Columbian Insurance Company v. Ashby & Stribling

Mr. Justice Story delivered the opinion of the Court.— This is the case of a writ of error to the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia, for the. county of Alexandria. There are many irregularities in the proceedings on the record; but as, in our judgment, they are all waived or cured by the agreement of the counsel, spread upon the- record, which is, as to the matters in controversy in the suit, conclusive upon the parties, and. constituted the basis of the proceedings at the trial and of the special verdict -on which the judgment was given for the original plaintiffs in the Court below; it is unnecessary tó discuss their intrinsic force or validity. The main question in- the case is, whether the voluntary stranding of a ship in ,a casé pf imminent peril, for the preservatipn of the crew, thé ship, and cargo, followed by a'totakloss of the ship, constitutes a general average, for which the property saved is bound to contribution. We say -that this is the main question, -because the special verdict finds that there was a voluntary running on shore of the brig Hope; that there was no other possible means of preserving the cre-w, the ship, and the cargo; that the running ashore was for this express -object; and that,'after the storm was, over, the brig was .left high and dry., and if was found impracticable to get her off: so that, the facts are sufficiently' precise and full to present the qúestion of general average in its most simple and comprehensive form. Accordingly our attention will, in the first instance, be addressed to the consideration of it. - • ' ' .Upon this question the maritime jurists of continental Europe are not entirely agreed in opinion; and our own.jurisprudente presents conflicting adjudications. It -becomestthe duty of this Court, therefore, to examine and weigh these opposing opinions* and to ascertain,-as far as it may, the true-principle which blight to govern-us on thp present occasion. It' is admitted on all sides, that the rule as to general average is derived to us from therRhodian law, as promulgated and adopted in *338 the Roman jur. sprudence. The Digest states it thus. If goods are thrown overboard In order,to lighten a ship, the loss incurred for the :sake of all shall be made good by .the contribution of all. Lege Rhodia cavetur, ut si levand® navis, gratiá jactus mercium factus est, omnium contributions sarciatur, quod pro omnibus datum ést. Dig. lib. 14, tit. 2, c. 1. That the case of jettison was here understood to be put ás a.mere illustration of a more-general principle, is abundantly clear from the.context of the Roman law, where a ransom paid-to pirates to redeem the ship is declared to be governed by the same rule. Si navis a piratis redempta sit — omnes conferre debere. Dig. lib. Í4, tit. 2, c.'2, s. 3. The same rule was applied to the case, of cutting, away or throwing overboard of the masts or other tackle of the ship to avert the impending calamity; Dig. lib. 14, tit.' 2, c. 3, c. 5, s. 2; and the incidental damage occasioned thereby to other things. Without citing the various passages from the Digest which authorize this statement, it may be remarked that .the Rbman law fully recognised and enforced the leading limitations ■ and conditions to justify a general contribution, which have been ■ ever since steadily adhered to by all maritime nations. First, that the ship and cargo should be placed in a(common imminent peril; •secondly, that there should be a voluntary sacrifice of property to avert that, peril; and,-thirdly, that by that sacrifice the safety of the other property should be presently and successfully attained.’. Hence, if .there - was no imminent danger or necessity for the sacrifice, as if ’ the jettison was merely to lighten á ship too heavily laden by the faijlt of the master in a tranquil sea, no contribution was dtie. See Abbott on Shipp, p. 3, ch. 8, s. 2, 1 Emerig. Assur. ch. 12, s. 39, art. 7. p. 604. Ib. s. 40, p. 605. So, if the ship was injured or disabled in a storm, withbut any voluntary sacrifice; or if she foundered or was shipwrecked without design, the goods saved were not ..bound to contribution. Dig. lib. 14, tit. 2, c. 2,’s. 1. Ib. c. 7. 1 Emerig. on Assur. ch. 12, s. 39, p. 601-603. On the other hand, if the object of the'sacrifice, was not attained; as if there was a jettison to prevent .shipwreck, or to get the ship off the strand, and. in either case it was not attained, as. there'was no delivérance from the bbmmon-peril, ño contribution was due. Dig. lib. 14, tit. 2, c. 5, c. 7. 1 Emerig, on Assur. ch. 12, s. 41, p. 612, p. 616. The language of the -Digest upon this last point is very expressive. Amiss® navis damnum cbllationis consortio non sarciturper eos, qui ¿aerees suas' naufragio liberarunt — nam hujus .mquitatem túne admitti placuit, cum' jactus remedio cseteris. in communi periculo, salvá, nave, consultum est. It is this language, which seems in á great -measure to. have created .the only doubt among the commentators as to the extent and operation of the r-ule; some of them having supposed that. the" safety of the ship (salvá nave) for the voyage, was in all cases indispensable to. found a claim to contribution; whereas others, with, far more accuracy and justness of interpretation, have held it to apply ¿s a.mere illustration of the general doctrine, to a jettison, made in the particular case, for the very purpose of saving the ship *339 and tfie residue of the cargo. In truth, the Roman law does not proceed upon any distinction as to the property sacrificed, whether it be ship or cargo, a part or the whole; but solely upon' the ground that the sacrifice is voluntary, to 'avert an imminent peril; and that it is in the event successful by accomplishing that purpose. And, •therefore, Bynkershoek has not hesitated, to declare the general principle to be, that whatever damage is done for the common bene*fit of all- is to bé contributed for by all; and that as.this obtains in a Variety of cases,, so especially by the Rhodian law it obtains .in cases of jettison. Genefaliter placeré potest, damnum pro utiíftate coihmuni' factum, commune esse, utque in variis speciebus id obtinere aliunde constat, sic ex lege Rhodia, cum máxime obtinet in jactu. Bynker. Quest. Priv. Juri. lib. 4, ch. 24, introd. These remarks seem proper td.be made in order to meet-the suggestions thrown out at the. argument, with'reference, to the actual, bearings of the Roman law on the question before the Court; and they may also serve in some measure to explain the true principles by which the question ought to. be decided.- In examining the foreign jurists, it will be found that there is far less disagreement among rihem than has been generally supposed. ■All of them that have come within our own researches, or those of counsel, admit that a Voluntary stranding ófahe'ship constitutes, a case of general avérage; if there is not a total loss of the ship. Emerigon in one -passage lays.down the doctrine in the following broad language. . “ It Sometimes happens that, to escape from an enemy or-to avoid an absolute shipwreck, the ship is run on shore in a place which appears the least dangerous.- The -damage suffered on this account is -a general average,-because it has been done for th'e common safety.” 1 Emerigon Assur. ch. 12, s. 13, p.,408. .-And for this he relies upon the Consólato del' Mare, upon Roccus, Targa, Caseregis, and'Valin. It is true that in another place he says, “ The.damages which happen by stranding are a simple average for the account of the. proprietors;” citing the French ordinance: and then adds, “ But it wifl be. a general average , if the stranding has been voluntarily made for . the .common safety, provided- always that ■the ship be again set. afloat; for if the-stranding be followed by shipwreck, then it is, save who can.” 1 Emerigon Assur. ch. 12, s. 13, p. 614. And he then refers to the case of jettison, where the ship .is not saved thereby, in which case there is no-, contribution. Emerigon Assur. ch. 12, s. 13, p. 616. Now the analogy between 'the two cases is far from'being so cléar or só close as Emerigon has supposed.' In the case of the jettison to avoid foundering ór shipwreck,-if the calamity occurs, the object is not attained. But in the cáse of, the strandnig, whatever is saved, is saved, by the common - sacrifice of the ship; although the damage to her may have been greater than was expected. Surely the question of contribution cannot depend upon the amount of the damage sustained by the sacrifice; for that w6uld.be to say, that if-a man lost all his property for the common benefit, he should receive nothing; but if he *340 lost a part only he should receive full compensation. No such principle is applied to the total loss of goods sacrificed for the common safety: why then should it be applied to the total loss of the ship for the like' purpose ? It may be said-that unless the ship is got' off the voyage cannot be .performed for the cargo; .and the. safety and piosecution of the voyage are essential to entitle the owner to a-contribution. But this principle is nowhere laid down in the foreign authorities; and certainly it has no foundation in the Roman law. It is the deliverance from an immediate impending peril, by a common sacrifice, which constitutes the essence of the, claim. The Roman law clearly shows this; for by that law it was .expressly declared,, that if by .a jettison in a . tempest, the ship was saved from the impending peril, and afterwards was submerged in another place, still contribution was due from- all the property which might jbe fished up, and saved from the calamity. Sed si navis, quae jntempestate jactio mercium unius mercatoris, levata est, in alio loco submersa est, et aliquorum merces per urinatores extractas sunt, 'data mercede, rationem haberi debere ejus, cujus merces in navigations levandae navis causa, jactse sunt ab his, qui postea sua per uri.natores servaverunt. Digest, lib. 14, tit. 2, l. 4, s. 1. Boucher Instit. au Droit Maritime, (1805,) p. 449. Abbott on Shipp. part 3, ch. 8, s. 13. And, besides, in a case like that now before' us, the cargo might be transshipped in another vessel, and the voyage be successiully performed.. But, in truth, it is the safety.of the .property, and not of the voyage, which constitutes the true, foundation of general average. If the" whole cargo were thrown overboard to insure the safety of the ship, the voyage might be losfbut nevertheless the ship must contribute to the jettisón. Why, then, if the ship is totally sacrificed for the 'safety of the cargo, should not the same rule apply ? Suppose a ship, with a cargo of cotton .on board, is struck by lightning and set on fire, and it becomes indispensable for the salvation of the cargo to sink the ship on a rocky bottom, and she is thereby totally lost — would not this constitute a case of contribution ? ■ Suppose a cargo of lime were accidentally to take fire in port, and it became necessary, in order to save the ship, that she should be submerged,and the cargo was thereby totally lost, but the ship was saved with but a trifling injury; would it not be a case of contribution ? As far ás we know, Emerigon stands alone among the foreign, jurists, in maintaining the qualification that it is necessary to a general average that' the ship should be got afloat again after a voluntary stranding. Valin certainly does no.t support it; for he only states, that if to avoid a total loss by shipwreck or capture, the master runs his vessel ashore, the damage which he shall suffer on that accotmt, and the expenses and the charge of putting her afloat again, áre general average; and he gives the reason, because all.has been done for the .common safety. 2 Valin, Com. 168. Ib. 205, 207, 209. See, also, 2 Bell. Com p. 589, 5 edit. 1826. Beyond all doubt, Valin is correct in this statement; but then he was merely.discussing the *341 pbint, whether the expenses of getting the ship afloat was, when she was got off, a subject of general average; and not the points whether, if the ship, was totally lost, the. whole lbss was not a general average. His reasoning wás diverso intuitu. On the-other hand, the Consolato del Mare, one of the earliest and most venerable collections of maritime law, lays.down the general rule, without any such qualification. Consolato del Mare, ch. 192, 193; Boucher, Consult dé la Mer, rch. 195,19.6, s. 487 — 494 ; as also does Roccus, in his Treatise de NgVibus et Naut. RoccUs de Nav. et Naut. n. 60. Indeed, it may be found stated in the samé general form in the Roman law, where it is said, without referring to the manner and extent - of the. damage, that the whole, damage voluntarily done to the ship for the common good, must bé borne by a common contribution. Sed si' volúntate vectorum, vei propter aliquem metum id detrimentum factum sit, hoc ipsum sarciri oportet. Dig. Lib. 14. tit. 2, c. 2, s. 1, c. 3,1. 5, s. 1. And Vinnius in his commentary, after speaking of an involuntary shipwreck, in which case there shall be no contribution, adds; that the damage suffered by a sacrifice made for the good of, all, to avoid a common danger,, is to’ be made good by the contribution- of all. Vinnius Packiittn Ad Legem Rhodiam,c. 5. Voet, in his commentary on the Digest, is far more explicit, and asserts, that if the ship is voluntarily run on. shore for the common safety, and thus has perished, the goods being saved, contribution is due. Voét ad Pand. lib. 14, tit. 2, s. 5. Bynkershoek has treated the' very question in his usual clear and luminous manner. After citing a decision of cfertain maritime judges of Amsterdam, who held that if a cable of the ship was voluntarily cut to avert a peril, and thereby the anchor as well as the cable was lost, contribution should not be made for the anchor, becausé there could not be said' to be. a voluntary jettison-; and who, also, for the like reason, held, that if the ship was. run on shore and lost, the goods should not contribute, because there could be no contribution unless the ship was saved, (quia nihil contribuitur, nisi salva nave:) he expressed his pointed disapprobation of the decision, saying, that it exhibited very little acuteness, for in all such cases the, goods cannot otherwise be saved, and the peril compels us to thé act; and the safety of the ship, in case of a jettison, is not otherwise sought than, the ship being saved, the goods may thereby be saved: and, therefore, the goods saved, and the damage occasioned thereby, ought to be subject to contribution. And he accordingly holds, that the loss of the ship, like the loss of her tackle, is to be deemed a general average, wherever she is sacrificed by a voluntary stranding for the general safety; insisting that this doctrine is fully supported by other authorities cited by him. The doctrine of the Amsterdam judges upon the principal point before them, has been utterly repudiated by all maritime nations in later times, as it seems to have had no foundation in any antecedent adjudications. See Cleirac Us et Coutumes de la Mer, art. 21 — 23. Indeed, there are early positive ordinances of some of the maritime states, which positively provide *342 for the very case of a total loss of the ship by a voluntary stranding as a general average; (as, for example, the ordinance of Konigsburg,) and others in which it'is not usually, if not necessarily, implied. ( See 2 Magens, 200, &c. It deserves consideration, also, that the modern maritime writers, Jacobsen, Benecke, and Stevens, all admit this is to be the result of the foreign jurisprudence and ordinances. Jacobsen Sea Laws, by Frick, b. 4, ch. 2, p. 358. Benecke on Insur. 219 — 221. Stevens on Average, 33, 34, edit. 1824. See 2 Bell’s Com. p. 589, 5th edit. 1826. Stevens, also,, notwithstanding his own opposition to th^, rule, admits that it appears to have, been the practice at Lloyd’s, as far back as the time of Mr. Weskett; ánd that recent opinions of eminent counsel in England, taken pn the very point, fully admit- and confirm it. Stevens on Average, 33 — 35, edit. 182,4. Dr. Browne, in his Treatise on the Civil and Admiralty Law, adopts the same opinion, saying, “ It has been disputed whether, when .a ship was voluntarily .run'ashore and lost,, but the cargo saved, it should contribute, because the rule was that no contribution took place when the ship was lost. But it was truly .held that the rulé would -be absurdly applied to á ease wheré the ship was grounded purposely to save the merchandise, and that with success.” 2 Browne’s Civil and Adm. Laws, 199 From this review of some,of the leading opinions in foreign jurisprudence, brief and impe'rfect as it.is, it seems to us that the weight of authority is decidedly in favour of the present.claim for general, average. In respect .to domestic authorities, we have already had occasion to intimate that there are conflicting adjudications. In Bradhurst vs. The Columbian Insurance Company, 9 Johns. Rep. 9, the Supreme Court óf New York held that where, a ship is voluntarily run ashore for the common good, and she is afterwards recovered, and performs the voyage, the damages resulting from this sacrifice, are to^e home as a general averaged But that where the ship is totally lost, it is not -a general average. The ground of this opinion, as pronounced by Mr. Chief Justice Kent, seems mainly to have been, that this was the just' exposition of the Rhódiari and "Román law, and that the weight of authority among foreign jurists clearly Supported it. With, great respect for the learned Court, we.have felt ourselv.es compelled to come to an opposite conclusion as to the true interpretation of the Roman text, and'of. the continental jurists. We agree with the learned Court, that when a ship is voluntarily Tun ashore, it does not,- of"course, follow that she is to he lost; The intention is not to destroy the Ship, but to place her in less, peril, if practicable, as well as the cargo. The act is hazardous to the ship and cargo, but it is done to escápe from- a more pressing danger; such as a storm, or the pursuit of an enemy, or pirate. But, then, the act is doné for the. common-safety; and if the, salvation of the cargo is accomplished thereby, it is.dígicült to perceive why, because from inevitable calamity the damage, has exceeded' the intention or expectation of the parties, the whole sacrifice should be borne by *343 the ship owner, when it has thereby accomplished the safety of the cargo. If one mast is cut away, and thereby another mast is unexpectedly and unintentionally álso carried away by the falling of the former, it has never been supposed , that both did hot come into the common contribution. If in the opening of the hatches, and the •jettison of some godds to lighten the ship, other goods are unexpectedly. and unintentionally, but accidentally, injured or destroyed, it has qever been doubted that; the latter were , to be brought into contribution, to the extent of the loss or damage.done to them. It is not like the case .of saving from a fire, tamquam ex incendio, save who cani. But it is like the saving of the cargo from destruction by fire, by the scutling and submersion of the ship.. Upon principle, therefore, we cannot say .that wé are satisfied that'the doctrine of the Supreme Court of New York can be maintained; for the general principle certainly is, that whatever is sacrificed voluntarily for the. common good, is to be recompensed by the common contribution of the property benefited ¡thereby. But the. same question has cohie before other American Courts; and has there, with the full authority of the New Y ork decision before them, received a directly opposite adjudication. Our late brother" Mr. Justice Washington, than whom few judges, had a clearer judgment, ór more patient spirit of inquiry, had the very point before "him in Caze vs. Reilly, 3 Wash. Cir. C. Rep. 298; and after the fullest argument,, and the most "extensive research into, foreign jurisprudence, he pronounced an opinion that there was nb difference between the case of a partial and that of a total loss of the ship, by a voluntary stranding, and that both constituted equally a case of general average, The Supreme vCourt of Pennsylvania had a sholrt time before, in Sims vs. Gurney, 4 Bin. Rep. 513; adopted the same doctrine; and again in Gray vs. Waln; 2 Serg. and Rawle, 229, úpona ré-argument of the whole matter, with all the subsequent lights which could be brought before it, adhered to that opinion: and this has ever since béen the "established law of that Court. Wé have examined the reasoning in these opinions, and Are. bound to say that it has our unqualified assent: and We follow without hesitation the doctrine, as well founded in authority and supported by principle, that a voluntary stranding of the ship, followed by a total loss of the. ship, but with a saving of the cargo, constitute when designed for the common safety a clear case of general average. Having disposed-of the main question, it now remains to say a few words as to sar^e minor points suggested at the argument. In the first place, as to the objection,.that here the stranding,does not appec” to nave been made after a consultation with the officers and crew, and with their advice. . There is no weight in this objection. A. consultation with'the officers may be highly proper in cases which admit of delay and deliberation, to repel the imputation of fashnéss and unnecessary stranding by the master. But if the propriety and necessity of the act are otherwise sufficiently made out, *344 there is ah end of the substance, of the objection. Indeed, in many if not most of the acts done on these melancholy occasions, there is little time for deliberation or consultation. What is to he done must often, in order to he successful, be done promptly and instantly by the master, upon his own judgment and responsibility. ' The peril Usually calls for action;? and skill, and intrepid personal decision, without discouraging others by timid doubts or hesitating movements. The very point was decided in Sims vs. Gurney, 4 Bin. Rep. 513, upon ground entirely satisfactory.' And it has been well remarked by more than one maritime jurist, that too scrupulous an adherence to- forms on such occasions, has justly a tendency to excite suspicions of fraud. Targa has stated, that in all his experience of sixty years, he never knew of but five cases of regular jettisons, all of which were .suspected of fraud, because the forms had. been too well observed. Abbott on Shipp, pt. 3, ch. 8, sec. 3. 1 Emerig. Assur. ch. 12, sec. 40, p. 605. The only other remaining point is, whether freight ought to have been brought into the account, either as a part of the loss, or of the Contributory value. The Auditor’s Report which was adopted by the Court, allowed the freight as a part of the loss, and also of the contributory value. It is perfectly clear that if a part of the loss, the freight ought also, to contribute. And it seems'to us, that as by the loss of the ship, the fréight was totally lost for the voyage, it was properly included in the loss, and as a sacrifice by the ship owner for the common benefit. The goods, if reshipped in another vessel must be presumed to be so for a new and correspondent freight to he borne by the ship owner- or .the shipper, according as the one or the other should peek te perform the entire voyage for his own benefit. The ship'owner could only earn the original freight by a transshipment; and if he abandoned that intent, the shipper must enter into a new contract and enterprise with others. In'the case of Caze vs. Reilly, 3 Wash. C. C. Rep. 298, although the objection as to freight was saved, if was abandoned at the argu-. ment.' In the .case, of Gray vs. Waln, 2 Serg. and Rawle, 229, the freight lost was expressly allowed in the general -average. No other objections have been taken to fhe Auditor’s Report, or his adjustment thereof; and therefore upon the other particulars of that adjustment we give no opinion. 7 Upon the whole our .opinion is that the- judgment of the Circuit Court ought to he affirmed, with costs. This cause came,on to he heard on the transcript of the record from the Circuit Court-of the United States, for the District of Columbia, holden in and for the co.unty of Alexandria, and was argued by counsel. On consideration whereof, it-is ordered and adjudged by this Court, that ¿he judgment of the said Circuit Court in this cause be, and the same is hereby, affirmed with costs and damages at the rate of six per centum per annum.