137 F. 666 | S.D.N.Y. | 1904
(orally). This seems to be a pretty clear case. In the first place, the Mary J. was on the right side of the river, and both these transports were on the wrong side of the river. The state statute requires that steamers going up and down the East river shall keep near the middle of the stream, and the harbor rules require that in going through narrow channels each vessel shall keep at the right-hand side of the middle of the channel. These rules in this case made it the duty of these transports to be on the right-hand side of the center of the stream, and, in point of fact, admittedly they were on the left. The fact that it may be the custom to do this when there is an ebb tide, and that it may be easier to go up on the New York side than on the other side, and that they thereby can go a little faster, does not alter the fact that any vessel that goes up in that way violates the law and takes the risk, and, if there is any collision, is presumably in fault.
■ But aside from that, after these transports turned the Hook they could look straight up the river, and had no difficulty in seeing. And the. question in this case, as in all collision cases, is not what the colliding vessels do when they get down close to each other, but. what was the maneuver which they adopted, and what-was the maneuver which it was their duty to adopt under the rules of the road, when they, were still far enough apart to adopt tfyose ma
It has been said that No. 10 could not pass to starboard because No. 15 was overlapping her. But that is a situation which No. 10 should not have got into. If No. 15 was faster, and could pass her, No. 10 should have slowed up and fallen back until she would have been able to maneuver in both directions. A vessel that is coming on and meeting others should not have another hanging on her side so she cannot go in either direction. But the evidence here shows that, when they first saw the Mary J., it was the duty of both the transports to go on the other side of the river. What they did was that, although they saw two tugs coming down on the New York side of the river on a strong ebb tide, so that the tugs could not do anything but go ahead, and could not stop and back, the transports, nevertheless, undertook to go up on the New York side and meet them.
I think the transfer No. 10 was clearly at fault and that the Mary J. was not at fault, and that there should be a decree for the libelant, with a reference to ascertain the damage.