Rest before going on watch.
It shall be unlawful for the master, owner, agent, or other person having authority, to permit an officer of any vessel to take charge of the deck watch of the vessel upon leaving or immediately after leaving port, unless such officer shall have had at least six hours off duty within the twelve hours immediately preceding the time of sailing, and no licensed officer on any ocean or coastwise vessel shall be required to do duty to exceed nine hours of any twenty-four while in port, including the date of arrival, or more than twelve hours of any twenty-four at sea, except in a case of emergency when life or property is endangered. Any violation of this section shall subject the person or persons guilty thereof to a penalty of one hundred dollars. (Sec. 3.)
Master Liable. The improper keeping of watch comes clearly under the head of negligence, or even misconduct, and the law governing this is of importance. The penalty, when death results from such negligence, misconduct, etc. is TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS FINE or IMPRISONMENT FOR TEN YEARS, OR BOTH.
The law is given below:
Death from negligence, misconduct, etc.
Every captain, engineer, pilot, or other person employed on any steamboat or vessel, by whose misconduct, negligence, or inattention to his duties on such vessel the life of any person is destroyed, and every owner, charterer, inspector, or other public officer, through whose fraud, neglect, connivance, misconduct, or violation of law the life of any person is destroyed, shall be fined not more than ten thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both: Provided, That when the owner or charterer of any steamboat or vessel shall be a corporation, any executive officer of such corporation, for the time being actually charged with the control and management of the operation, equipment, or navigation of such steamboat or vessel, who has knowingly and willfully caused or allowed such fraud, neglect, connivance, misconduct, or violation of law, by which the life of any person is destroyed, shall be fined not more than ten thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both. (Sec. 282; Repeals R. S., 5344, and act Mar. 3, 1905, sec. 5.)
Watch officers should also heed another matter, a section of Rule V, of the Board of Supervising Inspectors, this rule is also given:
Only certain persons allowed in pilot house and on navigator's bridge.
17. Masters and pilots of steamers carrying passengers shall exclude from the pilot houses and navigator's bridge of such steamers, while under way, all persons not connected with the navigation of such steamers, except officers of the Steamboat-Inspection Service, Coast Guard, and engineer officers of the United States Army in charge of the improvement of that particular waterway, when upon business: Provided, That licensed officers of steamboats, persons regularly engaged in learning the profession of pilot, officers of the United States Navy, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, and Lighthouse Service, assistant engineers of the Engineer Department of the United States Army connected with the improvement of that particular waterway, and the engineer officers connected with the construction and operation of the Panama Canal may be allowed in the pilot house or upon the navigator's bridge upon the responsibility of the officer in charge.
The master of every such passenger and ferry steamer shall keep three printed copies of this section of Rule V posted in conspicuous places on such steamer, one of which shall be kept posted in the pilot house.