El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-02-17
LAWS OF THE SEA
MUCH LITIGATION OVER SALVAGE;
BOTTLE FIRST DISCOVERED POLE

noted. and the place of their picking
I'D recorded. In this way the hydro
graphic office is thoroughly acquainted
| with the ocean currents, and knows
/ in what direction each derelict is like
| " to travel from any given point When
| they are reported as having been
/ sighted. the chart and the reported po-
/ sitions are compared, and 1t usually IS
/ found that the assumed positions on the
map correspond closely with those
shown by the reports of the captains
! who sighted them
Bottle Discovered Pole.
| 1t is said that neither Cook nor
Peary reached the north pole first, but
that the honor belongs to bottle turn
/ ed loose in Behring sea several years
ago. Its discovery on the coast OF
( northern Europe indicated that II must
have passed close TO the north pole in
travelling from its starting point to its
destination.
| The number of derelicts that are
| cited lis not large. In seven years
there were sighted in north Atlantic
| waters 162S of which only 49, were
| Identified. Derelicts do not. as rule
| last long once they are abandoned TO
| the mercy OF the waves 1t is said
| that the average life of a derelict IS
I one month, although some Of them
4
for long periods and insist on stay
ing close to the track of commerce
The Use of the Wireless.
| 1t is believed that the day will soon
come when all ocean-gOing vessels viii
! be required to equip themselves with
wireless. The English C @ D message
that brought relief to the Republic, the
equally important international )
message that saved the lives of those
ii, lar
message which saved the lives of an
other crew a few days ago, have all
had their lessOn-A c Q D and o
message to congress to make compul~
sorry the use of the wireless
/ Such legislation finds land counter
part in the requirement that all rail-
road trains shall be equipped with air
brakes and safety cOuplers. On the sea
it finds its counterpart in the require
ment that each vessel must be equipped
with lifeboats and life preservers, and
that there must be specified number
] of fire drills. The wireless companies
are pointing out TO congress the COM
paratively small cost of installation and
| operation.
Just now congress is wrestling with
| the problem Of interference of ANA
teurs with wireless messages. The
wireless companies declare that the
|
| sible for the few difficulties that still
present themselves. On the other hand
! they are met with the counter asser-
,, ton that the whole proposition is in
/ the interest OF monopoly.
The science Of wireless is so new
! that many discoveries may grow out
OF experimentation with 1T. and the
amateurs feel that this IS a deep-laid
design to cut off the Unborn right OF
:
/ genius to the utmost. The courts have
; not yet fully settled the exact status
of wireless telegraphy as applied TO
maritime matters, though there are
| cases pending which may serve to fully
I determine its relations
! The advent OF wireless has served
to retire the carrier pigeon from its
| usefulness at sea The British navy
has held auctions for the sale of its
birds. which were trained under every
conceivable condition in which they
would have operated in war time
Sailors Claim Wine.
A recent incident in the operation Of
maritime law has its amusing side. A
/ big wrecking company undertook to
salve a vessel which had in its cargo
several hundred barrels of wine. The
| operation was partly successful, but
! high seas washed overheard many bar
| wrecking company told its men that
these barrels now were loose on the
high seas and the property of whom
soever took them in. There was a
scramble 10 yawls and launches and
the sailors gathered in the floating
casks Afterward there was litigation
over the ownership of the wine, and
the courts held that il was the prop
erty of the sailors who had risked
| their all TO capture it.
Another interesting point in interna-
tional law arose when several pigs
which were taken 10 England were
refused admission to that country be-
cause they had tuberculosis. The
/ steamship company carried them back
and forth for several trips and it was
! found that the salt air had cured their
tuberculosis, whereupon they were duly
admitted.
Days of Hardship Over
The day of real hardship for the sail
OF is largely over. The laws of the
nations now protect him. The United
States statutes declare that no CORPORAL
punishment shall be inflicted on any
American sailor, likewise that he must
be well fed. His rations are prescribed
and he may see It weighed out to him.
Much of the recent maritime legiS-
latiOn has had for its aim the recogni-
ton of the rights of the sailor.
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