1. Shipping — Limitation of Liability — Owner’s Privity or Knowledge.

In a proceeding under Rev. St. §§ 4283-4289, for the limitation of the liability of a corporation, owner of a steam vessel which has been damaged by the explosion of her boiler, privity or knowledge of a defective condition of the boiler is not to be imputed to the corporation unless the defects were apparent, and of such a character as to be detected by, the inspection of an unskilled person, if the corporation has in good faith employed a competent person to inspect the boiler. Accordingly, held, that where a corporation owning a steam vessel had delegated to a competent and skilled marine engineer the duty of inspecting the boiler on such vessel, and supervising the repair thereof, it was entitled to limit its liability for damage resulting from an explosion of the boiler through a defect not apparent to an unskilled person, although there had been negligence on the part of some of its employes in the inspection or repair of the boiler.

2. Same.

If the government inspectors of steam vessels fail to discharge properly their duty of inspection of a vessel, privity or knowledge of defects which would have been revealed by a proper inspection is not to be imputed to a corporation owning the vessel, which has delegated the matter of the inspection of the vessel to a competent employs.

3. Same — Evidence.

In a proceeding under Rev. St. § 4283, for the limitation of the liability of a shipowner, where it appears that such owner is a railroad corporation, havjng its home office a long distance from the place where the vessel was operated, it is not necessary to show by direct testimony that the principal officers of such corporation at such home office had no personal knowledge of the condition of such vessel, or of the steps taken to inspect and repair her.

4. Same — Rev. St. § 4493 — Act June 26, 1884.

Rev. St. § 4493, making exceptions, in favor of passengers, from the rule of limitation of liability of a shipowner under Rev. St. §§ 4283-4289, is not repealed by Act June 26, 1884 (1 Supp. Rev. St. 440).

5. Same — Inspection of Steam-Vessel Repairs.

It is as much the duty of an owner óf a steamship, under Rev. St. § 4418, to cause an inspection of a boiler which has been repaired in a substantial part, as to cause an inspection of a new boiler, before using the same; and a failure to cause such inspection will render the owner of the vessel liable, under Rev. St. § 4493, to a passenger injured in consequence of the explosion of the boiler.

6. Same.

A failure to comply with the steamboat inspection law may be invoked to prove that a shipowner is not entitled to a limitation of liability under Rev. St. § 4283, though it is not set up in the pleadings of the parties to the proceeding for limitation.