George Sutherland

“ But the provision, fundamentally, is a measure of precaution against those perilous and often unexpected emergencies of the sea when only immediate and wakeful readiness for action may avert disaster or determine the issue between life and death; its effect as a regulator of working conditions is a matter of subordinate intent. ”

“ It is not unreasonable to conclude that Congress gress determined that each of the watches. like the crew as a whole, should be 'adequate in number,' competent and in a state of readiness 'for any exigency that is likely to happen'-such as a collision, the striking of the ship upon a reef of rocks or an iceberg, the sudden breaking out of fire, and other happenings of like disastrous tendency-and to this end meant to provide for successive and continuous watches to be constituted in numbers as nearly equal as the sum of the whole number would permit. ”

“ We have no hesitation in holding that the ship was insufficiently manned, for the reason that the sailors were unable to understand and execute the orders made imperative by the exigency that unhappily arose, and resulted so disastrously to life, as well as to property.'
See, also, R. S. § 4463, amended by Act May 11, 1918, c. 72, § 1, 40 Stat. 548 (Comp. St. 1918, Comp. St. Ann. Supp. 1919, § 8225) ; Flint & P. M. R. Co. v. Marine Ins. Co. ”