William Howard Taft

“ The plaintiff was defeated in the admiralty suit by application of the state statute of limitations. This court thus recognized a well-established exception to the nonapplication of state statutes to admiralty jurisdiction, which is when they give a common law remedy for death by wrongful act. But this court in the Knickebocker Ice Co. Case decided that it could not extend the saving clause of section 256 to include an award under a state Workmen's Compensation Act. ”

“ There a stevedore was killed while at work in the hold of a vessel under charter to the fuel company. The Workmen's Compensation Commission granted an award to the widow and children. This was annulled by the state court, and then the widow and children brought a suit in admiralty against the fuel company in the District Court of the United States, alleging death by negligence, and prayed for damages. The District Court was held to have jurisdiction in admiralty under La Bourgogne, 210 U.S. 95, 28 S.C.t. ”

“ W. C. Dawson & Co., 264 U.S. 219, 44 S.C.t. 302, 68 L. Ed. 646, where it was sought to compel an employer of stevedores to contribute to an accident fund created by the Workmen's Compensation Act of the state. Under the same title, it was held on the same principle that workmen's compensation under a state statute could not be awarded for the death of a workman killed while engaged at maritime work under a maritime contract upon a vessel moored on navigable waters and discharging her cargo. ”

“ The plaintiff was engaged in assembling saw logs in booms for towage elsewhere for sale, and the breaking up of the booms which had been towed on a river to a sawmill and the guiding of the logs to a conveyor extending into the river by which they were drawn into the mill for sawing. ”