
the convenient and easy passage of travellers, with their
wagons, carts, carriages, horses and cattle, and to remove all
nuisances which may obstruct or annoy their passage, and well
and sufficiently to causeway all and singular such places in
and upon the said roads as shall require the same.

Proviso.

SEC. 6. Provided always. That nothing in this act shall be
considered to make it the duty of overseers of the roads afore-
said to make or repair any bridge or bridges above fifteen feet
in length, but they shall continue to be built and repaired in
the same manner as at present.

Penalty for
neglect, &c.

SEC. 7. And be it enacted, That if any of the said overseers
shall not well and sufficiently clear, grub, amend and repair,
the said several and respective roads committed to their charge,
within a reasonable time after the same shall be out of repair,
or shall not make and keep in repair good and substantial
bridges over the heads of rivers, creeks, branches or swamps,
where the same shall be necessary as aforesaid, or shall not re-
move all nuisances from the said roads, or shall not well and
sufficiently causeway all and singular such places in and upon
the said roads as shall require the same, or shall permit or suf-
fer any fallen trees, or other obstruction, to remain in or across
any of the said public roads for the spaee of two days after
notice thereof, or shall neglect to fell, or cause to be felled and
removed, all decayed or dead trees on either side of the said
public roads, whose limbs or. any of them hang over the same,
and may by their falling injure travellers, or shall not lop and
cut off all limbs or branches of trees hanging or projecting
over the said roads, within fifteen feet above the surface
thereof, or shall in any other manner fail or neglect to per-
form the duties of an overseer of the said roads, according to