258 F. 693 | D. Del. | 1919
About 2 o’clock in the morning of August 18, 1916, barge No. 9, owned by Geo. W. Bush& Sons Company, libelant, while in tow of the steam tug Alex Y. Hanna, was injured by having its mast brought into contact with the partially raised southern leaf of a bascule bridge, known as Third Street Bridge, built and operated by New Castle county over the Christiana river in the city of Wilmington, New Castle county, Delaware. To recover damages for the injury so sustained the owner of the barge filed its libel against the tug and against the individuals composing the levy court of that county. Exceptions filed by the latter were heretofore sustained, this court holding that a libel in admiralty against the county, its levy c.ourt, or the present or former members thereof, cannot be maintained. 246 Fed. 157. No negligence or fault on the part of the tow having been alleged or shown, the sole question now presented is whether the tug was at fault.
The tug having in tow, astern, on hawsers about 25 feet in length, barges No. 9 and Penn, abreast, the former being the port barge, was proceeding from the Delaware river up the Christiana river. No. 9 was about 110 feet long, 21 feet beam, and drawing about 6 feet. The Penn was of like length and draft, with beam "of 26 feet. The tug
As the tow approached the bridge, the tug, by three blasts of her whistle, signalled the bridgetender to open the draw. The bridge-tender answered with a signal of one blast of a whistle, indicating the stopping of bridge traffic, and the tug slowed down and continued under slackened speed until the bridgetender, after the bridge began to open, made further answer by three blasts, whereupon the tug immediately increased her speed and proceeded to pass through the draw. It appears from the testimony of the bridgetender that the signal of three blasts from the bridge was given after both leaves had stopped rising, when the tug was about opposite the Jackson & Sharp shipyard, about 1,200 to 1,500 feet below the bridge. The testimony of the barge captain is that the leaves stopped rising when the tug was about 800 feet away. The master of the tug testified that, when the three-blast signal was given from the bridge, he “would come to the bridge in a minute,” and that he was so near that the roof of the pilot house intercepted his view of the green lights while they were still rising; that he did not see the lights stop going up, but that he “was working on the bridgetender’s instructions that everything was clear.” He further testified that when the green lights passed out of the line of his vision he could .not have done anything, other than what he did do; that he “was getting too close.” As the tug and tow were going through the draw, the mast of No. 9 struck the southern leaf, the one
Shannon, captain of barge No. 9, Banks, master of the tug Meteor, Davis, master of the tug Martha, and White, the bridgetender, witnesses for the libelant, testified to the effect that the draw had been very undependable; that sometimes one leaf would rise and the other would not, and that at other times one leaf would go all the way up and the other leaf only part way. This testimony is not only not disputed by the respondent, but is corroborated by at least two of his witnesses, namely, Capt. Blocksom and William Cobb, steward of the tug Alex Y. Hanna, the latter of whom testified:
•‘I have never seen the spans up but once since we have been going through it, and I have been going through it ever since it was there.”
It also appears from the evidence that this failure to operate would occur after the giving of the three-blast signal by the bridge. Furthermore, under the regulations prescribed by the Secretary of War to govern the opening of drawbridges for the passage of vessels, which are in evidence, the three-blast signal from the bridge is not a signal that the bridge is opened, but a signal that the draw is ready to be opened immediately. It further appears that the master of the tug Alex Y. Hanna had been going through this bridge with his tug almost nightly for six or seven weeks immediately preceding the accident, and more or less frequently before that time, and consequently was chargeable with knowledge of the imperfect functioning of the bridge.
Could the danger have been avoided by timely measures of precaution? This is hardly open to question. The lights of the bridge indicating the position of the draw were visible to those in charge of the tug when she was at least 1,500 feet away, and thereafter remained in full view. There was then and for some time thereafter ample opportunity for those in charge of the tug to take the protective measure shown by the evidence to have been frequently taken by tugs with a tow in approaching this bridge, namely, to turn around. Neither this nor any other sufficient precaution was taken. The tug elected to proceed and did proceed with her tow into a position of danger before the bridge lights showed a sufficient clearance through the draw for the tow. It follows that the tug was at fault and must be held liable for the damage to the barge.
As under a stipulation of proctors, approved by the court, no decree pursuant to the opinion heretofore filed in this case has been entered dismissing the libel against the levy court commissioners, there should now be a decree dismissing the libel as to the individuals composing the levy court-of New Castle county, and adjudging the tug Aléx Y. Hanna liable for the damages and costs.
An interlocutory decree may be prepared and submitted.