The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-04
r1SCA HAS BEEN LIBELED.
.v.GEs TO DREDGE ALABAMA
u,SIS OF SUIT IN ADMIRALTY.

ot,,enhouse Moore, the Owner of the
Dr,dre, Claims That He Has Been
ramaged in the sum of $40 ,5S5. 90,
This Is Made Up of Expenses in
peisinE and Repairing the SunLzen
bahama and of the Loss of the
mime the Dredge Was Not in Con-
di,ton to BE at WOrk-The Accident
cbarred to the Carelessness and
~.,.Iicence of the Master and Crew
of the Itasca.
,rr. steamship Itasca, of the Merchants
.ul Miners Line, has been libeled in the
r-nHe3 States District Court by Ritten-
h,Ds4 Moore. The libel is based on the
f,,t mat during last August the Itasca
rop INFO and sank the steam dredge Ala
hama. the property of Mr.. Moore, that
had been resting at anchor in the river,
,neve miles below the city.
The Hbellant charges that he has been
damaged by the action of those response
Ne for the management and control of
the I,asca in the sum of $29, $500. The
charge is made that on the night of Aug
Il 1872 the Alabama was moored in the
wei.
not in position where she was likely to
he exposed TO danger from passing YES
sells and where she had every right to be.
The dredge exposed all the lights re-
ouired by the regulations of the river,
barbor and port of Savannah, and in ad-
diran thereto three vertical white lights
on The channel side, so that every posi-
bic notice was given to the masters and
crews of incoming ships of the proximity
OF the dredge and the danger that Turk
ed in the darkness ahead, not only for
those aboard the approaching vessels, but
those aboard the dredge herself, if the
former were suffered carelessly and neg
ligenty to move down upon the latter.
The dredge was properly equipped and
manned AYERS the libellant, and the mas
ter had exercised every proper and re-
ouired precaution for the protection of the
Alabama and those men of the crew I'M
der his command.
Suddenly the Itasca doomed out of the
hlackness, and in a trice the Alabama had
been struck and sunk to the bottom of the
river The part of the river in which the
accident occurred. ii is charged, is broad
and easily navigable, the channel is not
easily to be mistaken, and that it was mis-
taken and that the accident did occur, was
due 20 the gross negligence, carelessness
and unseamanlike conduct of the master
and crew of the Itasca. On the other
hand it IS said, the master and crew of
the Alabama were without fault in the
matter
The libellant states that he has made
efforts to have the Merchants and Miners
Transportation Company, the owner of the
Itasca, defray the expenses incident to the
accident or resulting therefrom, but that
his efforts in this line have not been
crowned with any success. He, therefore
asks for an the damages he has sustained.
The first item is the expense incurred in
raising the sunken dredge fixed at 81 1893 49,
the next item of damage is for repairs to
the Alabama. costing 81, $3.50, and the
third is for the loss of time of the dredge,
aggregating ninty working days, and fixed
at N6350.el. The sum of these three sep
arate items of damages and expense is
&95S65 IS.
Yesterday morning shortly after the
service of the libel upon Capt Diggs. the
master who was in command at the time
the accident occurred the Merchants
and Miners Transportation Company,
through the master, filed a claim to the
vessel The libel and the claim make up
the issue that will be tried before Judge
Speer, the claim of the company making
it responsible for whatever judgment may
be recovered against the vessel
The accident from which the libel results
created quite a little stir in local mari
time circles at the time it occurred. For
tunately, no lives were lost. The trial of
the case gives promise of interesting. lie
veo7ments. as it is understood, the
transportation company repudiates its IL
ability for the accident, certainly for the
large sum of damages which is claimed by
the libellaut.