Navy Saved

Federal District Judge Ernest F. Cochran of Charleston, S. C. last week saved the entire navy of Santo Domingo from being swept from the seas. The Dominican fleet consists of one ship, a lumbering motor tanker named Arminda. Last November the Arminda sailed from Charleston for home with a cargo and 39 Dominicans returning to their country after fleeing the hurricane of 1930. The tanker ran into dirty weather. It was forced to signal for help. Promptly the Norwegian tanker Norwold shifted her course, picked up the floundering Arminda and towed her back to Charleston.

The Norsemen did not do it for love. By admiralty law salvagers are entitled to a sum fixed by an admiralty judge. Papers filed in a suit to collect such a sum are called by sea-lawyers a "libel" (Latin: libellus, a little book). To get their money the owners of the Norwold filed a libel attaching the Arminda and her cargo. Judge Cochran ruled last week that since the Arminda is officially a warship belonging to a nation friendly to the U. S., the Norsemen could not libel the ship herself. He suggested that they file separate papers against her cargo.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.