LAWS OF MARYLAND.

1844.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That if any person or per-
sons shall carelessly or neglectfully by any means what-
ever, injure, impair, break or destroy any part of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal or any part of its feeders,
dams, locks, aqueducts, wastes, waste weirs, culverts,
walls, embankments, bridges, buildings, or other works
now constructed or which may hereafter be constructed
by the said Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, under
the acts hereinbefore referred to, such person or persons
shall each of them pay a fine of five dollars, to be recov-
ered as hereinafter provided for, and any one or more of
them shall also be liable to pay a sum equal to the damage
sustained by said company by such injury, to be recover-
ed by said company if under one hundred dollars, before
a single justice of the peace or district court as the case
may be, as small debts are now recovered, and if over
one hundred dollars, by action in the county court in the

CHAP. 287.

county where the injury was committed.
SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That the president and di-
rectors of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company, or
a majority of them assembled, acting in behalf of the said
company, are hereby authorised and empowered from time
to time, to pass all by-laws that may by them be deemed
necessary to prevent the canal or any of its basins, ponds,
feeders or other works from being obstructed by boats,
floats, rafts, timber or other substances, floating loose upon
or sunk therein, and may by such by-laws authorise their
officers, agents or servants, to break up and remove the
same from the said canal or any of its said basins, ponds,
feeders or other works, in case the owner is unknown, or
if known, does not reside within the county in which the
said boats, floats, rafts, timber or other substances are float-
ing or sunk, or if known and a resident of county, shall
neglect after notice, forthwith to remove the same and the
materials of the broken boats, float, raft, timber or other
substance so broken up and removed, shall be forfeited to
and become the property of the said canal company.

President and
Directors may
pass by-laws,
&c.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That no person or persons
shall anchor or place any vessel, boat or other thing so
near any of the outlets or guard locks of the said Chesa-
peake and Ohio Canal, as to obstruct or impede the use of
such outlet or guard lock, nor shall any person or persons
without the consent of the said company previously obtain-
ed, build or erect on or against the tow path or embank-
ments of the said canal, or on the lands of the said Chesa-
peake and Ohio Canal Company, any house, shed, build-
ing, wharf or other fixtures, and any person or persons
offending against the provisions of this section, shall pay

Penalty for
obstructions,
&c.