(A) Duration of keeping bridge open during certain hours. During the hours between 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m., it is unlawful to keep open any bridge within the city, for the purpose of permitting vessels to pass through the same, for a longer period at one time than 15 minutes. At the expiration of the period, it shall be the duty of the bridge tender or other person in charge of the bridge to display the proper signal and immediately close the bridge and keep it closed for fully 15 minutes for persons waiting to pass over. If more time shall be required for vessels, the bridge shall be opened again, for vessels to pass, for a 15-minute period and so on alternately, if necessary, during the hours designated in this section.
(Prior Code, § 101.19)
(B) Signals for vessels on bridges. The Board of Public Safety shall provide and maintain, at the several bridges over the Grand Calumet River and its branches and the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, over which the city has jurisdiction, in the best and most practicable manner, vessel signals as required by these sections or as otherwise required by the federal government.
(Prior Code, § 101.20)
(C) Opening bridges for vessels.
(1) Every owner, officer, or person in charge of any vessel passing up or down any part of the harbor shall sound or cause to be sounded a whistle to signal bridge tenders to open and swing bridges. The signal shall be three sharp, short sounds of the whistle, to be given in succession as quickly as possible and not be prolonged, and the whistle used for this purpose shall be of suitable size to be heard.
(2) (a) When any vessel shall signal for any bridge, the bridge tender shall immediately open the bridge.
(b) If, from any cause, the bridge tender cannot open the bridge, he or she shall immediately notify the vessel by waving a red flag by day and a red lantern by night and continue waving the same until the bridge can be opened. As soon as the cause for stopping the vessel has been removed, the bridge shall be immediately opened.
(c) It is unlawful for the owner, officer, or other person in charge of a vessel in transit to attempt to navigate any vessel past any of the bridges while stop signals are being given or displayed.
(3) (a) When any vessel shall signal for any railroad bridge over the Grand Calumet River or the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal or any of its branches, the bridge tender shall immediately open the bridge, unless a train be on the bridge or approaching it so closely as to be unable to stop, and in that case the bridge may be kept closed long enough for the passage of one train and no more.
(b) If, from any cause, the bridge tender cannot open the bridge, he or she shall comply with division (C)(2) above.
(c) It is unlawful for the owner, officer, or other person in charge of any vessel to attempt to pass any bridge while a stop signal is being given or displayed by the bridge tender.
(Prior Code, § 101.21)
(D) Manner of passing bridges. All vessels, steamboats, propellers, tugs, or other craft navigating the harbor, when passing any bridge, shall be moved past the same as expeditiously as is consistent with a proper movement in the harbor, but in no case shall any craft, while passing any bridge and obstructing the passage across the bridge, move at a rate of speed less than two mph and in no case shall any vessel, steamboat, propeller, tug, or other craft, while passing any bridge and obstructing the same, remain, or obstruct the passage across the bridge more than ten minutes; and no vessel, craft, or float shall be so anchored, laid, moored, or fastened or brought to a stop as to prevent any bridge from a free and speedy opening, as to prevent any bridge from a free and direct passage, nor shall any line or fastening be so thrown, laid, or made fast as to cross the track of any bridge or vessel, under a penalty of violating the provisions of this chapter, provided, that the regulations hereunder shall be in compliance with lawful federal regulations. In the event of difference between local and proper federal regulations, the federal regulations exclusively shall apply.
(Prior Code, § 101.22)
Penalty, see § 96.999