Section was enacted as part of act Mar. 3, 1899, popularly known as the “Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899”, and not as part of act Mar. 1, 1893, ch. 183, 27 Stat. 507, which comprises this chapter.

As originally enacted the first paragraph read as follows: “The provisions of an Act of Congress, entitled ‘An Act making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, and for other purposes,’ approved July first, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, authorizing the Secretary of War, in expending certain specified appropriations in the preparation for and construction of certain works for the restraining or impounding of mining debris in the State of California, to enter into a contract or contracts wherein the contractor or contractors shall look solely to that State for one-half of such expense, and that the United States shall in no wise be liable for said one-half, are hereby extended to any appropriations, when made, that may hereafter be made for said purposes.”

Act July 1, 1898 authorized Secretary of War, in contracting for construction of certain proposed works, to enter into an agreement that contractor should look solely to California for half of expenses.

Department of War designated Department of the Army and title of Secretary of War changed to Secretary of the Army by section 205(a) of act July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II, 61 Stat. 501. Section 205(a) of act July 26, 1947, was repealed by section 53 of act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041 70A Stat. 641. Section 1 of act Aug. 10, 1956, enacted “Title 10, Armed Forces” which in sections 3010 to 3013 continued Department of the Army under administrative supervision of Secretary of the Army.