Repeals R. S., The provisions of this chapter shall not be construed Sec. 18. to extend to any subject or citizen of any foreign prince, 5291. state, colony, district, or people who is transiently within the United States and enlists or enters himself on board of any vessel of war, letter of marque, or privateer, which at the time of its arrival within the United States was fitted and equipped as such, or hires or retains another subject or citizen of the same foreign prince, state, colony, district, or people who is transiently within the United States to enlist or enter himself to serve such foreign prince, state, colony, district, or people on board such vessel of war, letter of marque, or privateer, if the United States shall then be at peace with such foreign prince, state, colony, district, or people. Nor shall they be construed to prevent the prosecution or punishment of treason, or of any piracy defined by the laws of the United States. 4, 1915. During the existence of a war to which the United H. J. R. Mar. States is not a party, and in order to prevent the neutrality of the United States from being violated by the use of its territory, its ports, or its territorial waters as the base of operations for the armed forces of a belligerent, contrary to the obligations imposed by the law of nations, the treaties to which the United States is a party, or contrary to the statutes of the United States, the President be, and he is hereby, authorized and empowered to direct the collectors of customs under the jurisdiction of the United States to withhold clearance from any vessel, American or foreign, which he has reasonable cause to believe to be about to carry fuel, arms, ammunition, men, or supplies to any warship, or tender, or supply ship of a belligerent nation, in violation of the obligations of the United States as a neutral nation. In case any such vessel shall depart or attempt to depart from the jurisdiction of the United States without clearance for any of the purposes above set forth, the owner or master or person or persons having charge or command of such vessel shall severally be liable to a fine of not less than $2,000 nor more than $10,000, or to imprisonment not to exceed two years, or both, and, in addition, such vessel shall be forfeited to the United States. The President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized and empowered to employ such part of the land or naval forces of the United States as shall be necessary to carry out the purposes of this resolution. The provisions of this resolution shall be deemed to extend to all land and water, continental or insular, within the jurisdiction of the United States. PART XL-GUANO ISLANDS. 410. Guano Islands. Whenever any citizen of the United States discovers a deposit of guano on any island, rock, or key, not within the lawful jurisdiction of any other government, and not occupied by the citizens of any other government, and takes peaceable possession thereof, and occupies the same, such island, rock, or key may, at the discretion of the President, be considered as appertaining to the United States. The discoverer shall, as soon as practicable, give notice, verified by affidavit, to the Department of State, of such discovery, occupation, and possession, describing the island, rock, or key, and the latitude and longitude. thereof, as near as may be, and showing that such possession was taken in the name of the United States; and shall furnish satisfactory evidence to the State Department that such island, rock, or key was not, at the time of the discovery thereof, or of the taking possession and occupation thereof by the claimants, in the possession or occupation of any other government or of the citizens of any other government, before the same shall be considered as appertaining to the United States. If the discoverer dies before perfecting proof of discovery or fully complying with the provisions of the preceding section, his widow, heir, executor, or administrator, shall be entitled to the benefits of such discovery, upon complying with the provisions of this Title [R. S., 5570-5578]; but nothing herein shall be held to impair any rights of discovery or any assignment by a discoverer heretofore recognized by the United States. The discoverer, or his assigns, being citizens of the United States, may be allowed, at the pleasure of Congress, the exclusive right of occupying such island, rocks, or keys, for the purpose of obtaining guano, and of selling and delivering the same to citizens of the United States, to be used therein, and may be allowed to charge and receive for every ton thereof delivered alongside a vessel, in proper tubs, within reach of ship's tackle, a sum not exceeding eight dollars per ton for the best quality, or four dollars for every ton taken while in its native place of deposit. No guano shall be taken from any such island, rock, or key, except for the use of the citizens of the United States or of persons resident therein. The discoverer, or his widow, heir, executor, administrator, or assigns, shall enter into bond, in such penalty and with such sureties as may be required by the President, to deliver the guano to citizens of the United States, for the purpose of being used therein, and to none others, and at the price prescribed, and to provide all necessary facilities for that purpose within a time to be fixed in the bond; and any breach of the provisions thereof shall be deemed a forfeiture of all rights accruing under and by virtue of this Title [R. S., 5570-5578]. This section shall, however, be suspended in relation to all persons who have complied with the provisions of this Title, for five years from and after the fourteenth day of July, eighteen hundred and seventy-two. The introduction of guano from such islands, rocks, or R. S., 5575. keys, shall be regulated as in the coasting trade between different parts of the United States, and the same laws shall govern the vessels concerned therein. All acts done, and offenses or crimes committed, on any R. S., 5576. such island, rock, or key, by persons who may land thereon, or in the water adjacent thereto, shall be deemed committed on the high seas, on board a merchant-ship or vessel belonging to the United States; and shall be punished according to the laws of the United States relating to such ships or vessels and offenses on the high seas, which laws for the purpose aforesaid are extended over such islands, rocks, and keys. The President is authorized, at his discretion, to em- R. S., 5577. ploy the land and naval forces of the United States to protect the rights of the discoverer or of his widow, heir, executor, administrator, or assigns. Nothing in this Title [R. S., 5570-5578] contained shall R. S., 5578. be construed as obliging the United States to retain possession of the islands, rocks, or keys, after the guano shall have been removed from the same. The crimes and offenses defined in this chapter [chap. Mar. 4, 1909. 11, act Mar. 4, 1909; see pp. 468–475] shall be punished as herein described: * * * On any island, rock, or key, containing deposits of guano, which may, at the discretion of the President, be considered as appertaining to the United States. Sec. 272. PART XLI.-MISCELLANEOUS. 411. Life-saving medals. 412. Rescuing shipwrecked American seamen. 413. School ships. 414. Instruction at military schools. 415. Instruction in shipbuilding. 416. Naval Militia. 417. North Atlantic fisheries. 418. Supplies for foreign war vessels. 419. Navy ration. 420. Export of arms to American countries. 421. Mines, torpedoes, and harbor defenses. 422. Sale of arms and liquors to Pacific islanders. June 20, 1874. May 4, 1882. 411. Life-saving medals. 423. Panama Canal. 424. Great Lakes-Atlantic Canal. 426. Employment of vessels of the poses. 427. Exemption of private property at sea. 428. Hospital ships. 431. Enforcement of navigation laws. 433. Assistance and salvage at sea. The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby directed to cause to be prepared medals of honor, with suitable devices, to be distinguished as life-saving medals of the first and second class, which shall be bestowed upon any persons who shall hereafter endanger their own lives in saving, or endeavouring to save lives from perils of the sea, within the United States, or upon any American vessel: Provided, That the medal of the first class shall be confined to cases of extreme and heroic daring; and that the medal of the second class shall be given in cases not sufficiently distinguished to deserve the medal of the first class: Provided, also, That no award of either medal shall be made to any person until sufficient evidence of his deserving shall have been filed with the Secretary of the Treasury and entered upon the records of the Department. The life-saving medals of the first and second class authorized by the provisions of the seventh section of the act of July twentieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, shall be hereafter designated as the gold and silver lifesaving medal respectively, and any person who has received or may hereafter receive either of said medals under the provisions of said section, or the twelfth section of the act of June eighteenth, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, and who shall again perform an act which would entitle him to a medal of the same class under said provisions, shall receive, and the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to award, in lieu of a second medal, a bar, suitably inscribed, of the same metal as the medal to which said person would be entitled, to be attached to a ribbon of such description as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe, which may be fastened to the medal already bestowed upon said person; and for every such additional act an additional bar may be added. And the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized, in his discretion, whenever any person becomes entitled to a bar representing a gold medal, to award him, in addition to said bar, such token as it is customary to award in acknowledgment of the services of masters and crews of foreign vessels in rescuing American citizens from shipwreck. Sec. 12. The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to June 18, 1878. bestow the life-saving medal of the second class upon persons making such signal exertions in rescuing and succoring the shipwrecked, and saving persons from drowning, as, in his opinion, shall merit such recognition. So much of the acts relating to the Life-Saving Service Jan. 21, 1897. approved June twentieth, eighteen hundred and seventyfour, June eighteenth, eighteen hundred and seventyeight, and May fourth, eighteen hundred and eighty-two, as provide for the award of life-saving medals shall be construed so as to empower the Secretary of the Treasury to bestow such medals upon persons making signal exertions in rescuing and succoring the shipwrecked and saving persons from drowning in the waters over which the United States has jurisdiction, whether the said persons making such exertions were or were not members of a life-saving crew, or whether or not such exertions were made in the vicinty of a life-saving station. 412. Rescuing shipwrecked American seamen. Expenses which may be incurred in the acknowledg- June 30, 1914. ment of the services of masters and crews of foreign ves sels in rescuing American seamen or citizens from shipwreck, four thousand five hundred dollars. 413. School ships. Mar. 3, 1881. The Secretary of the Navy, to promote nautical educa- June 20, 1874. tion, is hereby authorized and empowered to furnish, Mar. 4, 1911. upon the application in writing of the governor of a State, a suitable vessel of the navy, with all her apparel, charts, books, and instruments of navigation, provided the same can be spared without detriment to the naval service, to be used for the benefit of any nautical school, or school or college having a nautical branch, established at each of the following ports of the United States: Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Baltimore, Detroit, Saginaw, Michigan, Norfolk, and Corpus Christi, upon the condition that there shall be maintained at such port a school or branch of a school for the instruction of youths in navigation, steamshipmarine engineering, and all matters pertaining to the proper construction, equipment, and sailing of vessels or any particular branch thereof. |