Art. XIV. If two ships under steam are crossing so as to involve risk of collision the ship which has the ether on her own etarboa;c1 side shall keep out of the way of the other.
Art. XV. If two ships, one of whieb is a sailing ship and the other a steamship, are proceeding in such direction as to involve risk of collision, the steamship shall keep out of the way of the sailing ship.
Art. XVI. Every steamship, when approaching another ship so as to involve risk of eollision, shall slacken her speed, or, if necessary, stop and reverse; and every steamship shall, when in a fog, ge at moderate speed.
Art. XVII. Every' 'vessel overtaking any other vessel shall keep out of the way of the said last mentioned vessel.
Art. XVIII. Where, by the. above rnlee, one of two ships is to keep out of the way, the other shall keep her oourse, subject to the qualifications Cep.' tained in the following article.
14. Art. XIX. In obeying and construing then rules, dne regard must be ha,d to all dangers of navigation; and due regard must also be had to nny speoini circumstances which may exist in any particular case, Tendering n departure from the above rules necessary in order to avoid immediate danger.
Art. XX. Nothing in these rules shall exonerate nny ship, or the owner or master or crew thereof, from the consequences of any neglect to carry lights or signals, or of any neglect to keep R pro per look-out, or of the neglect of any precaution which may be required by the ordinary practice nf seamen, or by the special eircumstantes of the ease.
15. It is evident that these rules and rep lations were intended to supersede all other rules of navigation, and every other system of vessels' lights, wherever they may be adopted. They establish a well-devised and complete system of vessels' lights, and fur nish plain and simple rules of navigation applicable to all the ordinary cases of vessels approaching each other under such circum stances as to involve the risk of collision,— leaving extraordinary cases, such as the meeting of vessels in extremely narrow or other very difficult channels (in respect to which no safe general rule cau be devised), to the practical good sense and professional skill of those in charge of such vessels. To
such cases, and to cases in which one vessel bas been suddenly and unexpectedly brought into circumstances of immediate danger en tirely through the fault or mismanagement of' another, or by inevitable accident. the. ex ceptions contained in article 19 will apply. But a departure from these rules, to be Justi fiable even in such cases, must be -necessary in order to avoid immediate danger. But that necessity must not have been caused by the negligence or fault of the party disobey ing the rule ; and courts of admiralty lean against these exceptions. 11 N. Y. Leg. Ohs. 353, 355 ; 18 How. 581, 583 ; 1 W. Rob. Adm. 157, 478. And see 2 Curt. C. C. 141, 363 ; 18 How. 581.
16. The maritime law, however, requires that in collision cases every violation of a rule of navigation, and every other act or omission alleged to be a fault, shall be con sidered in connection with all the attending circumstances ; and when by inevitable acci dent, or the fault of one of two colliding vessels, a vessel free from fault is suddenly brought into such circumstances of imminent danger as probably to render the deliberate or proper exercise of the judgment and skill of an experienced seaman impossible, an error of judgment, or other mistake, is not regarded as a legal fault. 3 Blatcht C. C. 92 ; 12 How. 461.
The proper and continual exhibition of the bright and coloured lights which these rules and regulations prescribe, and their careful observance by the officer of the deck and the look-oat of every vessel, constitute tbe very foundation of the system of navigation esta blished by such rules and regulations. The exhibition of such lights, and the strict com pliance with the rules in respect to stationing !Ind ke,eping a competent and careful person In the Droner niece and exclusively devoted to the discharge of the duties of a look-ont. are of the utmost importance.