Edwards

This is a libel, seeking damages to property and person, resulting from the collision between the yacht Arbutus, owned by two of the libelants (the Edwards-es), and the steamship Catalina, owned by the respondent and claimant, Wilmington Transportation Company.

The collision occurred in the fog about 5:04 p. m., April 10, 1936, on the Pacific Ocean about seven and one-half miles north of Catalina Island.

The Arbutus is a wooden cruiser yacht, 77 feet long, 15-foot beam, with a gross tonnage of 48, powered by a six-cylinder Atlas Imperial Diesel engine of 120 horsepower. Her engine is controlled from the pilothouse by levers located immediately to the right of the operator at the wheel. She is capable of making at full speed nine knots per hour.

.The Catalina is a twin-screw passenger vessel, powered with two triple expansion reciprocating steam engines, length overall 301 feet, 7 inches, length between perpendiculars 285 feet, beam 52 feet, moulded depth 21 feet, 1,766 gross tons, built to Class A-l, American Bureau.of Shipping, in 1924, and designed especially for the Santa Catalina Island run. -Signals to the engine room from the bridge are given by the usual telegraphs, of…