American & Cuban S. S. Line, Inc. v. Beer, Sondheimer & Co.

281 F. 725, 1922 U.S. App. LEXIS 2154
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedApril 17, 1922
DocketNo. 154
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 281 F. 725 (American & Cuban S. S. Line, Inc. v. Beer, Sondheimer & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American & Cuban S. S. Line, Inc. v. Beer, Sondheimer & Co., 281 F. 725, 1922 U.S. App. LEXIS 2154 (2d Cir. 1922).

Opinions

ROGERS, Circuit Judge.

This is a suit in rem, brought by the libel-ant, as sole owner of the steamship Santa Clara, against a cargo of copper ore in bulk, for an alleged breach of the charter party under which the cargo was shipped. It appears that on September 21, 1916, the libelant entered into a written charter party with the Copper Company, which was engaged in the mining and transportation of copper ores from the province of Oriente, in Cuba, to the United States. The Copper Company owned, operated, and controlled copper ore mines in the aforesaid province, as well as docks and facilities for the loading of its ores into vessels at Santiago de Cuba.

The Santa Clara arrived at Santiago, Cuba, in October, 1916, with a cargo of coal which was consigned to the Copper Company, and was discharged at its pier. The vessel then moved to a different berth at the same pier, and proceeded to take on board a cargo of concentrated copper ore, which was brought down the pier on an endless belt and dumped down the hatch through a chute. The chute was stationary, and when it was desired to change from one hatch to another, the vessel was shifted accordingly. The loading was begun on October 27, in No. 3 hatch, and continued until the following day, when the master stopped the loading on the ground that the cargo was too wet, and delivered to the charterer’s representative a letter reading as follows:

“I beg to inform you tbat, owing to the extremely wet state of the copper ore you are shipping in the steamship Santa Clara, it is impossible to receive it, except you secure the cargo from shifting in the holds, by shifting boards, in a thoroughly efficient manner, so that the ship will be safe to proceed to the discharging ports. All lumber used for this purpose, and labor employed, to be at your expense.”

The charterer thereupon sent to the vessel two lighter loads of lumber and a force of carpenters, who proceeded to install shifting boards. These shifting boards constituted a fore and aft bulkhead running the entire length of the ship. The bulkhead consisted of a double line of planks, with the hold stanchions between. There was also an athwart-ship wooden bulkhead put in No. 2 hold, to keep separate some 500 tons of crude ore which were to have been discharged at Norfolk. This crude ore was stowed forward of the athwartship bulkhead, by [727]*727which it was separated from the concentrated ore in the after part of the hold.

After the bulkheads were installed the loading was continued. All . of the cargo, with the exception of some 40 tons, was put in the lower holds. The master signed two bills of lading, one of which covered 500 tons of crude ore and 43 tons of cement copper, which was destined for Norfolk, Va. The other bill of lading covered the remainder of the cargo, consisting of 3,100 tons of concentrated copper ore and 51 empty iron barrels. On the' latter bill of lading, the master indorsed the following clauses:

“Not responsible for wet condition of copper ore or expense incurred thereby. Not responsible for rusty and damaged condition of iron barrels.”

The shipper’s representative protested against these indorsements, but his protest was disregarded by the master, arid he was forced to accept the bills of lading in the form tendered to him.

The vessel sailed from Santiago for Norfolk on November 8, 1916, and in a few hours ran into an easterly gale of from 7 to 9 Beaufort’s scale. The sea was rough and the ship was pitching. The ship, having rounded Cape Maisi and while proceeding on a northerly course, took a very heavy roll to port, giving the ship a heavy list. The master testifies that his vessel took a list o'f 15 degrees. The vessel put back to Guantanamo Bay. Before arriving there she had been brought very nearly on an even keel by filling the starboard engine room ballast tank and shifting the 43 tons of cargo which was in the between-decks. It was found on investigation that the cause of the list was a shift in the cargo in Nos. 1 and 2 holds. The ship was immediately turned about and proceeded under the lee of the land past the cape, and the turning of the ship and the consequent breaking of the waves on the port bow caused the ship to go back part way on an even keel. The starboard engine ballast tank was filled, and the copper cement in the barrels on the ‘tween-decks was shifted, which having been done, the vessel proceeded to Guantanamo Bay, where she arrived about an hour after the shifting, and where she was then anchored and an examination of the cargo was thereupon made, which .revealed that it had assumed a semi-liquid state and moved from side to side with the motion of the ship, and had seemingly changed in condition since the loading, and the top of it in said hold was covered with water. The survey of the vessel and its cargo was made by two United States naval officers, one appointed by the libelant and the other by the Copper Company. They recommended that the ship should proceed to Santiago' and discharge the wet cargo. In compliance with that recommendation, the ship proceeded to Santiago, where she arrived on November 14th at about 3:17 p. m.

At Santiago another survey by a representative of Ifioyd’s and by one representing the ship was made, which likewise recommended that the wet cargo be discharged and reconditioned, and thereupon, with the full knowledge and consent of all parties, the cargo was shifted, -part put in barrels between decks, part in barrels in lower holds 1 and 2, and dry ore from appellant’s chute was poured in on top of the wet in 3 and 4. The reloading and the restowing of the cargo took about [728]*7288 days, and, when completed, a new survey was had, and thereupon the ship again put to sea, sailing this time for New York; the Norfolk stop having been eliminated by agreement. She arrived at New York without further incident.

It was found that, as a result of the shifting cargo, many of the shift- ’ ing boards had been carried away, some broken, others carried to the surface of the cargo, and a number of the stanchions had been broken, a result expressive of the extreme mobility of the ore, and significant in comparison with the dry cargo of real, copper ore in No. 2 hold, which had not changed and looked the same as when loaded. The loss of time involved, due to the shifting of the cargo, return of the ship, and restowing, amounted to 20 days.

The libelant sued for the detention of the steamship while putting back to Guantanamo Bay and Santiago, and for all the expenses of re-stowing the cargo and repairing the ship. The court below decided that the cargo was not copper ore in bulk in its usual and merchantable sense; that the acceptance by the master was induced by statements and representations which were untrue, although not in a wrongful or fraudulent sense; that the character of the cargo was dangerous, and the master did not and could not know it, and the condition of the cargo caused the list and subsequent damages and loss of time; and since the charterer was to do the loading, and did not furnish the cargo contracted for, the duty was upon it to load and stow in such a manner as to make the ship seaworthy.

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Bluebook (online)
281 F. 725, 1922 U.S. App. LEXIS 2154, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-cuban-s-s-line-inc-v-beer-sondheimer-co-ca2-1922.