The Colusa

Libelant was injured while a seaman on board the steamship Colusa, because of the flying open of a pelican hook on the turnbuckle, with which he was lashing a deck load of lumber. The hook was jointed so that it could open and close, and to hold it in place when closed a ring was slipped down over its top, the ring being on the shank or immovable portion, and when slipped over the top of the movable portion held it fast .to the shank and prevented it from opening. Near the point of the movable portion there was a hole through the hook in which, when the ring was in place a pin should be inserted, the protruding ends of which would keep the ring from slipping off over the end of the hook, and thus insure that the hook would not open when pressure was put upon it by means of the turnbuckle. The contrivance was perfectly safe to use so long as the pin was in place, and kept the ring from slipping off. Instead of a split pin which might be spread so that it would not slip out of the hole when the turnbuckle was turned, a nail was used on the day of the accident which slipped out of the hole when the head of the nail was brought to the lower side in turning the turnbuckle. This…