Other Railroads in Cities and Counties. §§ 121-123 of householders and taxpayers of the city to the mayor thereof, such mayor may, within thirty days thereafter, indorse upon the application his approval and direction that it may be presented to the supreme court, and if the railway is to be built, partly within the limits of a city and partly without, such application shall be approved, both by the mayor of the city and the board of supervisors of the county, and its presentation to the supreme court authorized by them, and upon the presentation of such application so approved and authorized to a special term of the supreme court, held in the district where such railway is to be built, or some part thereof, the court may appoint five commissioners, residents of the city if the railway is to be built wholly within the city, and of the county, if it is to be built wholly or partly outside of the limits of a city, to determine the necessity of such railroad, the route thereof, the time within which and the conditions upon which it shall be constructed, the damages to the property owners along the line thereof and all the matters lawfully submitted to them, and discharge the duties imposed upon them by law. § 121. Oath and bond of commissioners. Within ten days after his appointment and before entering upon the discharge of any of the duties of his office, each commissioner shall take and subscribe the constitutional oath of office, which shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the county and shall execute a bond to the people of the state in the penal sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, with two or more sureties, to be approved by a justice of the supreme court of the department in which the railway is to be built and conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties of the office, which bond shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the county. 122. First meeting of commissioners. Within fifteen days after their appointment, the commissioners shall meet in some convenient place in the county or city and organize themselves as a board with appropriate officers. 123. Determination of necessity of railroad and route.-The commissioners shall, within thirty days after such organization, determine upon the necessity of such steam railroad, and if they find it to be necessary, they shall, within sixty days after such organization, fix and determine the route therefor, and shall have the exclusive power to locate such route, over, under, through or across the streets, avenues, places or lands in such county or city, and to provide for the connection or junction with any other railway or bridge, if the consent of the owners of one-half in value of the property bounded on and the consent of the local authorities having control of that portion of a street or highway, upon which it is proposed to construct or operate such railway have been first obtained. If the consent of such property owners can not be obtained, the determination of three commissioners appointed by the general term of the supreme court of the department where the railroad is to be constructed, made after due hearing of all parties interested, and confirmed by the court, that such railway ought to be constructed and operated, may be taken in lieu of the consent of such property owners. No such railway shall be located in or upon such portion of any street, avenue, place or lands in such county as are now occupied by an elevated or underground railway or in which such a railway has already, been authorized by law to be so located and constructed, or which are contained in public parks, or occupied by buildings belonging to the county or the state or United States, or in or upon the following streets, avenues and public places, viz.: Broadway, Fifth avenue, Fourth avenue above Forty-second street, in the city of New York; Debevoise place, Irving place, Lefferts place, those portions of Grand, Classon and Franklin avenues and Dowling street lying between the southerly line of Lexington avenue and the northerly line of Atlantic avenue, that portion of Classon avenue lying between the northerly line of Lexingtonavenue and the southerly line of Park avenue, and that portion of Washington avenue lying between Park and Atlantic avenues in the city of Brooklyn; and that portion of the city of Buffalo lying between Michigan and Main streets, but such railway may, be located and constructed across such excepted streets, avenues and places at their intersection only with other streets, avenues and places. (As amended by chap. 676 of 1892.) § 124. Adoption of plans, and terms upon which road shall be built. The commissioners by such public notice, and under such conditions, and with such inducements as they may prescribe, shall invite a submission of plans for the construction and operationof such railway, and shall meet at a time and place in such notice named, not more than ninety days after their organization, and decide upon the plans for the construction thereof, with the necessary supports, turnouts, switches, sidings, connections, landing-places, stations, buildings, platforms, stairways, elevators, telegraph and Other Railroads in Cities and Counties. § 125 signal devices, or other requisite appliances, upon the route or location determined upon by them. They shall, upon notice to the local authorities, and after hearing all parties interested, fix and determine what compensation, if any, in a gross sum, or in a certain percentage of receipts, shall annually be paid to the local authorities by the corporation formed for the purpose of constructing, maintaining and operating such railway for public use in the conveyance of persons and property, for the use and occupatoin by the corporation of the streets, avenues and highways in and upon which its railway is to be constructed, and the time when such railway, or a portion thereof, shall be constructed and ready for operation, and the maximum rates to be paid for transportation and conveyance thereon, and the hours during which special cars or trains shall be run at reduced rates of fare; and the amount of the capital stock of such corporation and the number of shares into which it shall be divided, and the percentage thereof to be paid in cash on subscribing for such shares. The commissioners may select two or more routes, upon one of which such railway may be constructed and operated; and the local authorities may consent to the construction and operation of such railway upon one or more of such routes, or parts thereof; and the commissioners shall have power to change and readopt routes and plans for the construction and operation of such railway, after they have been submitted to the local authorities, in cases where such authorities may recommend such changes, or may not be willing to consent to the construction or operation of the railway, upon the routes and plans adopted, unless such changes are made therein. (As amended by chap. 676 of 1892.) § 125. Appraisal of damages and deposit of money as security. The commissioners shall, within one hundred and ten days after their organization, ascertain and determine the aggregate pecuniary damage arising from the diminution in the value of the property bounded on that portion of such street or streets, highway or highways, upon which it is proposed to construct and operate such railway to be caused by the construction and operation thereof. For that purpose they shall view the several parcels of real property so bounded, and shall appraise separately the pecuniary damages arising from such diminution in value of each parcel thereof, and for the purposes of such appraisal they shall give notice of the time and place, when and where they will meet to hear the owners, or persons interested in such real property, which notice shall be published for at least ten days consecutively in at least two newspapers in the county where such railway is to be constructed, and shall take such material testimony upon the probable diminution in value of any or all such parcels to be so caused as may be offered by or in behalf of any person or party interested therein, and the aggregate sum of the amounts so appraised and determined by them shall be the aggregate pecuniary damage required to be ascertained and determined as above provided. No corporation which shall hereafter be organized under this article shall enter upon any street, highway or lane therein, until it shall first have deposited with some trust company, to be designated by the mayor of the city within which it is proposed to construct the railway or any part thereof, and by the board of supervisors, when the road does not lie wholly within a city, a sum of money equal to the amount so ascertained and determined by the commissioners to be the aggregate pecuniary damage to such property within the city or within the county outside of any city, or shall have secured the payment of such amount by depositing with such trust company negotiable securities, equivalent at their par and actual value to such aggregate amount, and approved by the mayor of the city in which such road is wholly or in part located, and by the county treasurer of the county if the road is located wholly or in part outside of the limits of such city. The court may accept in lieu of the deposit of money or securities herein required the bond of the corporation, with two or more sureties, to be approved by the court, to the effect that the corporation before constructing or operating its railway in front of any premises, shall pay to the owner of the real property all the damages sustained, or which will be sustained by him, as fixed and determined by such commisioners, and the costs allowed, if any. Such bond shall be in a sum double the amount of such damages, and the sureties shall justify in the aggregate to an amount equal to the amount of such bond. Such corporation shall also, at the same time, deposit with such trust company or with the county treasurer, as the commissioners may direct, the sum of five thousand dollars in cash, for the payment of the expense of apportioning and distributing such fund. Unless such moneys or securities shall be deposited by such corporation within one year after it shall have obtained the consent of the local authorities, and of the property owners, or the confirmation Other Railroads in Cities and Counties. § 126 by the general term of the supreme court, of the determination of three commissioners in lieu thereof, and in the case of a corporation heretofore organized within one year after it shall have obtained the confirmation by the general term of the supreme court of the report of three commissioners in lieu of the consent of property owners, or within one year after the commissioners. appointed to ascertain and determine the aggregate pecuniary damages as provided in this article, shall have made their report, then such corporation shall be deemed not to have accepted the franchises granted. Where the commissioners shall fix and determine different periods of time within which different sections of such railway shall be constructed and ready for operation, they shall ascertain, determine, and report separately the aggregate pecuniary damage to property bounded upon that portion of such street or streets upon which each of such sections is located, upon the deposit by the corporation as above provided of moneys or securities equivalent to the aggregate pecuniary damage to be sustained by any one of such sections, or of any bond given in lieu thereof, it shall immediately be vested with the right and privilege to construct its railway through such section. (As amended by chap. 676 of 1892.) § 126. Shall prepare certificate of incorporation; proviso as to forfeiture.—The commissioners shall prepare and appropriate certificate of incorporation for the corporation in the last section mentioned in which shall be set forth and embodied, as component parts thereof, the several conditions, requirements and particulars by such commissioners determined pursuant to the provisions of this article, and which shall also provide for the release and forfeiture to the supervisors of the county, or if the road is to be constructed wholly or partly within a city, to such city, of all rights and franchises acquired by such corporation in case such railway or railways shall not be completed within the time and upon the conditions therein provided; and the commissioners shall thereupon and within one hundred and twenty days after their organization cause a suitable book of subscription to the capital stock of such corporation, to be opened pursuant to due public notice at a banking office in such county or city. A failure by any corporation heretofore or hereafter organized under this article to complete its railway within the time limited in and by its certificate of incorporation shall only work a forfeiture of the franchises of such corporation with respect to that portion of its |