498

LAWS OF MARYLAND.
CHAPTER 294.

AN ACT to protect lives and property of per-
sons at railroad crossings over public high-
ways.

SECTION. 1. Be it enacted by the General As-
sembly of Maryland, That whenever the sev-
eral railroads of this State, operated by steam,
shall cross any public highway at grade out-
side the corporate limits of the cities, and
any such highway shall be believed to be of
such a character as to render the passage of
locomotives and trains thereon dangerous to
life and property, it shall be the duty of the

To notify.

Commissioners of the county in which such
point of crossing shall be located, to notify
the company owning or operating the railroad
at such point, by serving a written notice on
the superintendent or other agent of such rail-
road company in said county, that the said
County Commissioners will, thirty days there-
after, consider the necessity of further protec-
tion against danger at said crossing; and if
after the expiration of said thirty days said
County Commissioners, or a majority of them,
shall determine that such protection is neces-
sary, they shall notify said railroad company
through its superintendent or ticket agent in
said county, that within sixty days thereafter,
said railroad company shall either place a
flagman at said crossing, whose duty it shall be
to give timely notice to all persons using said

Flagman.

crossing, of the approach of all locomotives or
trains, or a system of electric alarm bells, to
give such notice at approach of trains, or shall
erect safety-gates at said crossing which shall
be closed not less than one-half minute before
the passage and during the passage of every
railroad train or locomotive across said high-
way; or shall change the said grade crossing,
so as to pass said highway with an under or
over grade crossing, in which case neither a
flagman nor safety-gate shall be required.