The corporation shall cause all the occupants and owners of the tract or tracts of land, so far as the same can be ascertained by reasonable diligence, who reside in the county, to be notified personally of the pendency of the petition at least 10 days before the hearing thereof, and if any of the occupants or owners are unknown, or do not reside in the county, and have not been personally notified of the pendency of the petition, the corporation shall cause a notice stating the filing of the petition, the object thereof, the tracts of land sought to be appropriated, and the time and the place of the hearing of the petition, to be published for 4 successive weeks previous to the time of hearing the petition, in a newspaper published in the county, or if none is published in the county, then in a newspaper published nearest to the county.
[27:146:1865; B § 3452; BH § 861; C § 998; RL § 3538; NCL § 6262]