The President Wilson

The report and findings of Commissioner Ernest E. Williams are as follows:

To the Honorable Court above named:

Pursuant to an order heretofore made by the above-entitled court, I have taken testimony and I now have the honor to report as follows:

This action is a proceeding in rem against the American Steamship President Wilson to recover for the loss of 2,640 bags of sugar which were totally destroyed by fire on board the Rideout Barge No. 8.

The facts have, in the main, been agreed to by stipulation between the parties. On June 24,1931, the libelant made a space contract for shipment of 1,000 tons of refined sugar on board the steamship President Wilson from San Francisco to New York, beginning July 2, 1931. The 2,640 bags consumed by fire were part of the 1,000 tons.

Previous shipments of sugar made by the libelant on steamers of the Dollar Steamship Lines, Inc., Limited (the steamship President Wilson belonged to the Dollar Line) established that it was the customary practice of the Dollar Steamship Lines, as a matter of its own convenience, and, at its own expense, to pick up the sugar on libelant’s sugar dock through the medium of barges, and then transport said sugar…