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Florida state law chapter 3488, approved February 12, 1885, incorporated the Tampa Street Railway Company, owned by William B. Henderson, Joseph B. Wall, Edward A. Clarke, John T. Lesley, Stephen M. Sparkman, William C. Brown and S. A. Jones, "to construct and operate a line of railway or railroads on any or all of the streets in the city or town of Tampa... and on any or all of the avenues leading into or running near said city of Tampa, included within the area of land lying between the Hillsborough river and the creek known as the six mile creek east of said city of Tampa, and of also extending one or more of said lines of railway to and across the island at the mouth of the Hillsborough river, and the island known as Depot island, and said company shall further have the rights to operate said line or lines of railroad or any of them with steam or horse power, and shall have the right to purchase or construct and to run steamboats or other vessels, and to use and navigate the same on Hillsborough and Tampa bays, and upon all the streams ending therein."