Croshaw v. Phillips

66 F. 604, 1895 U.S. App. LEXIS 2668
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedMarch 5, 1895
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 66 F. 604 (Croshaw v. Phillips) 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
Croshaw v. Phillips, 66 F. 604, 1895 U.S. App. LEXIS 2668 (2d Cir. 1895).

Opinion

LACOMBE, Circuit Judge.

The Energia was outward bound for Shanghai, China, and moving down the Cut Channel, in the [606]*606lower bay of New York. The Wild Pigeon was bound eastward from South Amboy. Her intention was originally to go up through the Narrows, and out by way of the Sound; but, upon a more favorable turn of the weather, her master concluded to go out by way of Sandy Hook, in consequence changing direction several points to starboard of his previous course. The vessels came together close to red buoy O No. 4, on the easterly edge of the channel. The faults charged against the schooner are: (1) No lookout; (2) failure to heed the whistles of the steamer; and (3) not keeping course. The steamer, however, was seen when several miles off, and, although some of her whistles were not heard, failure to hear them did not contribute to the collision; since the vessels were on crossing courses, and the duty of the sailing vessel was to keep her course, whether the steamer was by whistle advertising an intention to go ahead of her or astern of her. A change of- course by the schooner is conceded, but we concur with the district judge in the conclusion that it was made long before any risk of collision was involved, and could in no way operate to mislead or confuse or obstruct the navigation of the steamer. It is unnecessary to add anything to the discussion which is found in the opinion of the district judge. The manifest cause of the collision was the violation of article 21 by the pilot of the steamer. The Out Channel is about 1,000 feet in width, with a depth of 30 feet at low water. The Energia was of about 2,000 tons register, 337 feet long, and drawing 23-} feet of water. The tide was about one-third ebb, and the wind W. N. W., under which conditions there is a strong current setting easterly across the Out Channel. Rule 211 required the steamer, if “it were safe and practicable, [to] keep to that side of the fairway or mid-channel which lies on the starboard side of the ship.” There is no evidence even tending to show the impracticability of counteracting the set of the current and the pressure of the wind by the use of a port wheel, and thus coming down the comparatively narrow channel just to starboard of its mid-line, thereby securing a safe position for whatever maneuvers the presence of another vessel might require. Instead of thus navigating, the pilot of the Energia brought her down, hugging the easterly side of the channel so closely that he was, as the district judge finds, unable to reverse sooner than he did on account of his liability to drift ashore on the port side of the cut, or to foul the chain of one of the channel buoys with his propeller. The decree of the district court is therefore affirmed.

Among the' cargo of the Energia were 68,838 cases of oil shipped by Oarleton & Moifatt, merchants in New York, and insured by the libelants in the second above-entitled action. As a result of the collision, the hold, where a portion of the oil was stowed, was flooded, and a large number of cases were thereby damaged. The steamer returned to New York for repairs. The oil was discharged, and 16,508 cases were found to be in such condition that they ■could not be carried forward to destination. They were surren[607]*607dered to the underwriters, who have settled with the assured for a total loss thereon. There is no question raised on this appeal as to the amount of such loss. The steamer, upon completion of her repairs, proceeded .upon her voyage to Shanghai. There, as a condition of delivery of the balance of the shipment of oil, a cash deposit was exacted by the steamer from the consignees to cover general average and special charges, which were subsequently adjusted at $958.11 and $636.06, respectively. The underwriters paid these to the assured, and a claim for them was included in a supplemental libel, and sustained by the district court. 61 Fed: 222. The steamer’s agents here, Carter, Hawley & Co., chartered her in FTew York ,on ^November 22,1892, to Barber & Co., of the same place, and it was under such charter that the oil was shipped by Oarleton & MofEatt.

There is a manifest error in printing one clause of the charter party in the transcript of record. As the form of such clause which is set forth in appellant’s brief is not objected to by appellees, it may be assumed to be the correct quotation from the original. It contains a statement of agreement that the carrier “shall not be liable for loss or damage occasioned * * * by collisions, stranding, or other accidents of navigation of whatsoever kind, even when occasioned by the negligence, default, or error in judgment of the pilot, master, mariners, or other servants of the shipowners, not resulting, however, in any case from want of due diligence by the owners of the ship, or any of them, or by the ship’s husband or manager.” Appellant relies upon this as a defense to the action. The cases of Railroad Co. v. Lockwood, 17 Wall. 357, and of Liverpool & G. W. Steam Co. v. Phenix Ins. Co. (The Montana), 129 U. S. 397, 9 Sup. Ct. 469, sufficiently dispose of this point. There is no force in the contention that the act of congress of February 13, 1893, is practically a declaration that the public policy of this country touching such clauses in carriers’ contracts is otherwise than as stated in the cases last cited. When this contract was made, in November, 1892, it was made under the law as it then stood, whether that law was found in a statute or in the authoritative decisions of the supreme court, and subsequent changes in such law by act of congress have no retroactive effect.

The case of The Montana, however, expressly reserves for future decision cases where the contract itself expressly provides that any question arising under it should be governed by the law of some specified foreign country; and appellant seeks to bring himself within this exception by reason of the presence in the bills of lading of the following clause :

“(8) The liability of the carrier under this bill of lading shall be governed by the law of England, with reference to which this contract is made.”

We are satisfied, however, from the evidence, that the contract wms fully expressed in the charter party, which contained no such clause, and that there w'as no intention to modify that contract in so important a particular merely by making use of a printed form of bill of lading which contained the so-called “flag clause.” In fact, the steamer’s agent expressly testifies that there was no in[608]*608tention or even any talk about making a different contract in the bills of lading from tbat in the charter party. This case, therefore, is controlled by the principles enunciated in The Montana.

It only remains to consider the claim to be reimbursed for the general average and special charges exacted from the cargo upon adjustment at Shanghai. Upon this branch of the case, we concur in the reasoning and conclusion of the district judge, as expressed in the following excerpt from his opinion:

“I do not perceive any sound reason, in justice or in common sense, why both -the general and the particular average charges, to which the residue of the cargo is legally subject in Shanghai, should not enter into the damages to be recovered for 'this collision. The rule of damages here is ‘restitutio in integrum’ (The Potomac, 105 U. S. 630

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Bluebook (online)
66 F. 604, 1895 U.S. App. LEXIS 2668, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/croshaw-v-phillips-ca2-1895.