Log-book.
Every vessel making voyages from a port in the United States to any foreign port, or being of the burden of seventy-five tons, or upward, from a port on the Atlantic to a port on the Pacific, or vice versa, shall have an official log-book; and every master of such vessel shall make, or cause to be made therein, entries of the following matters, that is to say:
First. Every legal conviction of any member of his crew, and the punishment inflicted.
Second. Every offense committed by any member of his crew for which it is intended to prosecute, or to enforce a forfeiture, together with such statement concerning the reading over such entry, and concerning the reply, if any, made to the charge, as is required by the provisions of section forty-five hundred and ninety-seven.
Third. Every offense for which punishment is inflicted on board, and the punishment inflicted.
Fourth. A statement of the conduct, character, and qualifications of each of his crew; or a statement that he declines to give an opinion of such particulars.
Fifth. Every case of illness or injury happening to any member of the crew, with the nature thereof, and the medical treatment.
Sixth. Every case of death happening on board, with the cause thereof.
Seventh. Every birth happening on board, with the sex of the infant, and the names of the parents.
Eighth. Every marriage taking place on board, with the names and ages of the parties.
Ninth. The name of every seaman or apprentice who ceases to be a member of the crew otherwise than by death, with the place, time, manner, and cause thereof.
Tenth. The wages due to any seaman or apprentice who dies during the voyage, and the gross amount of all deductions to be made therefrom.
Eleventh. The sale of the effects of any seaman or apprentice who dies during the voyage, including a statement of each article sold, and the sum received for it.
Twelfth. In every case of collision in which it is practicable so to do, the master shall, immediately after the occurrence, cause a statement thereof, and of the circumstances under which the same occurred, to be entered in the official log-book. Such entry shall be made in the manner prescribed in section forty-two hundred and ninety-one, and failure to make such entry shall subject the offender to the penalties prescribed by section forty-two hundred and ninety-two. (R. S., 4290; Feb. 14, 1900.)
Every entry hereby required to be made in the official log-book shall be signed by the master and by the mate, or some other one of the crew, and every entry in the official log-book shall be made as soon as possible after the occurrence to which it relates, and, if not made on the same day as the occurrence to which it relates, shall be made and dated so as to show the date of the occurrence, and of the entry respecting it; and in no case shall any entry therein, in respect of any occurrence happening previously to the arrival of the vessel at her final port, be made more than twenty-four hours after such arrival. (R. S., 4291.)
If in any case the official log-book is not kept in the manner hereby required, or if any entry hereby directed to be made in any such log-book is not made at the time and in the manner hereby directed, the master shall, for each such offense, be liable to a penalty of not more than twenty-five dollars; and every person who makes, or procures to be made, or assists in making, any entry in any official log-book in respect of any occurrence happening previously to the arrival of the vessel at her final port of discharge, more than twenty-four hours after such arrival, shall, for each offense, be liable to a penalty of not more than one hundred and fifty dollars. (R. S., 4292.)