The Alaska

225 F. 645, 1915 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1294
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedJuly 21, 1915
DocketNo. 3021
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 225 F. 645 (The Alaska) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
The Alaska, 225 F. 645, 1915 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1294 (W.D. Wash. 1915).

Opinion

NKTERER, District Judge.

Libelants have commenced an action against the gas schooner Alaska, in which they seek to impress a lien for $6,000 damages occasioned to Elfrida Furu by reason of the death of her husband through the negligence of the schooner, and also $4,000 as guardian ad litem for the minor child of the deceased, and allege, in substance, “that on the 21st day of April, 1915, about seven miles southwest of Cape George, in the waters of the Pacific, Neis Furu was drowned by the gas schooner ‘Alaska’ carelessly and negligently running into and capsizing the fishing dory which Neis Furu was in”; that at the time of his death he was 30 years of age, healthy and able-bodied, and capable of earning $125 a month—and pray that the schooner, her tackle, apparel, furniture, engines, etc., be attached, condemned, and sold to- pay the claim of libelants, together with costs and disbursements. The claimant has filed exceptions, stating:

“That the cause of action so set forth is not a cause of action cognizable by proceedings in rem in admiralty, and is not a maritime cause of action, and is not within the jurisdiction of this honorable court.”

The issue in this case was determined by Judge Cushman, of this district, in The Starr (D. C.) 209 Fed. 882, in which he held the remedy not available. But for the vigorous suggestion of proctors that the issue was not fully presented at the time, and the fact that Judge; Plan ford, also of this district, in The Willamette (D. C.) 59 Fed. 797, held to the contrary, which was affirmed by the Circuit Court, I would content myself with the holding in The Starr, supra, without giving the matter further consideration.

Neither the general admiralty law nor the common law give a right of recovery for the death of another as the result of negligence. No lieu is given by admiralty; neither can admiralty create one. While [646]*646admiralty has jurisdiction of such an action primarily because of the place where the act complained of occurred, the right of a proceeding against the offending thing is a right which is controlled and governed by local law. The right of recovery is therefore predicated upon the local law, and unless a lien is given by the local law there is no lien to enforce by proceeding in rem in a court of admiralty. The Corsair, 145 U. S. 335, 12 Sup. Ct. 949, 36 L. Ed. 727. Reference to the Washington statute discloses the following provisions:

Section 183, Remington & Ballinger’s Code:

“ * * * Wrten the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another, his heirs or personal representatives may maintain an action for damages against the person causing the death. *■ * * ”

Section 194, supra:

“No action for a personal injury to any person occasioning his death shall abate, nor shall such right of action determine, by x’eason of such death, if he have a wife or child living, or leaving no wife or issue, if he have dependent upoxx him for support and resident within the United States at the time of his death, parents, sisters or minor brothers; but such action may be prosecuted, or commenced and prosecuted, in favor of such wife or in favor of the wife and children. * * * ”

Section 1182, supra:

“All steamers, vessels and boats, their tackle, apparel and furniture, are liable: * * * (5) For injuries committed by them to persons or property within this state, or while transporting such persons or px-óperty to or from this state. Demands for these several causes constitute liens upon all steamers, vessels and boats, and their tackle, appax-el and furniture, and have priority in the order of the subdivisions hereinbefore enumerated, and have preference over all other demands; but such liens continue in force only for a period of three years from the time the cause of action accrued.”

In The Willamette (D. C.) supra, Judge Hanford, in 59 Fed., at page 800, said:

“Upon the authority of the decision of Judge Deady, in the case of The Oregon [D. C.] 45 Fed. 62, and the apparent approval thex'eof by the Supreme Court of the United States in the ease of The Corsair, 145 U. S. 335, 12 Sup. Ct. 949 [36 L. Ed. 727], I hold that the rights conferred by these statutes are available to the representatives of the deceased passengers above named in this suit.”

It is apparent that Judge Hanford based his conclusion upon the holding of Joudge Deady in The Oregon (D. C.) supra, in which (45 Fed. at page 77), the. Oregon statute is set out as follows:

“When the death of a person is caused by the wrongful act or omission of another, the personal representatives of the former may maintain an action at law therefor against the latter, if the former might have maintained an action, had he lived, against the latter, for an injury done by the same act or omission.”

And on the same page:

“Every boat or vessel used in navigating the waters of this state * * * shall be liable and subject to a lien * * * for all * * * damages or injuries done to persons or px’operty by such boat or vessel.”

A comparison shows.that the law of Oregon differs from the law of Washington with relation to the right of action, in this: That it [647]*647places the representatives of the deceased in the same status and gives íbera the same right of action as the deceased would have, if living, while the Washington law gives a right of action for damages which were actually sustained. The law of each state gives a lien for damages or injuries sustained to persons or property. It is clear that under each law damages to the person injured, recoverable by himself, are a lien, and under the Oregon law the representatives succeed to the same right of lien as the injured party would have had, and Judge Deady so held, and the same construction was given the Washington statute in Re. Willamette, supra. The Circuit Court of Appeals, in reviewing The Willamette, supra,, while recognizing the instant issue an open question, at 70 Fed. 874, at page 878, 18 C. C. A. 366, at page 370 (31 L. R. A. 715), through Circuit Judge McKenna, said:

“The question presented in the second assignment o£ error- that is, the power ol a court oí admiralty to entertain jurisdiction of suit by the representativos of a deceased person when the right of action survives by the Ureal law—lias not been passed on definitely by the Supreme Court, though it has come up incidentally in several eases. Whenever it has arisen in the District Court, with but few exceptions, the jurisdiction has been,entertained, and by a few eminent judges it has been, asserted without the aid of local iaw. The reasoning of the latter lias been left unsubstantial by the decision of the Supremo Court in Insurance Co. v. Brame, 95 U. S. 754 [24 L. Ed. 580], nut it shows the disposition of judges. The research of other courts lias made it tinnowsrary to review or especially cite these cases. This has been ablv and accurately done in Steamboat Co. v. Chase, 16 Wall. 552 [21 L. Ed. 369]; The Harrisburg, 119 U. S. 199 [7 Sup. Ct. 140, 30 L. Ed. 358]; Ex parte Gordon, 101 U. S. 515 [26 L. Ed.

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Bluebook (online)
225 F. 645, 1915 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1294, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-alaska-wawd-1915.