R. S., 4289. June 19, 1886. Sec. 4. Feb. 13, 1893. Sec. 2. Sec. 3. aggregate liabilities of all the owners of a vessel on account of the same shall not exceed the value of such vessels and freight pending: Provided, That this provision shall not affect the liability of any owner incurred previous to the passage of this act, nor prevent any claimant from joining all the owners in one action; nor shall the same apply to wages due to persons employed by said ship-owners. The provisions of the seven preceding sections, and of section eighteen of an act entitled "An act to remove certain burdens on the American merchant marine and encourage the American foreign carrying trade, and for other purposes," approved June twenty-sixth, eighteen hundred and eighty-four, relating to the limitations of the liability of the owners of vessels, shall apply to all seagoing vessels, and also to all vessels used on lakes or rivers or in inland navigation, including canal-boats, barges, and lighters. 106. Bill of lading. It shall not be lawful for the manager, agent, master or owner of any vessel transporting merchandise or property from or between ports of the United States and foreign ports to insert in any bill of lading or shipping document any clause, covenant, or agreement whereby it, he, or they shall be relieved from liability for loss or damage arising from negligence, fault, or failure in proper loading, stowage, custody, care, or proper delivery of any and all lawful merchandise or property committed to its or their charge. Any and all words or clauses of such import inserted in bills of lading or shipping receipts shall be null and void and of no effect. It shall not be lawful for any vessel transporting merchandise or property from or between ports of the United States of America and foreign ports, her owner, master, agent or manager to insert in any bill of lading or shipping document any covenant or agreement whereby the obligations of the owner or owners of said vessel to exercise due diligence, properly equip, man, provision, and outfit said vessel, and to make said vessel seaworthy and capable of performing her intended voyage, or whereby the obligations of the master, officers, agents, or servants to carefully handle and stow her cargo and to care for and properly deliver same, shall in any wise be lessened, weakened, or avoided. If the owner of any vessel transporting merchandise or property to or from any port in the United States of America shall exercise due diligence to make the said vessel in all respects seaworthy and properly manned, equipped, and supplied, neither the vessel, or owners, agent, or charterers shall become or be held responsible for damage or loss resulting from faults or errors in navigation or in the management of said vessel, nor shall the vessel, her owner or owners, charterers, agent, or master, be held liable for losses arising from dangers of the sea or other navigable waters, acts of God, or public enemies, or the inherent defect, quality, or vice of the thing carried, or from insufficiency of package, or seizure under legal process, or for loss resulting from any act or omission of the shipper or owner of the goods, his agent or representative, or from saving or attempting to save life or property at sea, or from any deviation in rendering such service. It shall be the duty of the owner or owners, masters, or agent of any vessel transporting merchandise or property from or between ports of the United States and foreign ports to issue to shippers of any lawful merchandise a bill of lading, or shipping document, stating, among other things, the marks necessary for identification, number of packages, or quantity, stating whether it be carrier's or shipper's weight, and apparent order or condition of such merchandise or property delivered to and received by the owner, master, or agent of the vessel for transportation, and such document shall be prima facie evidence of the receipt of the merchandise therem described. Sec. 4. For a violation of any of the provisions of this act the Sec. 5. agent, owner, or master of the vessel guilty of such violation, and who refuses to issue on demand the bill of lading herein provided for, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars. The amount of the fine and costs for such violation shall be a lien upon the vessel, whose agent, owner, or master is guilty of such violation, and such vessel may be libeled therefor in any district court of the United States, within whose jurisdiction the vessel may be found. One half of such penalty shall go to the party injured by such violation and the remainder to the Government of the United States. This act shall not be held to modify or repeal sections Sec. 6. forty-two hundred and eighty-one, forty-two hundred and eighty-two, and forty-two hundred and eighty-three of the Revised Statutes of the United States, or any other statute defining the liability of vessels, their owners, or representatives. Sections one and four of this act shall not apply to the Sec.7. transportation of live animals. PART VI-INSPECTION OF STEAM VESSELS. 107. General provisions. 108. Manning of vessels. 116. Protection against fire. 117. Inflammable or explosive cargo. 109. Inspection of hulls and life-saving 118. Carriage of passengers. appliances. 110. Inspection of boilers. 113. Life boats, lines, and preservers. 107. General provisions. 119. Certificate of inspection. 120. Exhibit of laws. 121. Inspectors and officers of steamvessels. 122. Liability for damage. 123. Enforcement and penalty. Every vessel propelled in whole or in part by steam shall be deemed a steam-vessel within the meaning of this Title [R. S., 4399–4500]. All steam-vessels navigating any waters of the United States which are common highways of commerce, or open to general or competitive navigation, excepting public vessels of the United States, vessels of other countries, and boats propelled in whole or in part by steam for navigating canals, shall be subject to the provisions of this Title [R. S., 4399-4500]. And all foreign private steam-vessels carrying passengers from any port of the United States to any other place or country shall be subject to the provisions of section fortyfour hundred and seventeen, forty-four hundred and eighteen, forty-four hundred and twenty-one, forty-four hundred and twenty-two, forty-four hundred and twenty-three, forty-four hundred and twenty-four, forty-four hundred and seventy, forty-four hundred and seventy-one, forty-four hundred and seventy-two, forty-four hundred and seventythree, forty-four hundred and seventy-nine, forty-four hundred and eighty-two, forty-four hundred and eighty-eight, forty-four hundred and eighty-nine, forty-four hundred and ninety-six, forty-four hundred and ninety-seven, forty-four hundred and ninety-nine, and forty-five hundred of this title, and shall be liable to visitation and inspection by the proper officer, in any of the ports of the United States, respecting any of the provisions of the sections aforesaid. All coastwise sea-going vessels, and vessels navigating the great lakes, shall be subject to the navigation laws of the United States, when navigating within the jurisdiction thereof; and all vessels, propelled in whole or in part by steam, and navigating as aforesaid, shall be subject to all the rules and regulations established in pursuance of law for the government of steam-vessels in passing, as provided by this Title [R. S., 4399-4500]; and every coastwise seagoing steam-vessel subject to the navigation laws of the United States, and to the rules and regulations aforesaid, not sailing under register, shall, when under way, except on the high seas, be under the control and direction of pilots licensed by the inspectors of steamboats. No license, register, or enrollment shall be granted, nor any other papers be issued by any collector or other chief officer of the customs to any vessel propelled in whole or in part by steam, until he shall have satisfactory evidence that all the provisions of this Title [R. S., 4399-4500] have been fully complied with. R. S., 4498. The hull and boilers of every ferry-boat, canal-boat, R. S., 4426. yacht, or other small craft of like character, propelled by steam, shall be inspected under the provisions of this Title [R. S., 4399-4500]. Such other provisions of law for the better security of life, as may be applicable to such vessels, shall, by the regulations of the board of supervising inspectors, also be required to be complied with, before a certificate of inspection shall be granted; and no such vessel shall be navigated without a licensed engineer and a licensed pilot. In open steam-launches of ten tons burden Dec. 22, 1890. and under, one person, if duly qualified, may serve in the double capacity of pilot and engineer. Irondequoit Bay, June 25, 1890. New York, shall, for the purpose of applying the provisions of title fifty-two of the Revised Statutes | R. S., 4399-4500], relating to steam-vessels navigating thereon, be declared a navigable water of the United States; and steam-vessels navigated thereon, and carrying passengers, shall be inspected under the provisions of section forty-four hundred and twenty-six of the title [R. S., 4399-4500] referred to, and subject to the penalties provided therein for a failure to comply therewith. The hull and boiler of every tug-boat, towing-boat, and R. S., 4427. freight-boat shall be inspected, under the provisions of this Title [R. S., 4399-4500]; and the inspectors shall see that the boilers, machinery, and appurtenances of such vessel are not dangerous in form or workmanship, and that the safety-valves, gauge-cocks, low-water alarm indicators, steam-gauges, and fusible plugs are all attached in conformity to law; and the officers navigating such vessels shall be licensed in conformity with the provisions of this Title, and shall be subject to the same provisions of law as officers navigating passenger-steamers. R. S., 4451. The chief officer of the customs for the district shall pay such fees to the United States marshal for his services, and June 19, 1886. to any witness, so summoned, for his actual travel and attendance, as shall be officially certified to by any inspector hearing the case, upon the back of such summons, not exceeding the rate allowed for fees and to witnesses for NAV 95, PT 2- -7 R. S., 4452. R. S., 4453. R. S., 4454 travel and attendance in any circuit or district courts of the United States. Whenever any board of local inspectors refuses to grant a license to any person applying for the same, or suspends or revokes the license of any master, mate, engineer, or pilot, any person deeming himself wronged by such refusal, suspension, or revocation, may, within thirty days thereof, on application to the supervising inspector of the district, have his case examined anew by such supervising inspector; and the local board shall furnish to the supervising inspector, in writing, the reasons for its doings in the premises; and such supervising inspector shall examine the case anew, and he shall have the same powers to summon witnesses and compel their attendance, and to administer oaths, that are conferred on local inspectors; and such witnesses and the marshal shall be paid in the same manner as provided for by the preceding section; and such supervising inspector may revoke, change, or modify the decision of such local board; and like proceedings may be had by any master or owner of any steam-vessel in relation to the inspection of such vessel, or her boilers or machinery, by any such local board; and in case of repairs, and in any investigation or inspection, where there shall be a disagreement between the local inspectors, the supervising inspector, when so requested, shall investigate and decide the case. In addition to the annual inspection, the local inspectors shall examine, at proper times, steamers arriving and departing to and from their respective ports, so often as to enable them to detect any neglect to comply with the requirements of law, and also any defects or imperfections becoming apparent after the inspection aforesaid, and tending to render the navigation of the vessels unsafe; and if they shall discover any omission to comply with the law, or that repairs have become necessary to make the vessel safe, the inspectors shall at once notify the master, in writing, stating in the notice what is required; and if the master deems the requirements unreasonable or unnecessary, he may apply for a re-examination of the case to the supervising inspector, as provided in the preceding section. All inspections and orders for repairs shall be promptly made by the inspectors, and, when it can be safely done in their judgment, they shall permit repairs to be made where those interested can most conveniently do them. If any master or owner of any steamer shall refuse or neglect to comply with the requirements of the local inspectors, made in pursuance of the preceding section, and shall, contrary thereto and while the same remains unreversed by the supervising inspector, employ the vessel by navigating her, the master and owner shall be liable to a penalty of five hundred dollars for each offense, one-half for the use of the informer; for which sum the vessel itself shall be liable, and may be seized and proceeded against by libel in any district court having jurisdiction; and the master and owner, and the vessel itself, shall, in addition thereto, be liable for any damage to passengers and their |