DISTRICT COURT FOR THE CANAL ZONE.

700 yards in width, and is north of and 4,100 yards from the end of the Cristobal Mole near Pier 6.
The West Himrod is a somewhat larger vessel than the Wolsum. The latter is a Holland steel vessel, and on April 2d, 1922, was laden with a cargo of lumber and bound on a voyage to South Africa. The former, under the Act of Congress of June 15, 1920, is a steamer of the United States, and at the time in question was loaded with 6,300 tons, approximately, of sugar, bound for Vancouver, B. C., from a Cuban port. In approaching each other the Wolsum was proceeding in a northerly direction out of the Colon-Cristobal Harbor toward the arribbean Sea, and the West Himrod was proceeding in a generally southeastern course until opposite the entrance between the breakwaters, at which place it intended to assume a generally southern course between the breakwaters into the said Colon-Cristobal Harbor. This harbor itself is formed and protected by the breakwaters which separate the Carribbean Sea and Limon Bay From 6.10 o'clock, p. m., when the Wolsum passed the end of the Cristobal Mole, the mast and side lights of each steamship were burning brightly, as were the lights on the ends of the breakwater and as were the buoy lights in the harbor and the many ones on shore. Neither the master nor any other officer of the Wolsum having anything to do with the ship's navigation had ever been in the Canal Zone waters prior to the one trip referred to in this proceeding. The master of the West Himrod on four prior occasions had passed through the Canal and Cristobal Harbor from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and had one former experience in navigating the same route in an opposite direction except that he then approached the entrance to the Cristobal Harbor from the east instead of from the northwest.
It is claimed in substance by libellant that the West Himrod at the time and place in question was negligently navigated, and that such negligence was the direct and proximate cause of the collision and the damages sustained by it. Some of the specifications set forth and urged by said libellant as amounting to a display of poor seamanship on the part of the West Himrod are:
1st. That it approached the Cristobal entrance of the harbor at an excessive rate of speed.
2d. That its operation and maneuvering from the time of approaching near to the harbor's entrance until the collision occurred were improper and unskillful.
3d. That it attempted to cross the line between the ends of the two breakwaters at too acute an angle.
4th. That it was on the wrong and east half of the entrance channel when and where the collision took place.
5th. That it did not comply with its own signals as to its course.
All of the testimony is now in typewritten form. No occasion consequently exists for setting out now any detailed statement of facts.