NAVIGATION LAWS (ante). In regard to United States laws of navigation affecting the property in and management of ships, see SHIPPING, LAW OF. Only the regulation of congress in regard to the motions of ships coming near each other in such a way as to make a collision possible will be here considered. These regulations. which will be car ried into effect in the courts of the United States, are also enforced in most commercial countries; and have taken the place of the general rules of the maritime law. They are the same which were adopted by France and Great Britain in 1863, and have sine& been agreed to by the United States and Canada, the chief continental commercial powers, Brazil, and the South American republics. Every steamship under sail and not under steam is to be considered a sailing-ship; mid every steamship under steam, whether under sail or not, is to be considered a ship under steam. Every steam vessel under way must carry at the foremast head a white light; on the port side a red light; on the star board side a green light; and both the green and red side-lights are to be fitted with inboard screens so as to keep the lights from being seen across the bow. Steamships towing other ships must carry two bright white lights vertically beside their side-lights to prevent them from being confounded with other steamships. Sailing shipsunderway,
or being towed, carry the same lights as steamships, with the exception of mast-head lights. Both steamships and sailing-vessels, when at anchor in roadsteads, shall exhibit a white light. Sailing pilot-vessels carry a white light at the mast-head, and show a fiare-up light every 15 minutes. In case of a fog signals are to be sounded at least every 5 minutes. Steamships and sailing-vessels not wider way sound a bell. Steamships under way sound a steam-whistle. Sailing vessels under way sound a fog-horn. A steam ship coming near enough to a ship to make collision probable must stop and reverse. If two ships under steam are crossing each other, the ship which has the other on her starboard side must keep out of the other's way. If two sailing-Ships meet end on so as to hazard collision the helms of both shall be put to port; and so with steamships. A vessel overtaking another must keep out of the latter's way. If two sailing-ships cross each other with the wind on different sides the one with the wind on the port side must keep out of the way of the one with the wind on the starboard side; but if they have the wind on the same side, or one has the wind aft, the one to windward must keep out of way of the one to leeward.