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vessel in distress, or by the merchant whose vessel or goods
shall be saved, and in default thereof the vessel or goods shall
remain in the custody of the wreck-master until all charges be
paid, or security given for that purpose, to the satisfaction of the
parties; and in case the parties shall disagree, touching the
moneys deserved by the persons employed, it shall be lawful
for the commander of such vessel saved, or the owner, super-
cargo or factor of the goods or merchandise saved, to call on
either of the associate justices of the said county, giving the
parties interested at least five days' notice of the time and place,
for determining the quantum of salvage or compensation to be
paid, who is hereby authorized to determine the same in a sum-
mary way, and whose judgment and determination shall be
conclusive ; and if the amount of such salvage so to be ad-
judged be not paid within thirty days thereafter, the wreck-
master is hereby authorized to sell any of the goods, wares,
merchandise, or articles saved to the amount of the judgment,
so determined by the associate justice, from whose judgment
or decision an appeal shall lie to the chief justice of the district,
by any person or persons who shall or may consider him or
themselves aggrieved by such determination of the associate
justice, whose duty it shall be to determine the same within
thirty days after such appeal, and if no appeal shall be made
within ten days after such determination and decision of the
associate justice aforesaid, such determination and decision
shall be final and conclusive ; and if no person shall claim the
goods saved, the wreck-master shall take possession thereof,
and cause a true description of the marks, numbers and kinds
of such goods, to be advertised four weeks in the Easton, Bal-
timore and Philadelphia newspapers ; and if no person shall
claim the same within three months, public sale shall be made
thereof by the said wreck-master, (but if perishable the goods
shall be forthwith sold,) and after charges deducted, the residue
of the money, with an account of the whole, shall be transmit-
ted to the treasurer, who shall keep an account of the same for
the benefit of the owners or insurers, who, upon proof of his,
her or their property, to the satisfaction of the auditor, shall,
upon his warrant, receive the same; if any person, besides
those empowered by the wreck-master, shall enter or endeavour
to enter on board any vessel in distress, without the leave of
the commanding officer, or in case any person shall molest him
or them in saving the vessel or goods, or shall endeavour to
hinder the saving such vessel or goods, or shall deface the
marks of any such goods before they be taken down in a book
by the wreck-master, every person shall forfeit and pay the sum
of fifty pounds, to be recovered, with costs, by action of debt in
any court of record within this state, and applied to the use of the
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A wreck-
master to
be appoint-
ed, &c.
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