§ V. RULES FOR VESSELS PASSING DREDGES AT WORK IN CHANNELS.

The improvement of channels in United States waters is done by the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army, and the Secretary of War is authorized to make regulations to be observed by vessels passing dredges or other craft engaged in such improvement.

EXTRACT FROM THE RIVER AND HARBOR ACT OF AUGUST 18, 1894.

SECTION 4. [As amended by Section II of the river and harbor Act of June 13, 1902.] That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of War to prescribe such rules and regulations for the use, administration, and navigation of any or all canals and similar works of navigation that now are, or that hereafter may be, owned, operated, or maintained by the United States as in his judgment the public necessity may require; and he is also authorized to prescribe regulations to govern the speed and movement of vessels and other water craft in any public navigable channel which has been improved under authority of Congress, whenever, in his judgment, such regulations are necessary to protect such improved channels from injury, or to prevent interference with the operations of the United States in improving navigable waters or injury to any plant that ay be employed in such operations. Such rules and regulations sha be posted, in conspicuous and appropriate places, for the information of the public; and every person and every corporation which shall violate such rules and regulations shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, on conviction thereof in any district court of the United States within whose territorial jurisdiction such offense may have been committed, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment (in the case of a natural person) not exceeding six months, in the discretion of the court.

Rules are drawn up for each individual situation coming under the above law, and different sets of rules may differ from each other in minor particulars, but the points covered are practically identical in all cases, and these points are illustrated in the following typical set of rules:

1. Steamers without tows passing the dredges, shall not have a speed greater than six miles an hour, and their propelling machinery shall be stopped when immediately abreast of the dredges, and while passing over the breast and quarter lines of the dredges.

Steamers with tows passing the dredges shall not have a speed greater than six miles an hour, and their propelling machinery shall be stopped while passing over the breast and quarter lines of the dredges; but they may start their propelling machinery if necessary between these lines.

2. Vessels using the channel shall pass the dredges on the side designated from the dredge by the signals prescribed in paragraph 7 of these regulations.

3. Vessels whose draft permits must keep outside of the buoys marking the ends of mooring lines of dredges.

4. Vessels must not anchor on the ranges of stakes or other marks placed for the guidance of the dredges.

5. Vessels must not run over or disturb stakes or other marks placed for the guidance of dredges.

6. Dredges and operating plant, in the prosecution of the work, must not obstruct any part of the channel unnecessarily.

7. Dredges shall display by day a black ball three (3) feet in diameter at the end of a horizontal spar extending to the line of the side of the dredge's hull, and at a height not less than thirty (30) feet above the water, the ball to be set on the side of the dredge on which it is desired approaching vessel shall pass.

NOTE-A red flag or other signal may be substituted for the black ball of this paragraph.

Dredges shall display by night one white light on a staff in the middle of the dredge, and at least thirty (30) feet above the water, to serve as the regulation anchor light, and four (4) red lights suspended in a vertical line from the outer end of the horizontal spar used by day for the suspension of the black ball, the lights to be set on the side of the dredge on which it is desired approaching vessels shall pass. If approaching vessels may pass on either side of the dredge, no day mark shall be displayed, and by night the four red lights shall be displayed in a vertical line directly under the abovementioned white light.

8. The breast and stern anchors of the dredges shall be marked or buoyed so as to be plainly visible to passing vessels.

9. While vessels in the channel are passing, all lines running across the channel from the dredge on the passing side must be entirely slacked.

10. Dredges will slack the lines referred to in paragraph 9 upon signal by whistle from an approaching vessel.

In addition to the authority vested in the Secretary of War to make regulations as above, the same official is empowered to regulate all other matters which have to do with possible obstructions to navigable waters; such as the dumping of ashes, garbage, etc.; the marking of wrecks and their removal; the building of bridges across navigable channels, and the handling of draws in bridges spanning such channels.

§ VI. INLAND RULES OF NATIONS OTHER THAN THE UNITED STATES.

The Inland Rules of other countries do not exist in a form which admits of convenient grouping. In most cases the rules are made locally for each port or river.

Officers having to navigate the inland waters of any country should use every effort to acquaint themselves with these local laws. In some cases they are to be found in Sailing Directions; in others they must be learned from pilots or other local authorities.

Generally speaking, it will be found that such local rules do not modify the International Rules in any important particulars. So far as they deal with the rules for vessels meeting and crossing, they frequently emphasize certain points of the International Rules; as, for example, the requirement about keeping to the right-hand side of the channel. In many cases they limit the speed which may be used within the river or harbor in question. Other matters with which they deal are the following: anchorage limits; privileges and obligations of tows; length of tows; size of rafts; lights and signals for dredges at work in the channel, and rules for passing these; special rules for vessels desiring to pass other vessels going in the same direction in a narrow channel; ferry-boats crossing the channel, or entering or leaving their slips; vessels hauling out from slips; marking of wrecks; pilotage; harbor police regulations; explosives on board vessels in the harbor; buoyage; mooring alongside docks or alongside other vessels; special rules for exceptionally narrow and dangerous parts of channel; etc.

In the case of basins enclosed by breakwaters, rules are prescribed as to the conditions for entering, permission being necessary in all such cases, and arrangements being made with the harbor master.

In the case of military ports, very stringent regulations are prescribed, and vessels visiting such ports should, if possible, inform themselves of these in advance.

As a rule, all necessary information for the guidance of a stranger can be obtained from the pilot. The rules with regard to pilots and the signals for calling them are usually to be found. in the Sailing Directions.

A very full and valuable collection of local rules is to be found in "Rules of the Road at Sea," by H. Stuart Moore, published by J. D. Potter, London.

§ VII. LAWS RELATING TO THE RULES OF THE ROAD.

Penalties are prescribed for the infringement of these rules, by all nations which have adopted them as laws, and these penalties do not depend upon the question whether damage has or has not resulted from the infringement.

Where damage is done, and can be shown to be the result of neglect or violation of the rules, it is held, in the absence of proof to the contrary, to be the fault of the person having charge of the deck of the vessel offending, who will be considered guilty of a misdemeanor and punishable therefor. If death ensues, he will be subject to a charge of manslaughter.

In every case of collision, it is the duty of the person in charge of each vessel, to stay by the other and to render such assistance as may be practicable, provided he can do so without damage to his own ship, passengers and crew.

He is also required to give to the master of the other ship the name of his own ship and of the port to which she belongs, and the ports to and from which she is bound.

As soon as possible after the collision, he must cause an entry to be made in the log book, of the collision and of all facts in connection with it.

§ I.

CHAPTER XV.

MANŒUVRING TO AVOID COLLISION.

The difficulties and dangers with which this chapter has to deal are principally connected with darkness and with fog. In daylight and in clear weather, the avoidance of collisions should be simple enough. This chapter will therefore deal, first, with steamers meeting or crossing at night, and later, with the more difficult question of manoeuvring in a fog.

As an aid in determining accurately the bearing of a light sighted at night, and of readily recognizing a change in this bearing, it is convenient to have installed, close to the bridge compass, a "pelorus or dumbcompass, marked to degrees and to quarter points, accurately adjusted with its zero in the fore-and-aft line of the ship, and with a sighting-vane pivoted at the center.

It is well also to establish a clearly marked fore-and-aft line from a convenient point on each side of the bridge to some conspicuous point near the bow, by which the line on which the ship is heading may be picked up at a glance.

It must be borne in mind that turbine ships respond much less quickly to changes in engine speed than do ships having the large screws that go with reciprocating engines. Also that the power available for backing is only about one-half that of reciprocating engines.

The result is that turbine ships must rely more upon the rudder, and must be especially careful to avoid situations demanding quick and handy manoeuvring.

§ II.

STEAMERS MEETING.

Attention has already been called to the fact that this situation is not as simple as it at first appears, for the reason that vessels which seem to be approaching each other "end-cn or nearly end-on," may in fact be crossing at a considerable angle.

There is no rule which can be laid down to eliminate the danger of such misunderstanding; but there is a certain gain in recognizing the existence of the danger and the necessity for watch