OFFICERS AND MERCHANT SEAMEN 203 



State, except vessels of the burden of seventy-five tons or upward, 

 bound from a port on the Atlantic to a port on the Pacific, or vice 

 versa, sliall, before he proceeds on such voyage, make an agreement in 

 writing or in print, with every seaman on board such vessel except such 

 as shall be apprentice or servant to himself or owners, declaring the 

 voyage or term of time for which such seaman shall be shipped. (R.S. 

 §4520.) 



Penalty for shipping without articles 



46 U.S.C. 575 (R.S. 4521) 



If any master of such vessel of the burden of fifty tons or upward 

 shall carry out any seaman or mariner, except apprentices or servants, 

 without such contract or agreement being firet made and signed by 

 the seamen, such master shall pay to every such seaman the highest 

 price or wages which shall have been given at the port or place where 

 such seaman was shipped, for a similar voyage, within three months 

 next before the time of such shipping, if such seaman shall perform 

 such voyage: or if not, then for such time as he shall continue to do 

 duty on board such vessel ; and shall moreover be liable to a penalty 

 of $20 for every such seaman, recoverable, one half to the use of the 

 pei*son prosecuting for the same, and the other half to the use of the 

 United States. Any seaman who has not signed such a contract shall 

 not l>e bound by the regulations nor subject to the j^enalties and for- 

 feitures contained in title 53 of the Revised Statutes. (R.S. § 4521.) 



Penalty for omitting to begin voyage 



46 U.S.C. 576 (R.S. 4522) 



At the foot of every such contract to ship upon such a vessel of the 

 burden of fifty tons or upward there shall be a memorandum in writing 

 of the day and the hour when such seaman who shipped and subscribed 

 shall render himself on board to begin the voyage agreed upon. If 

 any seaman shall neglect to render himself on board the vessel for 

 wliich he has shipped at the time mentioned in such memorandum 

 without giving twenty-four hours' notice of his inability to do so, and 

 if the master of the vessel shall, on the day in which such neglect hap- 

 pened, make an entry in the log book of such vessel of the name of 

 such seaman, and shall in like manner note the time that he so ne- 

 irlpcted to render himself after the time appointed, then every such 

 seaman shall forfeit for every hour which he shall so neglect to render 

 himself one-half of one day's pay, according to the rate of wages 

 agreed upon, to be deductecl out of the wages. If any such seaman 

 sliall wholly neglect to render himself on board of such vessel, or 

 liaving rendered himself on board shall afterwards desert, he shall 

 forfeit all of his wages or emoluments which he has then earned. This 

 sertion shall not apply to fishing or whaling vessels or yachts. (R.S. 

 §4522; Feb. 27, 1877, ch. 69, § 1, 19 Stat. 252; Dec. 21, 1898, ch. 28, 

 §§ 2, 26, 30 Stat. 755, 764.) 



Posting copy of agreement 



46 U.S.C. 577 (R.S. 4519) 



The master shall, at the commencement of every voyage or engage- 

 ment, cause a legible copy of the agreement, omitting signatures, to be 



