265 F. 221 | 5th Cir. | 1920
This was a libel in personam, filed by the appellant, Bluefields Fruit & Steamship Company, against the appellee, Western Assurance Company of Toronto, on a policy of marine insurance issued by the latter to the former, a copy of which was made an exhibit to the libel. The claim was for the alleged amount, with interest thereon, of the value of a cargo of bananas, charged to have been seriously damaged, with the result that it became a total loss, in the way disclosed by averments to the following ■effect:
On' May 12, 1917, the bananas were on board craft or boats at Providence Landing, Nicaragua, awaiting shipment. On and prior to that date they were intended by the libelant to be loaded on the steamship Lisboa at Providence Landing, and orders to that effect had been given, and the bananas were in due transit by such craft or boats to the steamship mentioned, and would, on or about that date, have been loaded upon that steamship and transported by it thence to New Orleans, but for the breaking of four of the steamship’s port propeller blades in consequence of striking a submerged obstruction while the vessel was maneuvering to take up a position for loading the bananas. At the time the accident occurred the craft or boats, with the bananas loaded on them for transshipment into the steamship, were in motion or transit from the station or landing place to the ship’s side. By reason of the loss of the propeller blades the steamship was delayed, in that it could not properly and safely transport cargo from Providence Landing to New Orleans without being repaired. The repairs could not be made at Providence Landing, and
The policy sued on was in part printed and in part typewritten; a printed form being used, to which a typewritten rider was attached. The body of the policy, after the formal heading, the first words of which were “Ocean Cargo Open Policy,” begins as follows (the italics showing the words typewritten in blanks in the printed form):
“To JBlwofteld Fruit & Steamship Company
“On account of whom it may concern
“In case-of loss to bo paid to them or order
“Does make insurance, and causo them to be insured, at and from
“As per form attached
“On bananas and/or cocoanuts — •
as per form, attached.
“Laden or to be laden on board the good steamer or steamers
“Beginning the adventure upon the said goods and merchandise from and immediately following the loading thereof on board of the vessel or conveyance as aforesaid and so shall continue and endure until the said goods and merchandise shall bo safely landed as aforesaid. And it shall and may bo lawful for the said vessel, in her voyage, to proceed and sail to, touch and stay at, any ports or places, if thereunto obliged by stress of weather or other unavoidable accident, without prejudice to this insurance. The said goods and merchandise, hereby insured, are valued (premium Included) at
“As por form attached
"Touching the adventures and perils which the said company is contented to bear and does take upon itself, they are, of the seas, lakes, rivers, canals, railroads, lire, jettisons, barratry. * * í: ”
The following are the provisions of the typewritten rider made a part of the. policy which can have any bearing on the questions raised in the case — the copied provisions being in the order shown below:
“On bananas and/or cocoanuts per steamer or steamers and connecting conveyances.”
“At and from ports and/or places in Central America to any port or ports in United States, direct or otherwise.”
“Free of particular average unless the vessel be stranded, sunk, burned, or in collision, in any, all or several of which events the insurers are liable for such loss by deiay. injury or damage to the fruit as is occasioned thereby, or occurs during, or in consequence of delay resulting therefrom, insurers are also liable for such loss in consequence of delay resulting from any, all or several of the following' causes, i. e., breakage of! shaft, lows of blades from propeller, derangement or breakage of machinery, derangement or breakage of rudder and/or stempost whether or not the vessel be stranded, sunk, burned, or in collision provided that in all eases the loss amount to 10 per cent, after deducting 5 per cent, for ordinary loss.
“Including all risk of craft or boats to and from tile vessel and from the warehouse or factory, while in transit by railway, or any conveyance and while in warehouse and/or slied, or on wharf, or quay, awaiting shipment or*224 transshipment, or lighterage, and all risk until safely delivered into the consignee’s warehouse.”
“Each craft or lighter to be deemed a separate insurance.
* * * * * * ******
“With liberty to tow and assist vessels in all situations and including all risks incidental to steam navigation, especially those arising from accidents to boilers and/or machinery.
************
“It is especially understood and agreed, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing the risk under this policy only commences at the port of shipment, no lighterage or craft risk from the interior being covered.”
But for the presence in the contract of the provisions contained in the clauses of the rider which respectively use the words “risk of craft,” etc., “craft or lighter,” and “lighterage or craft risk,” there would be no basis at all for the contention that any risk insured against had attached when the breaking of the propelled blades occurred. The printed “beginning the adventure” clause is such a one as is in common use in marine policies insuring cargo. It is well settled that the use of such a clause, if nothing inconsistent with it is inserted, has the effect of preventing any risk under the policy from attaching prior to the loading of the insured cargo on board the vessel which was to make the voyage. Smith & Holt v. Mobile Navigation & Mutual Ins. Co., 30 Ala. 167; Mobile Marine Dock & Mutual Ins. Co. v. McMillan & Son, 27 Ala. 77; Gordon & Talbot v. American Ins. Co. of New York, 4 Denio (N. Y.) 360. It is not unusual for marine cargo
•‘This is not an insurance on the ship, but on goods on board the ship when loaded.”
“It is hereby agreed that the said company shall not cover for an amount exceeding $20,000 by any one vessel or conveyance at any one time,” etc.
It. hardly would be contended that this provision had reference to craft or boats used in transferring the fruit to and from the vessel, with the result of indemnifying the insured to .the extent of $20,-000 for fruit on each of several boats used in transferring it to a single vessel.
*227 “It is especially understood and agreed, however, that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the risk under this policy only commences at the port of shipment, no lighterage or craft risk from the interior being covered.”
The above-quoted concluding words of the “risk of craft of boats,"’ etc., clause must be interpreted with reference to the words which immediately precede, from which they are separated only by a comma, The words “all risk,” as so used, cover only risks which are of like kind to those previously enumerated, and none other. Monongahela Ins. Co. v. Chester, 43 Pa. 491; 26 Cyc. 660. Those words, being part of a typewritten clause dealing with risks which, but for the insertion of that clause, by language oí the printed form made use of would have been prevented from attaching at all, well may be understood as having been intended to cover only risks like those previously enumerated in the same clause. We think full effect is given to the concluding words of the “risk of craft or boats,” etc., clause if they are so interpreted as to mean only that all risks whatsoever of the several instrumentalities and places mentioned in that clause were covered, and that the insured’s liability under that clause was to last until the fruit should safely be delivered into the consignee’s warehouse. To give to that clause, considered by itself or in connection with the other one last above set out, the effect of making the policy one covering all risks whatsoever from the time the fruit was assembled at the port of shipment and was ready to be started on the voyage, would result in requiring that the use of much of the language found in the contract, in both the printed and typewritten parts of it, be considered a sheer waste of words. If the provisions relied on were intended to have the meaning attributed to them, both the enumeration in the printed part of the policy of the risks intended to be covered and the specific typewritten provision as to enumerated vessel risks were wholly unnecessary.
The foregoing considerations we think require the conclusion that the allegations of the libel do not show that the loss of the bananas was caused by a risk or casualty insured against by the policy sued on. It follows that the court did not err in sustaining the exception to the libel, and that the decree to that effect should be affirmed. It is so ordered.
Affirmed.