THE MArffNE RECORD- MARINES LAW. upMMON camubiis. Prepared aprettly for the Marine llmnl: • Cominonuiirrlem may bo divided Into two general classes, curtlorn of goods, inoicliiin- dloo niftl properly andonrrlorsof perrons. With regard to theso classes dlll'eront cIcrvccb ■ of liability exUt for tlio non-pevformanoo of those dutlCB which are Imposed by .law up¬ on common carriers, which difference- will bo shown hereafter. First,, us a starting point, who aro common carriers? Tlio legal deflinltlon Is: "A common carrier la one who regularly undertakes,, for hire, either on liiml or on water, to c.arry goods, or goods and passengers, between different places fori tuoh bb may, offer." This dellnltlon liieludSs- railway, compa¬ nies, express companies, stage coach pruprl- .,0tors,tlve proprietors of all ships, boats and vessels employed In curr'nigc on regular ' routes, wagoners and carmen who carry as ' a regular employment from town to town or from plnco to place within the samo town, street railway companies and the proprietors of omnibus routes.' It does not Include ves- Bel owners who.omploy tli'elr vessels for particular voyages and on no especial routes «'■ they make contracts, nor draymen, nor others wht? take'.lohs on commission and have no regular route, nor does it apply to tug boatmen. Now this distinction is Im¬ portant to those engaged in these occupa¬ tions and to those Who transact business with thcin. At common law common car¬ riers were to a great extent insurers of the property put Intothclr hands and they were compelled.to accept and to transmit any freight brought to tliem for carriage. Tills, with some very few exceptions, Is the law to-day. They are held responsible for everything put into their hand*, the nut ot God and public enemies excepted. To this extent they are insurers. ' Ap to what niiiy'bo' called the act of God, it must bo something outside tlio ordinary events and something which no human fore¬ sight could foresee or control, as: Light- GENEBAL .NEWS. , Fishing' at Strawberry Island Is reported good. Ilanlnn 1b called tno aquatic lion, nml when he Mil his scull the lion can row'er. The Treasury Department has'Informa¬ tion that extciiBlvo smuggling In Chinamen U going on, and wlll.takn steps, to prevent it. Tlio tariff against Clilimmon Is prohibi¬ tory. Tlio peoplo of tlio United States ought to bo right on time, Wo mako overv yenr012,- 600 watches, bcsldos wearing an innneiiBe numbor which are Imported from other countries, , ■ • '• Steamer City of Pucjbla, of the Alexandre Hue, Captain Denkon, which arrived at Now York July 3d from Havana, mado tlio pas¬ sage In 2 days 23 hours and 3D inlnutcn, tho fastest tlmo on. record, . ., Five thousand Mormon converts arc ex¬ pected to arrive In Utah during tlio month of July, "The twin Telle of barbarism" scorns to llourlsh under Congressional law. These aro not paupers, but aro recruits for tho harems and open violators of all the laws of Goil and men. According to the Now York Journal tlio muhipllcatlon of steam heating pipes In the streets of the metropolis has already lesult TI1ECAMIUUA lltOX WUltKS. From flurprr'e Mrg nine for Augml. ■ At Johiisiiliunvii, In -tlio valley of tho Ciineinaugh..\vu encounter tho works of the Cambria 11<>ii Company, which roar and 'llama, proudly, iw II aw'uro .that-they con¬ stitute prubnidy iliu biggest. Vlngle iron and Bteol works In Mm WurlH. The company omploys8000(ipi'raiive»: lfl^po nine luriiaees going nl till* place niidMoiii- el'UU'li<<r«; lins perhaps eighty acres under roof at Johns¬ town i mines 700,(100 tni:» of coal for its own use, and docs anniiallv a biisihei,s nf >18,- 000.000 or $20,000,0110. . It prodiicodin 1881 45,000 tons of Iron mil* anil • WIMJOO'-tnns of steel, saying • nothing o| steel firings In quantity! holler Iron, . or the machinery maniifnctiirpd for Its own me. It Is worth recording that eminent foreign mechanicians luivo admitted that at Johnstown three times the amount ot" work is done which would he accompll-hed with the same plant In Europe, In and nut ot the shops and all through the yards wind forty miles of thick, on which Indus loaded with, ore,'coal, slag, or hot Ingots of steel are running every moment i<r two. eighteen locomotives being kept In iibu Joi- this purpose, and i-evitrnl staekless ,me« for running Into tho adjacent nilpcs. The steel-Ingots, liy-the-way, are (he largest steel ca'ti.ngs made anywhere, excepting Kruiip cannon, and weigh 55U0 pounds each, measuring eighteen inches and a half square, and yielding eight rail* apiece. The works .were founded at this spot with the Idea of utilizing the iron ore of the vicinity; hut steel has now become Its. nlng, earthquake-, somegreajjand extraordi¬ nary storm the like of whleli lias not beon before known within the memory of man. 'Ordinary severe storms, accidents, the burst¬ ing of boilers, collisions, etc., Would not be act of God. This you will bear In mind re¬ fers to curriers of goods. With regard to carriers of passengers the liability It, not so -ttrlct. They arc liable for the slightest negligence and luck of due cure, but not for accident unless accompanied with some ele¬ ment of neglect. This liability U applied with great strictness tu tho*e carriers who iiso steam as a motive jioiv'er. While car¬ riers ot persoinTTmnfut ln=i>rei8 of the lives and bodies ol their pu-scugern, they arc lia¬ ble fir their baggage the same ah other Irelght. This liability begins when the goods are presented or when tlio passenger pre¬ sents himself for transportation, jiml ends with the delivery, actual or constructive, at tliu terminus of the route, or ihedesliiiatlon of the gpo Is or individual. Carriers cannot limit thlo responsibility by posting printed notices at their depots and stopping places; but thev call make reasonable limitations by flirliiling them on the receipt which they give and which the consignor accepts, whereby he constructively assents to them. Still those must be reasonable. Carriers have a right to demand their pay In advance, ami to re!use the (ruuspoitatloii unices this is paid, and In the case of persons they have ir right to use reasonable force In expelling them for refusal to pay, or for Indecent or boisterous conduct which would constitute n nuisance. Curriers or persons who under¬ take to carry persons or goods gratuitously are lhuXe only for gross carelessness, or the ifultare W observe those piecuiitlous which "An ordinary man would exercise over IiIb own person or goode^ It is Impossible to present all the points of tills subject in a short newspaper.ar.tlcle. To moot nil points would require voliimos. These aro eomo of the prluolptil points wliloh nil should under- stand. cd'tn effectually warming tho Cr.oton water j supremo object, and ores arc brought from Itirnlslicd by the city, so that It'Is now de- Spain, Ireland, Elba, and Michigan, to mix ' A Havanu dispatch says aiiEugllBh steamor lias )ust arrived with the Intelligence that tho.stcsmer Niagara, of tho' New Yofk & Cuba, Mall fateauiBhlp Co., and which left New York on tho 7th for this port, has been burned off the coast of Florida. Tho pas- 'Mniters were all saved and brought here by Jbftabovo mentlouod English steainor. Ilvcred hot in muny houses. Tills is a start¬ ling change, surely. A man by-tho name of Brown, at Boston, offers an opportunity for the Investment of capital that hat not been equaled since Kee- ley, of Philadelphia, gave his mysterious iiintoi to the world, Brow n has solved the problem of 'perpetual motion, he says, and only needs capital to develop the machine. Cenlllcatcs of incorporation of the Inter¬ national rlbcr and Juice Extracting Com¬ pany wire llled In New York. The captul stock is $1,500,000. Tim company is organ¬ ized to constriic: macliiucn lor the extrac¬ tion onibrrfrom flbronmilricrul and vegot- blo subsiances, iinilthc extraction of sap, Itikaaiu! oil from plants and vegetable sub¬ stances. / By a recent, decree of the South American Government the pprt-chargo hitherto known as "Light and Tonnage Dues" bus been abolished; and (lie vessels arriving in Chil¬ ean ports aro only liable for hospital dues, (10 cents per ton register), once in each cal¬ endar yeai. Vessels calling lor orders, and leaving a port without receiving stores or provisions arc exempt Irom this charge. Kngincer Hoebllng, l,he man who built the Brooklyn bihlge, ami has tor litteen year» been engaged at the work,- has now resigned because his services are' no longer needed. Mj. Hoebllng has a monument than which tlieie U none greater, ami Ids name ought to be chiseled on one'of the great pillars of the bridge, hi order that no man uanuroifs It without being iciiiinded ol his genius and fidelity. The Atlantic and Unit Coast Canal anil Okeechobee Land and hriiimig'c Company, composed mainly of riilladslphia capitalists, has ipceived lioin (he Stale of Florida an award of 333,as.") acres ol land located in the southern .portion of the peninsula, lor their reclamation operations In that State. This company has reclaimed nearly 1,500,000 acies of hind in Flotilla, and tiie work is still being .vigorously pin-hed torn aril. Quito a number ol vessels are having their loyal masts lidded In order that with the local brown hematites, 'Tho direct- coal flume Is not used In furlng the ore, but only the gases generated from coal. Tills In¬ tensified heat is stored in Wliltworih stovoj —immense Iron-tound cylinders like elilm- ileys, Inside of which (he temperature Is 170GO Fahrenheit. TheuciMt Is distributed tliimigh pipes wherever it is Wanted; but first the burning gases' aro passed through n re ceptucle'churged with water, which actually washes the lire, so as to remove various con¬ stituents that might coat uiid injure I lie tube* through which It Is conveyed. The calorific agent thus prepared not only sup¬ plies the turniices, but runs the hydraulic and other engines, and Is in part carried back to the stoves to begin over again. "So that," said Sir. Webb, (he general super iutendcut, "we conic as near to lifting our¬ selves by .our own toot-straps as is pos¬ sible." At Johnstown may be seen a lOOO-liorso- power engine ninkliig idncly revolution's a minute—sometime; hardly attemnted else¬ where; the sawing of rails, hot anil cold,; the puddling process; the Bessemer system'; and tlio l'ernot open-hearth method ot oxlila tInn. The must Interesting and impressive Is the Bes-eiiicr, which decarbonizes melted Iron In huge ennvrrtuM by forcing an air stream tliroiigll It. Fiist the silicon rushes out of the converter in a thick volume of orange flume; then the carbon, like white fire. When lliat is ovei, a.illl of snapping, scintillating splegellron \* let In, to mlnsile with the piiruiiou that Ilea candescent amid its own radiations ot peach hlo^soui-cclorcd light; and iilterwaid the perfected i-IitI is poured into quarter-ton Ingots as easily as if only cr<ani-C!indv drops were being laado. But when llie converter Is turned for pour¬ ing there s a rush of spaiks clear acloss the loiindi.v, niching like the rainbow and llery lis a loinct. The effect is i|s bc.-iVtiful as the whole mirk Is tierce nml prodigious. For the l'ernot process the Siemens tiirnacc is usiAl,' producing the most intense of all terrestrial heats. Yon look into a |>eephole of the open-hearth caldrons thiough a plate of bluii glass—without that your eyesight would lit extinguished—and sec the Iron there melted into a dead white wrinkled seuilllqn'ul, which l>»» precisely llie n|i- peiuunce nl n snow-drllt. Finally the pro¬ duct Is listed; how thoroughly may be judged when It l» mentioned thai steel fur the thooklwi Bridge wns required lo bend double In iiii'h-sijuiire roils without break¬ ing. The' Cumbilu Companv's monster has lltcudly eaten up our side ol the hill; ll these masts can be struck and set with great- ground on which it stands Is all undermined, and the pith of another hill across tiie Con¬ or ease mid facility than is now the ease. '1 ho cost of striking vessels' topmasts with their present rig is expensive and ranges from twentsdollars upwards. With the new Improvement It is said that tlio masts can be lowered and set by two men in u very uliort space of time, 'litis will be an advantage for (he high masted vessels which may have to pasB under the Brooklyn bridge; Andrew Lambert, second engineer of tho disabled Cunnrd steamship, performed 'an not ol personal bravery upon, tho explosion of the steam at the breaking ol the machin¬ ery. Instead of rushing up to the open air, the brnve man crawled Into the engine room and mado his way through the suffocating steam to tho valves, which ho turned oil'. The passengers felt that this act of Lambert, nt tho risk of his life, Bhotild not pass unno¬ ticed, nnd a purac of £70 pounds wus raised, and, together with a testimonial, it was pre¬ sented to tlio gallant engineer, , eniatigh I- giadiially being drawn out by the miner's pick. A line library in a charm- Ingly designed building Is placed at the ser¬ vice of the mechanics by their employers; but Johnston n itself Is a dispirited borough, shabby and dirtv. Darkness and desolation are apt to spread where manufacture gets a foot-hold; but the factories themselves ale grandly elemental enough to compensate. It is more In the streets and houses of the working peoplo that the need of beauty Is felt, to overcomo the discord which the works bring into picturesque highlands. THERE IS NO DEFYING IT. When tho youthful composers, Gilbert mid Sullivan, launched Pinafore, out upon the uncertain bcii of public favor they hud but little Idea of tho revolution they would cre¬ ate In the lino of comic opera. Tims it was with Dr.. Sway no when ho introduced Ids ointment for skfci diseases, Its appearance has been characterized by tliu curtailment of expense and thu^otul annihilation of scores of worthless nostrums. "Truth is mighty and will prevail," LAUNCH OF TIIE OREGON. ' From the GOunoioJteraM of June 23. Messrs. John Elder & Co., Fairfield, launched on Saturday tlio Oregon, .a mug. hideout and powerful vessel for thd Giilon lino of Ainorlcan mail steamers. Thluyvoc- sel is designed as an Improvcmcnt^pn -the Alaska, which 1b nt present'tho 'astest bout on tho Atlantic. She Ims liner linos than the famous Grcyttouiul, nnd as she has nlso considerably morolW&o powor. It Is expect- ' cd that she will excel tlio .performances of that vbsacl. Tho dimensions of tlio Oregon are us follows: Length over till, 520 Toot; breadth, Mlect; depth, 40 feet 0 Inches;' the gross tonnage is about 7,500 tons. Tho • vessel has In all live decks. The extremities' of tho upper deck are well protected by ox- ' tensive turtle decks, that nt tho forward part extending to, about 100 feet aft from tho stem. On tho third or main deck nccotnmo. dntlojui .ft.ro provided for 340 first-class, 02 second-class mid 110 third-class passengers. The flrst-i'lasn state rooms are jcplote with all tlio fittings tistinl In the highest class of passenger steamers. Tho llrst-cluss, dining saloon, which Is placed In the midship part ol tho vessel forward of the machinery space, Is a largo nnd magnificent apartment, 05 feel long by 54 feet wide and 0 feet In height, and It Is so arranged that nil the tlrst-cliiss • passengers can dine tngotlier. Aiupjo light mid ventilation are given to tlio saloon by a cupola 25 feet long by 15 feet wide, extend¬ ing up to u large skylight, which can bo kept open even in the stormiest weather. The state rooms tliroughotit'tlioslilp are so arranged that nearly all of thorn aro fitted for two passengers oillv, u groat luxury und . convenience to travellers who prefer to tnke a room to themselves. The second-class sn- loon Is situated abaft of the engine room and It will he fitted up so no to tend to the com¬ fort of the passengers. The whole of the after part above the jlggef oi-nfter-mnBt-Will be titled up In li substantial manner for the steerage passengers. The greatest cure lias been taken in the lighting, ventilation and sanitary arrangements throughout. A com- plete adoption ot the'elecliio lighten thOIn¬ candescent principle will be niado, adding greatly to the general effect of the tasteful decorations throughout. The Oregon Is di¬ vided Into eleven watertight compartments, and Is placed on the Admiralty list for wir purposes If required. An Immense crowd of people gathered In the yard and on tho opposite side of the river to witness the launch. When tlio ves¬ sel begun to leave the ways the spectators raised a cheer,'which was prolonged until tlio ship wa« fairly in the water, 'llie chris¬ tening ceremony was grncefully performed by Miss Carglll, daughter of Sir. D. S. Car- gill. After the launch u number of ladies and gqntleinen assembled In the inndeli-noin where cake and wine were served. Mr. 1'enrce, In proposing "Success to tlic Ore¬ gon," remarked that he tlinhglit she would be a fas.er ship than tho Alaska, which meant that she would he faster than any other ship fn the world. In this age of pro¬ gress, he thought, they might calculate that all the ships in the future—lie did not say individual ships—but all new lln«'s, and some ol the old lines, must put on ships that would be In advance, so far us speed was concerned, of anything that was built or building. ___ AN (iCEAN HAFT. l'timi llir 1'MUtMjilitii Inquirer A crowd ot curiosity-seekers congregated on the pier at Almond'street wliittf yester¬ day afternoon and gazed with eager eyes upon a quecr-aliiiped craft lying In the dock, upon which it was announced koine time ago that twoweather-lieaten "salts" liiteiul- ed to cross the Atlantic ocean. This odd little vessel is a cirtiunaraii yacht, and con¬ sists ol an inclosed rait, lustoned by beams running crosswuys to two wntcr-iighi bouts about the lehgth of an ordinary ship's barge and somewhat narrower. When In ballast the hox-llke uilt In which the'crew stow themselves i- several feet clear of (he water, and, except in a choppy sea or a squall, th(* Inti'ilor could he kept as dry as a masthead. Tho rigging Is wry light, the guff, boom uml Jib being no thicker than hi yachts of much s.....Her size. The must Is soinewliut stumpy, and is secured by iiumeioiia strong Stays. Several salts Bto,od around criticising her points, mid it was the Impression of one of them that us soon a^thc culiunuruli got out In a heavy sea the bout would part from the rnlt, which would then swamp. In fuel this theory was based on good grounds, for the oaken beams which arc fastened to the tightly-covered boats seemed entirely too Blight to hold out In a Sou of any kind. A young iiiuu who intends to sail In her on several trial trips, said tliu craft will bu given a thorough overhauling on the dry- dock, nnd the beams or cross-stays will be strengthened with wrought Iron braces, so that It will be Impossible to part the flouts while timber holds together. Both of the boats will bo given a thick covering of sheet Iron. 1'liey aro hollow, and eacli Is provided with an nlr-tlght hatch at the stern, wliloh can only be removed in calm weather with any safety. In the hold of ouch bout tho provisions will be stored. The craft has a remarkable speed, und on tho day of the tjuiiker City regatta, some weeks ago, she started with the yachts and rounded the buoy before any of them with only a Jib and staysail set to the breeze, •">