PRIVATE ACTS. J 373

lease, buy and build wharves, houses and shops for corporate
purposes; to charter, build, purchase and hold steamships,
steamboats, tugs, barges, lighters and other vessels, to ply in
connection with said railroad to any port or ports, place or
places whatsoever, and to contract with any other railroad,
steamship and steamboat line or company for the transporta-
tion of freight and passengers.

SEC. 6. And be it enacted, That the said Washington and
Tidewater Railroad Company shall have the power to unite,
connect and consolidate with any railroad company or compa-
nies, either in or out of this State, so that the capital stock of
said companies so united, connected and consolidated, respect-
ively, may, at the pleasure of the directors, constitute a com-
mon stock, and the respective companies may thereafter consti-
tute one company, and be entitled to all the property, fran-
chises, rights and privileges and immunities which each of them
possess, have and enjoy under and by virtue of their respective
charter, provided, that nothing in this section shall apply to
the purchase of any parallel or competing line of railroad.

SEC. 7. And be it enacted, That the Washington and Tide-
water Railroad Company shall have the power to lease or pur-
chase and operate any railroad or railroads, either in or out of
this State, for the purpose of carrying on their business, and
any other railroad in this State shall have the right to lease or
sell its railroad or other property to the Washington and Tide-
water Railroad Company, provided, that nothing in this section
shall be construed to give the power to lease, purchase or op-
erate any competing or parallel line of railroad.

SEC. 8. And be it enacted, That the said board of directors

of said corporation shall have the power and right to adopt any
route or routes for the said railroad between the terminals men-
tioned in this Act as to them shall seem most suitable and
proper, and shall have power when necessary to cross all navi-
gable waters, streams or creeks, as well as rivers, streams or
creeks not navigable, by suitable bridges or causeways, and
also the right to cross the lines of other railroads and condemn

easements therein.

SEC. 9. And be it enacted, That the capital stock of said
company shall be one hundred thousand dollars, with the privi-
lege to increase the same to two million dollars, and be divided
Into shares of twenty-five dollars each, which shall be collected
by the directors of said railroad company in such instalments
and at such times and places as they may appoint and require,
and if any subscriber to said stock shall neglect or fail to pay
any instalments or part or parts of their subscriptions thus de-
manded for the space of twenty days next after the time shall