MARINE LAW. Prepared Expressly for the Marine Record. SHIPWRECKED PROPERTY, The old English doctrine with regard to property lost Ly shipwreck was, that all such property became the property of the king. As the civilization of the world progressed this doctrine came to- be repugnant to the sense of justice of both the people and the courts. No substantial reason could be ad- vanced why in such cases the property should become lost to the owner and vest in the sovereign. ‘This gave rise toa statute, in the reign of Edward I., which. provided that in case any live thing, either man or anima), escaped from the wreck, it should not be ad- judged a legal wreck, and in such cases the property should remain in the owner, and he was at liberty to reclaim his property at any time within a year and aday. ‘This is the English doctrine to this day. Yet it hardly seems reasonable that the escape of a dog or a cat should be the ground for the retention of property, or the loss of a dog or a cat the forfeiture of the right of property. ‘Che only rational ground for forfeiture would seem to be the inability of the claimant to prove ownership. The Roman law .allowed the owners to claim and prove property in all such cases, and in this respect was-far ahead of the common or English law. ‘I'he Amer- ican-courts have adopted the just principle Jaid down in the Roman law, that the goods shall be held subject to the right of tlie own- er to prove his property and reclaim the sume at any time within the space of one year, and if they are not claimed they become the property of the State. ‘The owner in or- der to recover his property must prove his ownership and pay all reasonable charges for salvage. Most of the States which touch navigable waters have enacted statutes lay- ing down rules governing those who engage in wrecking, and also the disposition to be made of goods recovered from the wreck or found upon the shore, ‘and to them must we ‘look for directions upon this point. In some States, the goods, if not reclaimed after the expiration of a year, will be sold and the proceeds divided equally between the finder a and the poor of thie town, and probably in those States where there are no statutes up- 2 on the subject all waifs, treasure trove and esirays belong to the finder. In case of in-. surance, where the vessel is a total wreck the property which may wash ashore, or be rescued from the sea becomes ‘he property of the insurance company. subject to the right of tne finder to salvage. The same is tryed case of a hypothecation of the vessel / &nd argo, which is a species of marine in- surance for the consideration of marine in- terest. To this, consisting as it does, largely of sketches of historical facts, may be added a brief account of some other of the peculiari- ties ot the English law with regard to wrecks. If they remained at sea they were denominated by the names ffotsam jetsam or ligan jetsam, is where goods are cast into the sea and there sink and remain at the bot- tom of the sea. Flotsam is where they re- main swimming around on the surface, and ligan is where they are sunk but are tied to a buoy that they may be discovered. ‘These, under the old English law, bélong to the king, unless the owner appear and claim them, but if they be cast overboard without i) any buoy or mark the owner is supposed to have renounced his property in them. hese things, then, not being a part of the wreck, will not pass by the sale of a wreck. Wrecks, in their legal acceptation are rare, as there are few cases where goods come ashore but that the owner can claim and prove his property within a year for the loss of the vessel. ‘The tendency of the law with re- gard to goods lost at sea and from vessels on lakes and rivers +has been toward favoring the owner of the goods by granting him good opportunities to prove and reclaim his property. ‘This is as it should be, as other- wiee it would be adding sorrow to sorrow and hardship to hardship. —$— A contract has been signed and the work of constructing a new iron transfer steamer for the Grand Trunk Railway commenced, Tho new steamer will be constructed at Wyandotte by the Detroit drydock company and will be completed on July next, at acost of not less than $285,000. ‘I'he new steamer will be propelled by the machinery now in use in the steamer Michigan. She will be 312 feet in length, 41 feet beam, 75 feet over the uarda, and 16 teet 6 inches deep. She will Fave two tracks and will carry about 16 cars. ‘ THE MARINE RECORD. GENERAL NEWS. Tt is now certainly known that the steamer Batavia passed through Sunda straits, stlow- ing that they are navigable. French will blockade Canton and Pakoi unless the Chinese troops are withdrawn from the Tonquin frontier. A wonderful mineral is found only in Missouri. It is called Adams’ cobite, and it 1s so hard that it will cut steel without losing its edge. An Indianapolis inventor is at work upon a new electric headlight for locomotives, which, it is claimed, will light the track fora mile brilliantly. A syndicate will purchase land around the Great Shoshone Falls of the Snake River, build a hotel, put a steamer on the river, and make it the Niagara of the West. A stream of pure water was found at the depth of 34 feet at Carthage, Dak., flowing at the rate of four miles an hour and in volume twice the size of Red Stone river. The steamer Lily, just rebuilt at an ex- pense of $35,000, while on a trial trip on the South Saskatchewan river yesterday found- ered. It is not known whether the pas- sengers escaped. The western movement in anthracite coal by lake has been enormous. ‘The shipment for August reach 164,636 tons, and for the season 719,487 tons, to 624,599 in the same period last year.—Commercial Advocate. A ship which had eailed under the Brook- lyn bridge in safety, upon her return trip lost her royal mast by contact with the bridge. The Brooklyn end of the bridge. is several feet lower than the New York end where, the vessel entered. It begins to be more evident every day that our dock facilities are too small, and that some plan of action to enlarge must soon be decided upon. ‘he question is where and how can plans be ccnsidered and discussed. —Duluth Times. Lust year Arizona produced over 17,000,- 000 pounds of copper. ‘Thus tar during the present year the increase has been 38 per cent, and new furnaces are going up. Arizona’s output will probably be: not less than 25,000,000 pounds for 1883, * Business failures last week decreased, ac- cording to Bradstreet’s to 148, the smallest number since last October. The general trade of the country seems good, there be- ing little ‘‘water’ in the total of transactions reported by the city clearing-houses now-a- days. . At their meeting at Milwaukee Thursday the Wisconsin Medical Society, believing that consumption was am infectious disease, resolved that they would do. their utmost to keep the phthisical members of families isolated as much as possible from healthy persons. A New York lumber dealer recently im- ported from the Pyrenees Mountains a walnut log which is twelve feet long and nine feet in diameter, and weighs 22,000 pounds. It is estimated to be worth. $2000 as it lies, and when it is sawed into veneer- ing it will yield 66,000 feet which will be worth $5000. ‘The new postal notes, which are now in use, prove to be very convenient for the transmission of money in small sums, and will no doubt entirely supersede money or- ders, as they are got without the bother, They can be bought at the window like stamps, and identification is not necessary to their payment. If the proposed tunnel should be-made for the relief of about 180 mines in Gilpin County Colorado, it would be one of the largest of the kind in the world. These mines pro- duce about two million dollars’a year, chiefly gold. of which the total output since its dis- covery in 1859 has been over thirty-seven millions, besides three and a half millions in silver. The schooner Maria Martin arrived at Su- perior with nine hundred tons of steel rails for the Northern Pacific and the people celebrated the event in a becoming man. ner. This is the first cargo of any kind of freight that has arrived at that port in lo, these many years and they cannot be blamed for celebrating. The schooner got in with- out much trouble. Another vessel, the Red Wing, with a much larger cargo, will arrive in a few days, but for fear she may get aground a portion of the load willbe dis- charged here.—Dulwth Times, Boston, Sept. 6.—A special from Halifax, N.5S.,says: The steamer Lamporte, from Baltimore to London, arrived here in dis- tress, One hundred and forty cattle shipped by Lengham & Co., of Boston, were lost at Beas On Wednesday, the 22d, a gale struck the ship, increasing in fury as the day advanced, and the steamer was frequently swept by seas of fearful power. After dark the storm grew worse, the wind blowing with terrific violence, and the sea rising to frightful height, threatening every moment to swamp the steamer. At1lo’clock the storm was at its height, and from that hour until daylight the vessel was almost at the mercy of the elements. A great sea swept the deck carry- ing away one hundred and thirty out of one hundred and seventy cattle aboard, and badly injuring a number of the crew. Sec- ond officer Jones had his collar bone broken. William Moran, who had charge of the cat- tle, describes the scenes that night as terri- ble. ‘he waves were tremendous in size, sweeping over the ship. ‘They would lift a reat portion of the cattle pens on their crests, fold them for a moment, and then hurl them, with their living contents, with awful vio- lence to the deck, and the next wave would carry off the bleeding and dying animals in the twinkling of an eye. Live stock went over the side of the ship by dozens, and by morning all that remained numbered forty, of which four have since died, leaving but thirty-six out of 170 cattle taken out of Bal- timore only two weeks ago. During the storm «all the steamer’s boats were either carried away or disabled, the cabin skylight stove, and the cabin flooded, a portion of the bulwarks and part of the poop-wheel carried away, and other damage suffered. ‘Thursday morning the storm abat- ed somewhat, but a heavy sea made the ves- sel roll and pitch almost as much as during the preceeding night. Between 8 and 9 o'clock the engines broke down. ‘he steamer was then almost southeast-of Halifax. Sail was rigged, and she was headed for Halifax. Thursday afternoon the water, all day pour- ing over the vessel, got into the stoke hold and put out the fire by which the steam- pump had been run; but the ship kept clear until temporary repairs in her machinery had been made. Monday four days after her engines broke down, they were startcd again and all possible speed made towards Halifax. he Lamporte will probably be here some days, as besides the accident to her machinery and other damages, her cargo shifted, and a portion will have to be re- stowed. St. Jonn’s, N.-F,, Sept. 6.—The steamer Canima,: Captain Farquhar, was totally wrecked this morning. She struck on Gall Island, at the mouth of St. Mary’s Bay, and sank almost instantly. ‘The passengers and crew, sixty in all, got ashore on Island Rock, about a mile from land. ‘The schooner I'his- tle was dispatched to the wreck to render assistance. x 2 ‘The Canima sailed from Halifax Monday evening with fourteen passengers, and a large and valuable cargo of general mer- chandise. ‘he passengers and crew have arrived at Trepassy. ‘The Canima was owned by the Quebec and Gulf Ports Steamship Company and chartered by the Cromwell line. ‘The Canima was struck this morning in a dense fog and a heavy sea running. The passengers and crew had to leap for life and saved nothing. ‘Ihe ship sank without giv- ing time to procure provisions. Captain Farquhar exhibited great skill and coolness. The safety of the lives of the passengers and crew are due to him. The Frenck bark Kermalo, with nine thousand quintals of codfish from St. Pierre to France, sank with all hands at the en- trance to the river Girond. The last French banker arriving in St. Pierre roads accounts for another batch of fifty-four lives loat out of another section of the French banking fleet. One Dieppe ves- sel alone lost twelve. The Briggabiel, also a Dieppe vessel, rode out the two storms of Monday and ‘Thursday, but had both masts carried away, and the decks swept ot every- thing. The fateof the crew is unknown, but reported taken off. ‘The steamer Cobot was just dispatched to St. Mary’s Bay, to bring down the St. John’s passengers and the crew of the Conima. The schooner Lizzie stranded to-day on the west side of Miquelon. The French banker Augusta, just an chored in the roads was severely damaged and lost six men. The banker Mary Emile is reported to have gone down at anchor at the Great Banks with all on board. The French bark ILortense is a total wreck at Sables Dolonne. ‘The crew were saved. The schooners disabled on Miquelon Is- land in the storm on Thursday, of the French banking fleet are slowly arriving. | Since ca- bling on the 4th instant, twenty-one cases of loss of life on the Banks are reported. All the French fleet have arrived and report numbers of dismasted vessels outside, and large quantities of floating wreckage. MonTrREAL, Sept. 6.—A_ steamship was driven ashore near Indian Harbor, N.S. It is supposed to be the missing steamer Lud- wig. Sanaa The vessels are now preparing for the fall breezes. ‘The Oliver Mowat and N, P. Downey will be the first to get on their new sails,—Aingston News. THE FOSTER GAS LIGHT BUUY, A very interesting exhibition was given on the night of August 20, of the working of a new lighted buoy which was pluced recently near the Scotland Lightship, New York. The buoy, which is known as the Foster Gas Light Buoy, is composed of a group of 7 lap-welded cylinders, made with- out seams or rivets, each cylinder torming in itself an independent water tight com- partment, capable of withstanding heavy concussion from floating bodies such as would prove fatal to those conetructed of the large piste now used in other gas buoys. ‘These cylinders are capable of being charged with gas compressed to from 40 to 60 atmos- pheres, and the buoy can be made to contain a supply for six or twelve months. Its sub- division of receptacles gives assurance of buoyancy even should one or more sections receive injury of a character which would cause inevitable lose, by sinking, ot any other buoy having but one or two compart- ments. Each cylinder having an independent checkvalve prevents the escane of gas from the other tanks should any of them be in- jured. . Among the merits claimed for this buoy are:—1) In an apparatus produciag, from most available, plenteous and low priced mnaterial, a perfectly ‘fixed gas’’ of intense illuminating pewer, which deteriorates neither when subjected to low temperatures nor any degree of compression. ‘I'he works are simple in vonstruction and operation, and require no skilled labor for the produc- tion of gas. 2). In a compressor. equally free from complication and go thoroughly effective that pressure of 3500 pounds to the square inch has been attained by it. It will be apparent that the advantages to be derived from the use of compressed gas will be in- creased with the degree ot pressure and the consequent reduction of volume. ‘The third prominept feature ia the automatic appliance for regulating the flow of gas to the burner, without which the enormous pressure oper- ated by this system would be valueless. A governor, to be a perfect instrument, must automatically control the flow of gas at the burner, keeping the pressure at seven-tenths of an inch while the gas in the supply tank is being consumed and the pressure di- minished Uown to the Jast inch. It will be evident, therefore, how important is the Office of this governor. ‘This movement, the result of many years of study and costly ex- periment, is claimed to be the only perfect appliance of the kind yet devised. The advantage of a system of lighted buoys in our harbors and their approaches from the sea cannot be over-estimated. Aids of this kind to navigation must however be of a decided character... In the case of light buoys it is necessary that the light should be strong and steady and be easily discern- able under ordinary circumstances at such distance as will give ample time to a vessel to alter her course. ‘These requirements seem to be fully met in the Foster Buoy, and it is by far the best one of the kind that has come under our notice, Although the night Was somewhat unfavorable for the ex- hibition—the moon shining full at the time— the light from the buoy was discernable ata distance of about eight miles and shone out clear and streng at five miles. There is no doubt but that on a dark night this light would have shone with even great briliancy and have been seen at a very much. greater distance. . A remarkable feature of the light is its perfect steadiness, Although consum- ing less than two feet of gasa day, it gives an illuminating power equal to eighty-two candles. It has been on trial for the last twenty-six days and during that time its working has been- most satisfactory. . It would hardly be proper to make comparison of the Foster Buoy with that ot any other, for the reason that the light furnished by itisin every way superior to those now in use. The cost of maintaining a light of this kind is said to be very small indeed. The Foster Buoy is controlled by the U. S. Beacon Light & Signal Company of Phila- delphia.— Maritime Register. A device for regulating the valve or cock in the pressure pipe of a Westinghouse brake has recently been patented by Messrs. Al- bert Thayer and M. J. Connelly, of Rox- bury, Mass. The cock for permitting the air to pass out of the pressure pipe is provided with a weighted lever which is operated by a cord extending to the engine box. ‘The compressed air cylinder is connected with this lever by the rod of the piston, so that when the cord is pulled the piston will be raised, and the cock or valve in the pressure pipe will be closed as the air escapes gradu- ally through an aperture in the piston head. The time required for the closing of the cock depends upon the size of the aperture in the piston head.—Scientific American. — A SMART BOY, “You had better ask for mannere than money,” said a tinely diessed gentleman to a beggar boy who had asked for alms = “I asked for what I thought you had the most of,” was the reply. But if you are afflicted with itching piles, pimples and blotches on the face, or any skin disease, ask for Swayne’s ointment and do not be bashful about ft, either. A stitch in time Baves ninety-nine, you know—and a word to the wise is sufficient,
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