Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 5.djvu/341



such persons, before entering upon the duties enjoined by this act, shall make and subscribe an oath or affirmation before said district judge, or other officer duly authorized to administer oaths, well, faithfully, and impartially to execute and perform the services herein required of them.

. And be it further enacted, That the person or persons who shall be called upon to inspect the hull of any steamboat or vessel, under the provisions of this act, shall, after a thorough examination of the same, give to the owner or master, as the case may be, a certificate, in which shall be stated the age of the said boat or vessel, when and where originally built, and the length of time the same has been running. And he or they shall also state whether, in his or their opinion, the said boat or vessel is sound, and in all respects seaworthy, and fit to be used for the transportation of freight or passengers; for which service, so performed upon each and every boat or vessel, the inspectors shall each be paid and allowed by said master or owner applying for such inspection, the sum of five dollars.

. And be it further enacted, That the person or persons who shall be called upon to inspect the boilers and machinery of any steamboat or vessel, under the provisions of this act, shall, after a thorough examination of the same, make a certificate, in which he or they shall state his or their opinion whether said boilers are sound and fit for use, together with the age of said boilers; and duplicates thereof shall be delivered to the owner or master of such vessel, one of which it shall be the duty of the said master and owner to deliver to the collector or surveyor of the port whenever he shall apply for a license, or for a renewal of a license; the other he shall cause to be posted up, and kept in some conspicuous part of said boat, for the information of the public; and for each and every inspection so made, each of the said inspectors shall be paid by the said master or owner applying, the sum of five dollars.

. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the owners and masters of steamboats to cause the inspection provided under the fourth section of this act to be made at least once in every twelve months; and the examination required by the fifth section, at least once in every six months; and deliver to the collector or surveyor of the port where his boat or vessel has been enrolled or licensed, the certificate of such inspection; and, on a failure thereof, he or they shall forfeit the license granted to such boat or vessel, and be subject to the same penalty as though he had run said boat or vessel without having obtained such license, to be recovered in like manner. And it shall be the duty of the owners and masters of the steamboats licensed in pursuance of the provisions of this act to employ on board of their respective boats a competent number of experienced and skilful engineers, and, in case of neglect to do so, the said owners and masters shall be held responsible for all damages to the property of any passenger on board of any boat occasioned by an explosion of the boiler or any derangement of the engine or machinery or any boat.

. And be it further enacted, That whenever the master of any boat or vessel, or the person or persons charged with navigating said boat or vessel, which is propelled in whole or in part by steam, shall stop the motion or headway of said boat or vessel, or when said boat or vessel shall be stopped for the purpose of discharging or taking in cargo, fuel or passengers, he or they shall open the safety-valve, so as to keep the steam down in said boiler as near as practicable to what is is when the said boat or vessel is under headway, under the penalty of two hundred dollars for each and every offence.

. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the owner and master of every steam vessel engaged in the transportation of freight or passengers, at sea or on the Lakes, Champlain, Ontario, Erie, Huron, Superior, and Michigan, the tonnage of which vessel shall