The Fort George’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

9 federal appellate · 5 district ·

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 16 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““It is obvious that the expedition down the river could not have been taken under the joint command of the master of the tug, and the pilot of the bark. There can be no divided responsibility in such cases. Conference, discussion and agreement as to what course to pursue, when danger threatens, between two vessels, separated by a 70-fathom hawser, is out of the question. Some oue must be in command. We understand the rule to bo, in the absence of any agreement to the contrary, that, when the tug supplies the motive power, she becomes the dominant mind and the tow is required to follow directions from the tug. * * * It is probable that no sane tug master would accept a service so commanded; but, if he had done so, it is more than likely that disaster would have occurred much sooner than it did. * * * There was nothing to indicate to those on the bark that there was any special danger to he encountered in passing the ridges. * * * For aught that appeared to the contrary, the bark was justified in thinking that the tug felt herself fully able to cope with the situation, even if the bark ‘sucked the bottom.’ * * * Those on the bark had a right to assume that the tug knew her own business and would pass the dredges safely.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. The Cromwell