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MARINE LAW, COLLISION CASE. United States Circuit Court, Philadelphia. A decision in favor of the Steamship Ssotv’s Greys.—In the United States circuit Court in Philadelphia Judge MeKennan on the 31st of October filed an opinion in the collision cross libels be: ween the steamship Santiago de Cuba and Scot’s Greys. The collision tcok place on July 19, 1879, in the Delaware River, a few miles below the city of Philadelphia, the Santiago de Cuba aus- taining damages to the amonnt of about $19,- 000 and the Scot’s Greys about $21,000. ‘he decision of Judge McKennan isin favor of the Scot’s Greys, he having dismissed the appeal of the other vessel, thus sustaining the opinion, on January 4, 1881, of Judge Butler in the United States District Court. The decision of Judge McKennan sets forth the facts so clearly that no further pre- tace is necessary. It isin tull as follows: ‘These are cross libels in which the District Court adjudged the Santiago de Cuba in fault in a collision between -her and the Scot’s Greys and decreed damages against her accordingly. } The evidence touching the position, course and government of the vessels befure and about the time of the collision, is of unusual volume, and consists chiefly. of the testimony of the officers and crews ‘of the ‘respective vessels. Hence, as is almost always the case, under. snch circumstances, it is conflicting and contradictory, and any attemps ta recon- cile it would not advance the decision of the case. Itcan only be dealt with by adopt- ing such conclusions of fact of material im- port, as may seem to be supported by a pre- ponderance of the probabilities of their * truth. First—About midday on the 19th of July, 1879, a collision occurred between the steam- er Scot’s Greys and the steamer Santiago de Cuba, in the Delaware River, a short dis- tance above the Horse Shoe Buoy, on the western bide of the channel, by which con- siderable injury was caused to both vessels Second—The Scot’s Grays was an iron steamer about 300 feet in length, was loaded, drew 21 feet of water, and was ascending the river towards the port of Philadelphia. Third—The Santiago de Cuba was a wood- en steamer, was light, drew 134¢ feet of wat- er, and was decending the river. Fourth—The tide was flood, and the cur- rent, deflected by the Horse Shoe Shoal. tended strongly to the eastern or New Jer- sey shore of the river. Fitth—This shoal was somewhat in the shape of a horge shoe, with its base on the Pennsylvania or western shore and its apex in the river, leaving a channel about 400 yards in width between it and the New Jer- sey shore. Near this apex, on the eastern edge of the shoal, a buoy is anchored to in- dicate the turn of the channel. 5 Sixth—Both vessels were ir sight of each other for such a distar.ce before they met as to Involve no danger of collision, if they had been carefully and skilfully navigated. Seventh—The Scot’s Greys first reached the buoy and put her helm to starboard to make the turn of the channel, and when she rounded the buoy, straighted up to prcceed on the western side of the channel. Eighth--At this time the Santiago de Cuba was several hundred yards above the Scot’s Greys on the western side of the channel, but her course was eastward of that of the Scot’s Greys and to her starboard. Ninth—At the Horse Shoe Shoal the narrowness and shape of the channel and the tendency of the tide, impose upon ves- sels sailing in opposite directions, the duty of cbserving special caution as a neccssary condition of their safety in passing each other. ‘Tenth—In starboarding her wheel to carry her past the buoy, and in straightening up after she rounded it, that she might pursue the western line of the channel, the Scot’s Greys did what was proper for her under the circumstances. Eleventh—When the vessels were several hundred yards apart the Santiago de Cuba sounded a signal with her whistle and put her helm hard-a-port indicating an intention to pass the Scot's Greys on her port bow and which gave her a direction across the bows of the Scot’s Greys. Twelfth—Whether this signal was or was not heard on the Scot’s Greys, it was not THE > MARINE RECORD answered, but she kept her course up the‘ face of the sun is computed by Prof. western side of the channel. Thirteenth—‘The speed of the Santiago de Cuba was not diminished—at least not soon enough. If she had stopped or slowed down when the Scovs Greys was rounding the buoy and straightening up, the collision would not have occurred, because the Scot’s Greys would have passed the place of the collision before the Santiago de Cuba would. have reached it. Nor would: it have occurred if the Santiago de Cuba had not hard-ported her helm and sought to pags the Scot’s Grey, on her port side, Fourteenth—If, in response to the Santiago de Cubw’s movement, the Scot’s Grays had hard-ported her helm, the vessels would pro- bably have been brought together head-on, with more disastrous consequences. But the impact of the former’s bow was upon the starboard side of the Jatter, about 30 feet from her bow, thus indicating that if she had kept her course, - the vessels would have passed in safety. Considering the conditions of navigation at the locality in question, the size and depth iu the water of the Scot’s Greys, the direc- tion in which she was sailing, and the diffi- culty of controlling her movements, she was not in fault in adopting a course up the western side of the channel and in pursuing it without deviation, . In view of the same considerations, of the size and draft of the Santiago de Cuba, that she was light, that she was descending the river with the tide towards her head, and her movements completely under command, and that the passage of vessels such as the two in question at the Horse Shoe buoy is at- tended with risk of collision, it was incautious in the Santiago de Cuba to pass the Scot’s Greys at the point if she could avoid it. It was the duty of the Santiago to stop or slow down when she observed the Scov’s Greys rounding the buoy. Failing to do either, and in porting her helm and attempt- ingto run across the travk of the Scot’s Greys, when the vessels were in stch prox- imity to each other, she wasin fault and must be held responsible for the collision. There must, therefore, he adecree dis« missing the libel of the Santiaguv de Cuba with costs, and a decree in favor of the Scot’s Greys for the amount of damage sustained by her and costs.’’— Maritime Register. GENERAL NEWS. Cleveland’s clearances last week were $2,520,170, an increase of 18.8 per cent. over the same week of 1882, The new steamship City of Chicago reached New York late ‘Tuesday, after a slow passage of nine days from Liverpool. An order was issued at Boston Thursday Cissolving the company which intended to build a railway from Cairo, Egypt, to Jeru- salem. Rear Admiral Worden, who commanded the Monitor in its gallant fight with the Merrimac, is still in the service, though age and infirmities prevent him from doing act- ive service. n The insurance companies by whom the propeller Oneida, recently sunk in the St. Lawrence river, was Insured, it is said have oftered one-half the ‘nsurance on the boat to the wrecker that will get her afloat. } The Canada Pacitic Railway Company, it is snid, desire to purchase the Canada steam- er Spartan, on which the Detroit Drydock Company have a claim of $21,000 for repairs and Captain 5. B. Grummond a lay bill for wrecking. The steamer T, D. Wilcox, with several canal boats in tow, narrowly escaped being destroyed by fire on Cayuga Lake opposite Union Springs, on ‘Tuesday. A bursting boiler flue threw the fire into the engine room, making a lively blaze. General Wright, Chief of Engineers, in his annual report urgently recommends that Congress make an appropriation for putting the sea and lake front in condition for de- fense in case of war. He advises that at least $500,000 be expended at San Francisco, The gigantic cattle or devil fishes have been specially studied by Prof. Verrill, who records two found as having an extreme length of fifty-two feet, in one of these the body from the base of the arm to the tip of the tail was 15 feet long. Another, still larger, was 55 feet in extreme length and ita body was 20 feet long. \ The intevsity of the sunlight at the sur- Young as 100,000 times that of a candle flame, 146 times that of a calcium light or 34 times that of an electric arc. A shell of ice 48 feet 6 inches thick would be melted at the surface of the gun in one min- ute, giving a mechanical equivalent of the solar radiation continuously acting of 10,000 horse power for every square foot of sun -surtace; the -effective temperature of the sun is at present accepted at 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit. ‘The last crib to be sunk this season in the new exterior breakwater off Chicago was let down Monday, making 3,036 feet of crib- work in place. (‘The entire length of the new breakwater is to be 5,436 feet.) ‘he su- perstructure will be built on, and operations will then be closed ‘for the season. ‘The damage to the work by the heavy gales dur- ing the spring, summer and fall has been very great, and will foot up a large money item. More or less damage ig always looked for, however, to works in such exposed po- sition, Galveston is going to ask Congress for suf- ficient money to obtain deep water on her bar. As Congress will undonbtedly make annual appropriations in the river and har- bor bill for this work until itis done, it would certainly be much cheaper in the end to take the matter vigorously in hand, make the appropriations large. enough and get deep water with the least possible delay. The money will be forthcoming from Con- giess in any case, ‘I'he earlier the deep wa- ter is obtained, therefore, the sooner will the money be paid back by the increased devel- opment of the country. A very peculiar case isa now pending de- ‘cision .in the custom house of New York, and the officials are ina quandary. ‘The case is this: Mr. W. G. Warnock, a recent passenger by the stenamer France, of the Na- tional Line, was in such a precarious condi- tion of health when he left England that it was rénred he would die during the voyage. So he prepared for this event. Mr. Warnock caused to be purchased in Liverpool, a metallic casket, which is at present in dis- pute. It-cost £25. Fortunately for Mr. Warnock’ he did not die during the voyage. On the contrary he reached New York in greatly improved health. ‘The casket was landed with the rest of Mr. Warnock’s bag- gage, and the vigilant customs officers sent it to the appraiser’s stores and demanded the payment of duty upon it. The question to be decided is whether or not the coffitr is personal property in use. Personal property which the owner has had for a twelvemonth or which he has in use he is entitled to enter free of duty, but a coffin is such an unusual importation under the peculiar cireum- stances of this case that the appraiser is puzzled. A paper recently presented to both houses of Parliament, and published, gives the text of an agreement entered into between the governments of Great Britain and Denmark for the mutual relief of distressed senmea. The gist of the agreement, which is signed by Earl Granville on the part ot England, and by M. de Falde, Minister Plenipotentiary in London, on the part of Denmark, and which will come into operation on November 1, is that “fifa seaman of the contracting states, after serving on board a ship of the other contracting state, remains behind in a third state, or in its colonies, cr in other colo- nies of that state whose flag the ship carries, and the said seaman is in helpless condition from shipwreck or other canses, then the government of that state whose flag the ship bears shall be bound to support him until he enters ship service again, or finds other employment, or until he arrives in his native state or its colonies, or dies.’’ ‘This assistance, however, is made conditional on the seaman taking the first opportunity to prove his necessitous condition¥o the proper officials, that the destitution isihe natural consequences of the termination of his ser- vice on board the ship he has left, and that the man has not deserted or been turned out of the ship for any criminal act. I'he relief includes maintenance, clothing, medi- eal attendance, and traveling expenses, and in case of death the funeral expenses to be paid. A BIG WORLD. Yes—so it is; and.do you know that one of the biggest things in this big world is the laboratory where Dr. Swayne & Son prepare and put up their invaluable medicines, Phil- adelphia, Pa. Sw the market for years and thousands bave proved their curative powers, They are purely vegetable, do not gripe or produce nausea, and no household is complete with- out them. Only 25 cents, or five boxes for $100. ‘Try them. yne’s pills have been in | FAST SAILING SHIPS. New York, November 10. Special Correspondence Marine Record. In my last letter I gave a description of the steamer Oregon. In this I propose to say something about fast ships and passages, The Young Ameriea, which is now, I be- believe, the property of John Rosenteld, of San Francisco, is one of the most remarka- ble sailing vessels that has ever been built. She made the fastest time on record from Liverpool to San Francisco. Leaving Liver- pool on October 13, 1872, she made 2,760 miles during tbe firat eleven days, an aver- age daily run of nearly 250 miles, which is equal to the speed of freight steamers to-day, Ona later passage from San Francisco to New York she made the trip in seventy-six days, and vice versa in elghty days, the short- ert time ever made by sail alone. She was built in New York by W. H. Webb in 1853, to the order of G. Daniels, for the China tea trade, but was bought two or three years later by George Howes & Co., who owned her until last year, Jabez Howes says she has earned her original cost, $100,00(, several times over. She is 233 feet long, with 43 feet beam and upwards of 1,000 tons regis- ter. Captain Cummings, her second com- mander, during a period of three years oc- cupled his spare time in making a model of ~ her which he afterwards presented to one of the owners.: She was intended for great speed as a tex clipper, and her record shows her to be the fastest sailing ship afloat. In 1860 she made a trip from Liverpool to Mel- bourne in eighty days. When she arrived in this harbor last month from San Francisco ‘she was as perfect in sheer as when launched thirty years ago, has never undergone any very important repairs, excepting a set of new decks four years age, which. cost $8,500. She still retains her original topsides, plank- ing, etc. She was built of live and white oak and locust. The largest sailing ship afloat and the only one in the world which carries her topmasts abaft the lower masts, visited this port last summer for a cargo of, petroleum oil. ‘This wonderful vessel is the Donald McKay, which was built at East Boston, Miass., in 1855 by the tamous marine constructor whose name she still bears, although now under the German flag. She is the last remnant of.a once great fleet of white wings, including such ships as the Red Jacket, Blue Jacket, James Baines, Flying Scud, Comet, Sover- eign ot the Seas, Champion of the Sea, Light- ning, etc. She is 2,700 tons register and carries more than 4,000 tons of cargo. The Flying Cloud was another cf the old time ocean race horses, ‘This ship made very fast passages and turned out some good car- goes. The Great Republic was the first four- masted ship ever Luilt, and was one of the largest and fastest merchantmen. She car- ried only fore-and aft canvas, on her spanker or jigger mast. All the masts were provided with lightning rods. Her jigger mast was oply one spar. The main yard was 120 feet long. She was the ehip of ships, but was unfortunately burned two days after Christ- mas, 1853, at the dock in this city .when loading. She was a four-decker, but upon being rebuit only three decks were put in. She was lost March 4, 1872. ‘he enormous number of 60,000 people were present at the launch. She was owned by A. A. Low & Co. and used as a transport in the Crimean war. ‘lhe capacity of the Great Republic was 4,000 tons, and her or‘ginal dimensions were 325 feet lony, 53 feet beam and 37 feet deep. On November 4th there arrived here the laryest ship ever built in the State of Maine, ‘This vessel is the three-maste:] wooden ae John R. Kelley, of 2,256 tons registéf, which has just been built by Goss, Sawyer, Packard & Co., of Bath. She carries three sets pawl yards, and her deck improvements consist of a donkey engine for working the American Ship Windlass Co.’s patent cap- stans, driving the main and force pumps and hoisting the yards and sails, condensing 175 gallons of salt water into fresh per day, ete. During the passage round, with 600 tons ballast aboard, she made thirteen and one- half knots with nothing higher than the top- gallant sails set. She is the finest ship that has entered this port since the four-masted wooden ship Ocean King left it upon her March voyage. She is taking on a general cargo for San Francisco in Sutton & Co.'s line, G, Foster Howes,