The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-26
lIBEllNG A SHIP.
The Law Governing the Payment
of Salvage.

From the New York Sunday News
Since the disaster TO the North German
Lloyd lines piers and steamships there
has been much talk 90 salvage. Probably
few persons could Olf-hand give "A dcinitlon
OF the word,
Generally speaking. salvage is "a reward
to which persons are entitled when they
render assistance In saving property from
destruction by pirates. enemies or the Gle
m"nts. IN these days. however. salvage has
become almost peculiarly associated with
the saving of ships. which eases. occurring
"n the water. are under the jurisdiction Of
the Urit.d States admiralty courts
These courts determine ihe amount Of
salvage To- he paid. Ina the nature Of things
this IS frequently / most difficult question
10 decide. 80 many things having To he
taken into consideration. Walker On All
mlrdlty, IN authority ON matters rlarinC.
says,
Right to salvage depends ON the saving
OF the property; but the rate and amount
OF salvage depend upon the amount of the
property. probability of loss. the amount Of
peril to the prop rty. the value of tho S,rv-
tee to the owner Of the property and the
personal toll. loss of time. daring aud dan
ger of the sllyer. The high order III merit.
IN a i''cunidrE estimate. IL the Sif" bring
Ing in 81 property entirely abandoned and
lost To the "WEoT-GerTlirt. For such ScrV-
lee. courts have sometimes awarded seven
siEhths for salvage, and IL is usual to give
half
Thus. the first thing The Judge has to con-
slider IS III how great danger tho property
WIS. Ii il Only human nature for ihe res
cuihE party Ia cXasstratc the peril through
which he went, AID the Judge mus; Dc
shrcwd enough to separate fiction from
fact.
AZ ain. the Judge must consider what the
capacity of the rcSCuer for helping .irtI.ally
-. and of what actual assistance the rcsCu-
sr WAS. Then. in the last place. the final
condition OF the rescued vessel as a whole
must be taken into account and the division
of salvage made ON the basis Of services
rendered.
The awarding of salvage IT, Of course
rot based on any regular rate Of percent
age. 1t hardly ever rises above OHe-half Of
the hnal value of III. rescued property. and
then almost exclusively in cases where the
property has been abandoned There have
been exceptional cases Of "A rcscuer receiv-
ing something above 20 per cent of the val
ne of property not abandoned, az when "A
mail steamer. running on schedule time.
turns out of her course to help founder
ing vessel; hut in these cases the excessive
rate Is compensation for losses incurred.
When vessels meet extremity in = har-
Dor, as did the North German Lloyd liners.
IL becomes an easy thing for tugboatS to
rush 10 their assistance and claim salvage
aIterward. II costs nothing. or very little
10 ask for salvage money. and any little
boat that has a garden hose can fiirt a
drop or two Of wafer on a great liner a:ire
and claim SJ,G00 reward when the fire is
out.
These claims have already been asked the
ships being libeled. To use The technical
term or tle Underwriters. A. usual the
tugs asked several times the amount tlIay
expect to get. The great majority of the
libels are against the Kaiser Wilhelm der
Crosse Most OF the tugs went to her as
sis'ance because she was the most valuable
ship ard was In the least danger of having
her value destroyed
Where . ship is insured, the salvage is
maid /, rNx ri