Joseph P. Bradley

“ An attempt is made, indeed, to throw the blame on the Margaret Evans herself, because she did not have a light, and because she had no anchor watch. The fact is, she had a night watchman on board, and as to a light, we think it is hardly necessary for a vessel lying at a wharf, more than two hundred feet outside of the channel, to anticipate the visit of stray steamboats in the night-time and to make provision for such an exigency. ”

“ Where the question of fault in a collision lies between a vessel at anchor, or at a wharf, out of the track of other vessels, and not derelict in duty, and a steamer navigating a channel of sufficient width for her to move and stop at pleasure-there being no unusual stress of weather or superior force to drive the latter out of her course-it was held in the case just cited that the fault, under almost any circumstances, would be held to be with the steamer. ”