Silliman v. Oceanic Steamship Co.
Silliman v. Oceanic Steamship Co.
Opinion of the Court
OPINION OP THE COURT BY
Following are the agreed facts of this case:
The plaintiff purchased from defendant a ticket for passage of himself and baggage from Honolulu to San Francisco
The second steward having failed to find the valise,- the purser caused a very careful search to be made over the entire ship but the valise was not found, nor could any one be found who admitted having received such a valise.
The custom of the ships of defendant company with regard to cabin baggage is to receive it at the gang plank at the ship’s end thereof, when it is immediately removed by one of the ship’s stewards, unless the party having the baggage sees fit to take the baggage himself, to the passenger’s stateroom, or, if the number of the stateroom is not known, then it is taken by such stewards to the lower saloon. There are always a large number of stewards handy to the gang plank delegated to attend to such baggage, who can be called on to do this service. The fourth officer has nothing to do with baggage for the cabin. Plaintiff had no knowledge of the custom of the defendant company’s ships in handling baggage. There is no proof that the valise was or was not handed by the baggageman to one of the ship’s crew or officers, when it was brought on board.
The points of law to be decided are, first: Has delivery to defendant been proven ? Second, Is the defendant liable as a common carrier for the loss of the baggage ?
"We find that there was no delivery to the fourth officer. He was on the dock at the end of the ship’s gang plank checking baggage of passengers intended for the hold. The baggage in question being an unlocked telescopic basket or valise was intended for the cabin and for use of 'he passenger on the voyage. Clearly the officer’s statement to plaintiff that the “valise was probably on board,” and later, when said valise had been seen on board by plaintiff and this fact was stated to said officer, he replied that he “remembered seeing it on board” was not an acknowledgement that the valise was received by the
Was the deposit by the baggage expressman on the deck next to the saloon door a delivery? It was not delivered to one of the stewards whose duty it was A receive cabin baggage. The fact.that plaintiff found that his assigned stateroom was locked and that the purser was not then on board should have put him on the further inquiry of some employee of the defendant as to who would take delivery of the valise. Plaintiff’s ignorance of the defendant’s custom as to delivery of such baggage is no excuse when his manifest duty was to inquire what the custom was. Leaving a valise of this character in a place on the deck accessible to the public some time before the vessel sailed, it not being deposited in the custody of any one responsible, nor its place of deposit told to any one but to the fourth officer on the dock a ho had no duty in respect to it, is no delÍArery, and the defendant as a common carrier is not bound.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- R. D. SILLIMAN v. OCEANIC STEAMSHIP COMPANY
- Status
- Published