The morning news., 1894-09-02
VIOLATED THE HARBoR Law.
The Officers of the Tug Ripple 70
Answer for It.

Answer Tor 1t.
Capt. W. F. Bailey, Engineer w. Y.
Stevens and Fireman Paris Ellis Of the
tugboat Ripple. owned by the Atlantic
Contracting Company, OF which Col. John
+. Gaynor is president, will appear before
United States Commissioner Connolly to-
morrow morning, for preliminary hear
ing, TO answer tO the charge of having
violated section 6 of the river and harbor
act which became a law on Aug. II.
Friday morning some of the crew Of the
tug Ripple were engaged in throwing
ashes and cinders into the navigable
channel Of the harbor at Spirit island,
about six miles below the city, when the
United States steam launch Angler, with
| Capt. o. NJ. Carter corps Of engineers on
board, came along. Capt. Carter was on
tour Of inspection at the time and was
rather surprised to see one of the jetty
contractors tugboats violating the law in
! so tagrant manner. Upon his return to
town he signed an affidavit before Com
missioner Connolly charging the engineer
and fireman of the Ripple with unlaw-
/ fully depositing in the harbor ashes and
! clnders, and Capt. Bailey with authoriz-
ing and abetting it.
OF course, Capt. Bailey did not engage
! IN the actual work of throwing the refuse
into the river; but. as he was in charge
OF the boat at the time, it is presumed he
directed the work to be done which
makes him guilty and subjects him TO the
same penalties as though he did the
work.
| The fine for an offense of this kind is
not less than $3.50 nor more 81, 800, with
Imprisonment of not less than thirty
DAYS nor more than one year, either or
both united, as the Judge before whom
conviction is obtained shall decide.
ha lurr al
the shape of money rewards to those who
take an interest in such matters. and who
VIII go to the trouble of reporting viola
tlons to the proper authorities. II is pre-
scrioed that one-half of the fine is to be
paid TO the person or persons giving in
formation that leads to the conviction of
the person or persons guilty of violating
the laws. AS the fine in no case is not
less than $3.50, it will be seen that a per-
son Of ordinary agility and powers of OBJ
servation may gather in neat sum in a
few months. Before the passage of the
act 1t was a difficult matter,to apprehend
those who made practice of throwing
ashes into the river from boats plying on
the same; but now as the vessel itself
may be proceeded against the task is
much easier one
1t is also made misdemeanor to injure
in any manner whatever any sea wall
bulkhead, city, dixie, leyee, wharf pier,
or other work built by the United States,
including tide. gauges, surveying stations,
buoys, or other established marks. The
fine in this case is the same as for dump
ing refuse into the river. Every master,
pilot and engineer of any boat that may
be guilty of injuring property of the kind
described may, in addition to being pun
ished by fine ana Imprisonment, have his
license taken from him. The boat itself
is liable to the pecuniary penalties i'm
posed, and in addition thereto to the
amount of the damages inflicted on the
works
1t is thought that this complaint of
Capt. Carter's will have the eject of al
least temporarily checking the throwing
of ashes and cinders from boats into the
navigable channel of the river. This
practice has been INDUCED in often by
river men, but in the absence of any in
centive to urge witnesses to report these
violations nothing could be done to put a
complete stop to it,