Is Puget Sound an Inland Sea?
A landmark federal court ruling determines that Puget Sound is open sea, preventing shipowners from claiming 'inland' liability protections.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Judge Greene has issued a decision regarding the steamer Josephine, which was involved in an alleged loss. The court was asked whether the vessel was being used in 'river or inland navigation' under the Revised Statutes, which would have limited the liability of the shipowner. Judge Greene held that Puget Sound is not 'inland navigation' in the statutory sense. The court noted that Puget Sound lies directly open to the sea, offering deep water and safe harborage for ships of the world, and that much of the local freighting is part of routes that extend to other states and foreign countries. The court concluded that navigation of waters traversed by ocean-going vessels is not 'inland navigation,' thereby maintaining uniformity in maritime law.
“Law abhors inequality. Maritime law especially reaches out after uniformity.”
This 1883 ruling helped cement Seattle's status as a deep-water international port rather than a mere river town. The legal struggle over maritime jurisdiction reflects the city's ongoing reliance on, and regulation of, the industrial waterfront.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.