The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-05-22
Important to Shipowners.
The following important circular has been
issued from the custom house in this district:

Important to Shipowners.
The following important circular has been
issued from the custom house in this district:
COLLECTORS OFFICE,
DISTRICT OF PORTLAND AND FA MOUTH
PORTLAND, Nav 90. 1868.
Under the Act Of Congress approved July 20, 1885,
which requires the Director OF the Bureau of tats
tics to prepare annual statement of vessels regis
tered, enrolled and licensed under the laws of the
United States together with the class, name, tonnage
and place of registry of each vessel &C., the Secre-
tary Of the Treasury, to enable the said Director
furnish the information required, is empowered to
establish and provide stem of numbering vessels
registered, enrolled and licensed; and in accord
ance with the provisions of the Act the Secretary
oil the Treasury Is instructed the Collectors the
Customs, that previous to granting certificate of
Registry, Of Enrolment and License or of License to
ing clearance to any registered enrol ed OF licensed
vessels OF the United States, after July +, 1865.
her number must be marked on her nam bt1ns in
the manner hereinafter prescribed and endorsed up
on the official documents relating to her"
1t is designed in the execution OF this act that the
owuer or master OF a vessel shall afix the official
number awarded to his vessel at his own expense
and that fees sbali be exacted by officers of the
customs for furnishing certificate that the same
ton herewith.
. A preliminary list of merchant vessels of the
Unte,l States. with the official numbers and signal
letters awarded to them under the act has been fur
nished this Office by the Department. This lsit
was compiled from returns from collectors of Gus
toms reporting all the vessels belonging to their dis
trcts the 30th of june, 1861 Such vessels may
have been omitted by mistake, built subsequently
to that date wp have their numbers awarded them
hereafter.
"To all sea-going vessels OF leo tons admeasure-
ment, or over, the number consists of certain nu-
meras and letters. to all other vessels the number
consists of numerals only"
1The number is required to be marked in the
following manner:
son vessels whose main beam is of wood it shall
be either carved or branded In either not less
than ktreeeiyhths Of an inch, more than half
of an inch in depth"
ION vessels whose main beam is of iron or other
metal it shall be marked in oil paint; white it the
beam is black black If the beam of any other COL
Or"
The shape shall be plain block Arabic numeral,
thus: No. 2O6J. The size of each numeral COM
pos ng the number shall In all cases, be not less than
three inches high.
When the number consists partly of letters, the
letters need not be marked upon the vessel but they
must Always accompany the numerals where the
vessels name Is mentioned upon any written doc
ument pertaining to her, and coming under the Of
fetal supervision ofany officer of the customs
after July {, 1861,
The number should, when practicable be marked
after the Tonnage mark and should Away be prefix
ed by the abbreviation ssNo.o For example on the
ship BOMBAY OF Bath, Maine.
Tonnage Mark. Official Number.
1851 Ne. 3O65.
And on her papers thus: Ship Bombay 955.13 tons
Ne. 2O05 HOLB.
Managing owners masters of vessels, no,c port
or Immediately on the arrival OF their vessels will
perceive the nscessty Of early application to this Of
flee for the numbers awarded their vessels especially
So if they wish to avoid detention OF their vessels
" 1 IVA wAcuprpN c.u...