Court Opinion

ID: 8630408
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-11-24 19:36:44.990706+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:55:44.962311
License: Public Domain

BENEDICT, District Judge.
As to the claim for the wine lost from the two casks. 1 am of the opinion, that upon the proofs the li-bellant cannot recover that portion of his demand. The cause of the loss of the wine, was doubtless owing to the pressure of the cargo, and the heavy weather. The proofs do not make out a case of bad stowage; and if they did the ship would not be responsible, as this wine was stowed in the ship by stevedores employed, directed and paid by the shippers of the wine.
■ As to the four casks demanded on Saturday and not delivered. I consider the libellant entitled to recover their value. These casks were duly demanded of the master of the ship, at the ship, during proper hours, and when they were on the wharf for delivery. The demand was accompanied with a tender of all the freight dúe on the whole consignment, of which all, but these four casks, had already been delivered without objection or demand of freight
*634There is no evidence of a notification to the libellant, that he must pay his freight at the office of the consignee of the ship, nor that a pre-payment must be made before delivery, and the delivery of the casks was offered, provided a sum greater than the freight was deposited with the master.
The master of this ship, having designated his consignees to collect his freight, and having deposited with them his bills and documents, showing the amounts of the freight, had the right upon the tender of freight being made to him at the ship, to take a reasonable time to enable him to ascertain the correctness of the amount of the freight, before accepting the tender and delivering the cargo; but he had no right meanwhile to store the merchandise at the expense of the freighter. It is not shown that any difficulty existed to prevent his taking in these four casks, and holding them until Monday, which was the earliest time at which the freight could be ascertained by him, or be paid at the office of the consignee. Nor under the circumstances of this case, could the master be held to have the right to store the goods at the expense of the consignee after tender of freight, were it to be considered proved, as the claimants insist, that according to the usage of this port, in the case of a foreign ship, freight must be always paid in advance, and to the consignee of the ship alone. For here the greater part of the consignment was delivered without any payment or demand of freight, or any order of the consignee, and the master offered to deliver the balance on a deposit being made with him. And when the libellant was notified of the stoppage of the four casks, it was at such a late hour on Saturday, that the libellant was .iustified in proceeding at once to the ship, where the demand of freight had been made, to pay his freight there in time to prevent his goods from going to store. The freight being then tendered and refused, he was. even under the usage as claimed, entitled to a reasonable time, after he was notified, to proceed to the office of the consignee, and there pay his freight. This was not afforded him, but the goods were at onco stored, and thus subjected to cartage, and a month’s storage.
The position taken on the trial, that the master was justified in refusing to deliver the casks, when the freight was tendered, because no bill of lading or other evidence of property was there produced, is untenable, for the reason that the libellant’s right to receive the goods had already been acknowledged by the delivery to him, of the greater part of the consignment
The libellant was justified in refusing to pay the charges on the goods, and, having paid all the freight due and demanded his goods free of charges, on being refused became entitled to maintain an action for the non-delivery of the four casks, according to the bill of lading.
The decree will accordingly be that the libellant recover the value of the four casks, with interest and costs. Let a reference be had to ascertain the value of these casks, if it cannot be agreed to.