Office of the Historian

No. 369.
Mr. Bayard to Mr. McLane.

Department of State,
Washington, March 1, 1888.
No. 306.]

Sir: With reference to your despatch No. 550, of the 15th ultimo, relative to the legislation by this Government stipulated for by article 12 of the international convention for the protection of submarine cables, I now inclose herewith, for official communication to the French Government, the text of the act of Congress approved February 29, 1888, which contains the required provisions for the protection of submarine cables.

I also inclose a copy of the President’s ratification of the declaration and final protocol of the international convention for the protection of submarine cables, which I will thank you to transmit to the foreign office, to be deposited with the other instruments relating to the subject.

I am, etc.,

T. F. Bayard.
[Inclosure in No. 306—Public—No. 14.]

AN ACT to carry into effect the International Convention of the fourteenth of March, eighteen hundred and eighty-four, for the protection of submarine cables.

Be it enacted by the Senate and Rouse of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That any person who shall willfully and wrongfully break or injure, or attempt to break or injure, or who shall in any manner procure, counsel, aid, abet, or be accessory to such breaking or injury, or attempt to break or injure, a submarine cable, in such manner as to interrupt or embarrass, in whole or in part, telegraphic communication, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or to a line not exceeding five thousand dollars, or to both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court.

  • Sec. 2. That any person who by culpable negligence shall break or injure a submarine cable in such manner as to interrupt or embarrass, in whole or in part, telegraphic communication, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, or to both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court.
  • Sec. 3. That the provisions of the foregoing sections shall not apply to a person who breaks or injures a cable in an effort to save the life or limb of himself or of any other person, or to save his own or any other vessel: Provided, That he takes reasonable precautions to avoid such breaking or injury.
  • Sec. 4. That the master of any vessel which, while engaged in laying or repairing submarine cables, shall fail to observe the rules concerning signals that have been or shall hereafter be adopted by the parties to the convention with a view to preventing collisions at sea; or the master of any vessel that, perceiving, or being able to perceive the said signals displayed upon a telegraph ship engaged in repairing a cable, shall not withdraw to or keep at a distance of at least one nautical mile; or the master of any vessel that seeing or being able to see buoys intended to mark the position of a cable when being laid or when out of order or broken, shall not keep at a distance of at least a quarter of a nautical mile, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month, or to a fine of not exceeding five hundred dollars.
  • Sec. 5. That the master of any fishing vessel who shall not keep his implements or nets at a distance of at least one nautical mile from a vessel engaged in laying or repairing a cable; or the master of any fishing vessel who shall not keep his implements or nets at a distance of at least a quarter of a nautical mile from a buoy or buoys intended to mark the position of a cable when being laid or when out of order or broken, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten days, or to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars, or to both such fire and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court: Provided, however, That fishing vessels, on perceiving or being able to perceive [Page 519] the said signals displayed on a telegraph ship, shall he allowed such time as may be necessary to obey the notice thus given; not exceeding twenty-four hours, during which period no obstacle shall be placed in the way of their operations.
  • Sec. 6. That for the purpose of carrying into effect the convention, a person commanding a ship of war of the United States or of any foreign state for the time being bound by the convention, or a ship specially commissioned by the Government of the United States or by the Government of such foreign state, may exercise and perform the duties vested in and imposed on such officer by the convention.
  • Sec. 7. That any person having the custody of the papers necessary for the preparation of the statements provided for in article ten of the convention who shall refuse to exhibit them, or shall violently resist persons having authority according to article ten of said convention to draw up statements of facts in the exercise of their functions, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding two years, or to a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars, or to both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court.
  • Sec. 8. That the penalties provided in this act for the breaking or injury of a submarine cable shall not be a bar to a suit for damages on account of such breaking or injury.
  • Sec. 9. That when an offense against this act shall have been committed by means of a vessel, or of any boat belonging to a vessel, the master of such vessel shall, unless some other person is shown to have been in charge of and navigating such vessel or boat, be deemed to have been in charge of and navigating the same, and be liable to be punished accordingly.
  • Sec. 10. That unless the context of this act otherwise requires, the term “vessel” shall be taken to mean every description of vessel used in navigation, in whatever way it is propelled; the term “master” shall be taken to include every person having command or charge of a vessel; and the term “person “to include a body of persons, corporate or incorporate. The term “convention” shall be taken to mean the International Convention for the Protection of Submarine Cables, made at Paris on the fourteenth day of May, eighteen hundred and eighty-four, and proclaimed by the President of the United States on the twenty-second day of May, eighteen hundred and eighty-five.
  • Sec. 11. That the provisions of the Revised Statutes from section forty-three hundred to section forty-three hundred and five, inclusive, for the summary trial of offenses against the navigation laws of the United States, shall extend to the trial of offenses against the provisions of sections four and five of this act.
  • Sec. 12. That the provisions of this act shall be held to apply only to cables to which the convention tor the time being applies.
  • Sec. 13. That the district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction over all offenses against this act and of all suits of a civil nature arising thereunder, whether the infraction complained of shall have been committed within the territorial waters of the United States or outside of the said waters: Provided, That in case such infraction is committed outside of the territorial waters of the United States the vessel on board of which it has been committed is a vessel of the United States. From the decrees and judgments of the district courts in actions and suits arising under this act appeals and writs of error shall be allowed as now provided by law in other cases. Criminal actions and proceedings for a violation of the provisions of this act shall be commenced and prosecuted in the district court for the district within which the offense was committed, and when not committed within any judicial district, then in the district court for the district within which the offender may be found; and suits of a civil nature may be commenced in the district court for any district within which the defendant may be found and shall be served with process.
Approved, February 29, 1888.