(D) Coal-boats, trading-boats, produce-boats, canal-boats, oyster boats, fishing-boats, rafts, or other water-craft, navigating any bay, harbor, or river, by hand power, horsepower, sail, or by the current of the river, or anchored or moored in or near the channel or fairway of any bay, harbor, or river, and not in any port, shall sound a fog-horn, or equivalent signal, which shall make a sound equal to a steam-whistle, at intervals of not more than two minutes.

STEERING AND SAILING RULES.

Mar. 3, 1897.

Rule sixteen. Risk of collision can, when circumstances R. S., 4233. permit, be ascertained by carefully watching the compass bearing of an approaching vessel. If the bearing does not appreciably change such risk should be deemed to exist. Rule seventeen. When two sailing vessels are approach R. S., 4233. ing one another, so as to involve risk of collision, one of them shall keep out of the way of the other, as follows, namely: (a) A vessel which is running free shall keep out of the way of a vessel which is close-hauled.

(b) A vessel which is close-hauled on the port tack shall keep out of the way of a vessel which is close-hauled on the starboard tack.

(c) When both are running free, with the wind on different sides, the vessel which has the wind on the port side shall keep out of the way of the other.

(d) When both vessels are running free, with the wind on the same side, the vessel which is to the windward shall keep out of the way of the vessel which is to the leeward. (e) A vessel which has the wind aft shall keep out of the way of the other vessel.

Rule eighteen. If two vessels under steam are meeting end on, or nearly end on, so as to involve risk of collision, the helms of both shall be put to port, so that each may pass on the port side of the other.

Rule nineteen. If two vessels under steam are crossing so as to involve risk of collision, the vessel which has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way of the other.

Rule twenty. If two vessels, one of which is a sail-vessel and the other a steam-vessel, are proceeding in such directions as to involve risk of collision, the steam-vessel shall keep out of the way of the sail-vessel.

Rule twenty-one. Every steam-vessel, when approaching another vessel, so as to involve risk of collision, shall slacken her speed, or, if necessary, stop and reverse; and every steam-vessel shall, when in a fog, go at a moderate speed.

Rule twenty-two. Every vessel overtaking any other ves sel shall keep out of the way of the last-mentioned vessel. Rule twenty-three. Where, by Rules seventeen, nineteen, twenty, and twenty-two, one of two vessels shall keep out of the way, the other shall keep her course, subject to the qualifications of Rule twenty-four.

Rule twenty-four. In construing and obeying these rules, due regard must be had to all dangers of navigation, and

Mar. 3, 1897.

Sec. 12.

R. S., 4233.
Mar. 3, 1897.
Sec. 13.

R. S., 4412.

Feb. 8, 1895.
June 7, 1897.
Sec. 5.

to any special circumstances which may exist in any par ticular case rendering a departure from them necessary in order to avoid immediate danger.

Rule twenty-five. A sail vessel which is being overtaken by another vessel during the night shail show from her stern to such last-mentioned vessel a torch or a flare-up light.

Rule twenty-six. Nothing in these rules shall exonerate any ship, or the owner, or master, or crew thereof, from the consequences of any neglect to carry lights or signals, or of any neglect to keep a proper lookout, or of the neglect of any precaution which may be required by the ordinary practice of seamen or by the special circumstances of the

case.

[The board of supervising inspectors shall establish such Aug. 19, 1890. regulations to be observed by all steam-vessels in passing each other, as they shall from time to time deem necessary for safety; two printed copies of such regulations, signed by them, shall be furnished to each of such vessels, and shall at all times be kept posted up in conspicuous places in such vessels.]

R. S., 4413.
June 7, 1897.
Sec. 5.

R. S., 4487.

Mar. 6, 1896.

[Every pilot, engineer, mate, or master of any steamvessel who neglects or willfully refuses to observe the regulations established in pursuance of the preceding section, shall be liable to a penalty of fifty dollars, and for all damages sustained by any passenger, in his person or baggage, by such neglect or refusal.]

352. River navigation.

On any steamers navigating rivers only, when, from darkness, fog, or other cause, the pilot or watch shall be of opinion that the navigation is unsafe, or, from accident to or derangement of the machinery of the boat, the chief engineer shall be of the opinion that the further navigation of the vessel is unsafe, the vessel shall be brought to anchor, or moored as soon as it can prudently be done: Provided, That if the person in command shall, after being so admonished by either of such officers, elect to pursue such voyage, he may do the same; but in such case both he and the owners of such steamer shall be answerable for all damages which shall arise to the person of any passenger, or his baggage, from such causes in so pursuing the voyage, and no degree of care or diligence shall in such case be held to justify or excuse the person in command, or the owners.

353. Rules for the St. Marys River.

The Secretary of the Treasury hereby is authorized and directed to adopt and prescribe suitable rules and regulations governing the movements and anchorage of vessels and rafts in Saint Marys River, from Point Iroquois, on Lake Superior, to Point Detour, on Lake Huron, and for the purpose of enforcing the observance of such regulations the said Secretary is hereby authorized to detail one or more revenue cutters for duty on said river.

All officers of the Revenue-Cutter Service who are directed Sec. 2. to enforce the regulations prescribed by the above rules are hereby empowered and directed, in case of necessity, or when a proper notice has been disregarded, to use the force at their command to remove from channels or stop any vessel found violating the prescribed rules.

In the event of the violation of any such regulations or rules of the Secretary of the Treasury by the owners, master, or person in charge of such vessel, such owners, master, or person in charge shall be liable to a penalty of two hundred dollars, and the vessel, its tackle, apparel, furniture, and cargo, at any time used or employed in violation of such regulations, shall be forfeited to the United States: Provided, That the Secretary of the Treasury may remit said fine or release said vessel on such terms as he may prescribe: Provided also, That nothing in this Act shall be construed to amend or repeal the Act entitled "An Act to regulate navigation on the Great Lakes and connecting tributary waters as far east as Montreal."

354. Special rules for regattas.

Sec. 3.

In order to provide for the safety of passengers on excur- May 19, 1896. sion steamers, yachts, oarsmen and all craft, whether as observers or participants, taking part in regattas, amateur or professional, that may hereafter be held on navigable waters, the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized and empowered in his discretion to detail revenue cutters to enforce such rules and regulations as may be adopted to insure the safety of passengers on said excursion steamers, yachts, oarsmen and all craft, whether as observers or participants, taking part in such regattas.

PART XXXVII.-AIDS TO NAVIGATION.

355. Assistance by United States vessels. 356. Removal of derelicts.

357. Lights and buoys.

358. Nautical Almanac.

R. S., 2759.

R. S., 1536.

Oct. 31, 1893.

R. S., 4676.

R. S., 4677.

R. S., 4678.

359. Charts and manuals.
360. Storm and weather signals.
361. Meridians.

355. Assistance by United States vessels.

The revenue-cutters on the northern and northwestern lakes, when put in commission, shall be specially charged with aiding vessels in distress on the lakes.

The President may, when the necessities of the service permit it, cause any suitable number of public vessels adapted to the purpose to cruise upon the coast in the season of severe weather and to afford such aid to distressed navigators as their circumstances may require; and such public vessels shall go to sea fully prepared to render such assistance.

356. Removal of derelicts.

The President of the United States is hereby authorized to make with the several governments interested in the navigation of the North Atlantic Ocean an international agreement providing for the reporting, marking, and removal of dangerous wrecks, derelicts, and other menaces to navigation in the North Atlantic Ocean outside the coast waters of the respective countries bordering thereon.

357. Lights and buoys.

The Light-House Board may, when they deem it neces sary, place a light-vessel, or other suitable warning of danger, on or over any wreck or temporary obstruction to the entrance of any harbor, or in the channel or fairway of any bay or sound.

The Light-House Board shall properly mark all pierheads belonging to the United States situated on the northern and northwestern lakes, whenever the board is duly notified by the department charged with the construction or repair of pier heads that the construction or repair of any such pier-heads has been completed.

All buoys along the coast, or in bays, harbors, sounds, or channels, shall be colored and numbered, so that passing up the coast or sound, or entering the bay, harbor, or channel, red buoys with even numbers shall be passed on

the starboard hand, black buoys with uneven numbers on the port hand, and buoys with red and black stripes on either hand. Buoys in channel-ways shall be colored with alternate white and black perpendicular stripes.

358. Nautical Almanac.

There shall be printed annually at the Government Feb. 11, 1880. Printing Office fifteen hundred copies of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac and of the papers supplementary thereto, of which one hundred shall be for the use of the Senate, four hundred for the House of Representatives, and one thousand for the public service, to be distributed by the Navy Department Additional copies

of the Ephemeris and of the Nautical Almanac extracted therefrom may be ordered by the Secretary of the Navy for sale.

359. Charts and manuals.

There shall be a Hydrographic office attached to the R. S., 431. Bureau of Navigation in the Navy Department, for the improvement of the means for navigating safely the vessels of the Navy and of the mercantile marine, by providing, under the authority of the Secretary of the Navy, accurate and cheap nautical charts, sailing directions, navigators, and manuals of instructions for the use of all vessels of the United States, and for the benefit and use of navigators generally.

The Secretary of the Navy is authorized to cause to be R. S., 432. prepared, at the Hydrographic Office attached to the Bureau of Navigation in the Navy Department, maps, charts, and nautical books relating to and required in navigation, and to publish and furnish them to navigators at the cost of printing and paper, and to purchase the plates and copyrights of such existing maps, charts, navigators, sailing directions and instructions, as he may consider necessary, and when he may consider it expedient to do so, and under such regulations and instructions as he may prescribe.

The charts published by the Coast Survey shall be sold at the office at Washington at the price of the printing and paper thereof, and elsewhere at the same price with the average cost of delivery added thereto; and hereafter there shall be no free distribution of such charts except to the departments of the United States and to the several States and officers of the United States requiring them for public

use.

R. S., 4691.
June 20, 1878.

Senators, Representatives and Delegates to the House of Mar. 3, 1879. Representatives shall each be entitled to not more than

ten charts published by the Coast Survey for each regular session of Congress.

360. Storm and weather signals.

The Chief of the Weather Bureau, under the direction of the Secretary of Agriculture, on and after July first, Sec. 3. eighteen hundred and ninety-one, shall have charge of the

Oct. 1, 1890.