The Barranca

20 F.2d 192, 1927 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1225, 1927 A.M.C. 1208
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Louisiana
DecidedMay 31, 1927
DocketNos. 17926, 17974
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 20 F.2d 192 (The Barranca) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
The Barranca, 20 F.2d 192, 1927 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1225, 1927 A.M.C. 1208 (E.D. La. 1927).

Opinion

BURNS, District Judge.

Libelant, as owner of the steamship Colorado Springs, claims damages resulting from a collision with said vessel by the respondent tug Barranca and its tow, the steamship San Pasquale, in the Mississippi river at New Orleans, at or about 5:45 o’clock a. m., on February 14, 1923.

The Colorado Springs was coming up the river along the east bank, showing proper lights, and sighted, at or about one mile off and over toward the west bank', the star-, board light of the San Pasqual. The river is somewhat more than a half mile wide in that reach. The Colorado Springs sounded a one-blast signal and received a one-blast signal in return. She therefore held her course and speed along the east bank, on a star[193]*193board helm, as she was bound to do under rule IX of the Pilot Bules for the Bivers Whose Waters Flow into the Gulf of Mexico. There was nothing apparent, nor any alarm signal, to indicate any misunderstanding, or objection, or inability of the San Pasqual to comply with the exchanged signals preceding the collision, which occurred when the San Pasqual came head into her at her port quarter.

The San Pasqual was a steamship of concrete hull construction, which had been bought of the government by the Old Time Molasses Company. Her propulsion engines had been dismantled by the owner, with the intention of using her for the storage of molasses at Santiago, Cuba. Two of her boilers had been retained intact for donkey purposes, to operate her winches and anchors and steam steering gear. She was manned by a licensed Norwegian master and eight men, including two engineers, and a regular, compulsory Mississippi river pilot, who directed her operation and navigation from her bridge. She was in tow of the steam tug Barranea, belonging to the New Orleans Coal & Bisso Towboat Company, which was under contract to tow her to Santiago.

The Barranca had come alongside during the night of February 13th, and made fast to her port stern quarter as she lay at anchor, stem upstream, some 400 or 500 feet off shore near the west bank of the river. Upon arrival of the river pilot, he went aboard the San Pasqual, taking his usual position on the ship’s bridge, where, together with the ship-master and an helmsman at the wheel, he proceeded to direct the movement of the vessel, which depended for motive power on the tug Barranca. His orders wore given directly to the helmsman for the maneuvering of the ship, and those for propulsion were given the tug captain, some personally by the pilot and some relayed by him through the ship-master, for which purpose they called down to the tug captain over the stern port side of the ship’s bridge. His first order was to weigh anchor, for which purpose the ship moved ahead upstream. The anchor being weighed, she began swinging to starboard, flanking the river. Finding that she was swinging in too wide a circle, and being then at or past midstream, he ordered the tug full speed astern.

It was at this point, when in or about a right angle position, he received the one-blast signal from the Colorado Springs, whose port light he saw clearly; the night or early morning being dark, but clear, and weather fine. His starboard light was presentod to the other ship. In that position he accepted the port to port passing signal from the approaching vessel, by one blast, which he ordered the tug captain to give with the tug whistle. The ship, being a heavy tow, did not take up sternway as he expected or estimated, with the tug full speed astern. Instead she moved down with the current and across toward the east bank, piling into the Colorado Springs on the port side of that vessel at or about the No. 4 hold or mainmast section, near her stern quarter. The pilot on the Colorado Springs realized the danger of collision, which had also boon seen by his lookout on the bow, just before she struck. He then attempted to swing that ship, which had been on a starboard helm, to port, in an effort to sheer clear of the San Pasqual or minimize the force of the blow.

The pilot of the San Pasqual was asked why ho did not give the danger signal when ho realized that he could not comply with his port to port signal, and that he could not pass under the stern of the Colorado Springs, as he was obligated by the signal to do. He said he did not realize the danger of collision until the other vessel was right upon him. He did not blow a danger signal because “it was too late. I was in a position where I was busy turning the ship in the river, a heavy tow, and it kept me busy running back and forth and looking out for that tow, and I could not look out for a ship coming up the river at the same time. That was an impossibility. I had the ship broadside on the river, and practically against the current, and I had everything against me.” He also admits having given the other ship the right of way by the exchanged signal, and that it was his duty to keep clear of her, and that he had failed to do so.

Clearly there was no breach of the rules or of good seamanship on the part of the Colorado Springs. After the exchange of signals, she had not only the right, but owed the duty, to keep her course and speed. The situation of the vessels brought them precisely within the terms of rule IX of the Pilot Buies for the Bivers Whose Waters Flow into the Gulf of Mexico, etc., because the two steamers were approaching each other, either at right angles, or obliquely, and the San Pasqual had the approaching vessel on her own starboard side, whereas the Colorado Springs had the San Pasqual on her own port bow. She had blown one blast of her whistle as a signal of her intention to cross the bow of the other, holding her own course and speed, which signal had been promptly answered by the San Pasqual by one short blast [194]*194of the tug whistle as a signal of her intention to direct her course to starboard, so as to pass port to port, or go under the stern of the other, or otherwise keep clear. These passing signals had been exchanged before they had arrived at a distance of one-half mile of each other.

Proctors for the San Pasqual, in contending that the Colorado Springs is liable for the collision, insist that special circumstances had arisen, presuming thereby to bring the ease under pilot rule II, and within the scope of a number of judicial decisions, where that rule or similar rules were applied upon a doctrine similar to that of last clear chance in the law of torts; but there is nothing to justify this contention. The duty lay with the pilot on board the San Pasqual to have realzed in time his inability to comply with the exchanged signals, and to have made this apparent to the other vessel at once by blowing the alarm signal, so that it might be warned to stop and back, if necessary, pursuant to the concluding provision of rule IX, which reads:

“ * * • j£ £rom any cause whatever the conditions covered by this situation are such as to prevent immediate compliance with each other’s signals, the misunderstanding or objection shall be at once made apparent by blowing the alarm signal, and both steamers shall be stopped, and backed if necessary, until signals for passing with safety are made and understood.”

The San Pasqual was the obligated steamer. The Colorado Springs, as the preferred steamer, in the absence of such alarm signal, had nb indication or apparent reason' to suspect that the obligated steamer would not discharge her obligation, under the port to port signal, to pass under her stern or otherwise keep out of the way. The Delaware, 161 U. S. 459, 16 S. Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
20 F.2d 192, 1927 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1225, 1927 A.M.C. 1208, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-barranca-laed-1927.