LOCAL REGULATIONS Regulations for the government of the port and the acts of the State legislature pertinent to the harbor are as follows: HARBOR MASTERS' DUTIES, NORFOLK, VA., 1916 1. They are charged with general and specific duties as defined in the rules, regulations, and orders of the commissioners, which have been or may be from time to time promulgated. 2. Their jurisdiction is concurrent over the harbor of Norfolk and Portsmouth and Norfolk County. 3. They are vested with authority to designate the anchorage grounds of all vessels, and are required to keep the channel way and track of steamers clear. 4. It is their duty to berth vessels at appropriate wharves and docks; and, when called upon by the proprietor or occupant of any wharf or dock to change the berth of any vessel lying at such occupant's premises, it is made their duty to move such vessel to some other wharf or to a safe anchorage in the stream. 5. They are charged with the execution of the police regulations which have been or may hereafter be adopted for the better government of the harbor, and, will report all delinquents and offenders to the committee on harbor police. 6. The harbor masters must see that the regulations forbidding vessels from anchoring in or obstructing the channel way, and all other regulations herein contained, are strictly observed, and in so doing they may board any vessel, speak her, or adopt any course that they may, in their discretion, deem best to carry out this object. 7. They are required to see that the regulations of the United States Government requiring fog horns to be blown or ships' bells rung by all vessels anchored within the harbor during the prevalence of fog are strictly conformed to, and will report all delinquents to the committee on harbor police. REGULATIONS REUIRED TO BE OBSERVED IN THE WATERS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE BOARD (June 1, 1916) Resolved, That the following rules and regulations be observed in the waters under the jurisdiction of this board, to go into effect June 1, 1916, and that all other rules inconsistent with the same and not contained herein be repealed: 1. Vessels having gunpowder, dynamite, nitroglycerin, or other high explosives on board shall anchor under the direction of the harbor master and shall keep a red flag flying during the day and a red light at night while receiving or discharging powder, dynamite, nitroglycerin, or other high explosives. 2. The handling of powder, dynamite, nitroglycerin, or other explosives to and from vessels in the harbor must be under the supervision of a harbor master, whose duty it is to see that every precaution against danger of ignition and explosion is adopted and rigidly observed. 3. All vessels at the end of wharves or in docks shall, when required, haul either way to accommodate vessels going in or coming out from such wharves or docks. They shall not occupy regular steamers' or sailing packets' berths without permission from the recognized occupants of such wharves and docks. They are required to rig in all fore and aft spars, have boats hoisted up under the bow, and davits turned up, as the harbor master may direct. 4. Vessels when not engaged in loading or discharging cargo shall give place to such vessels as are ready to receive or deliver freights. If the captain or person in charge of any vessel refuse to move such vessel when notified by the occupants of the wharf at which she is lying, the harbor master shall order him to haul to some other berth or in the stream, and should the captain or person in charge refuse to obey the orders of the harbor master, then the harbor master shall himself move the vessel at the owner's expense, by the use of steam tug if necessary. 5. Vessels entering the harbor and intending to come to anchor or dropping out from wharves or docks preparatory to departure must anchor under direction of a harbor master and are forbidden to anchor in the channel. 6. All vessels, boats, and lighters over 10 tons burden shall have at all times a ship keeper on board, and all such are required to move whenever ordered to do so by a harbor master, and no vessel, boat, or lighter shall anchor at or make fast to any wharf so as in any way to obstruct the passage of any regular ferryboat. 7. Whenever a harbor master shall require the services of a tug to enforce an order for the removal of a vessel against the will of the master, the charges of the tug, for such services, may be guaranteed to be paid by the board; but it shall be the duty of the harbor master to collect the costs, fines, and fees for such removal from the offending vessel in the manner provided by law. The harbor masters will see that due notice of this section is served on the masters of all vessels. 8. All vessels entering or leaving the harbor when approaching the Virginian piers near Sewalls Point shall reduce their speed at a distance of not less than 500 feet from the Virginian Railway piers, so as to do no damage. After passing the above piers they may increase their speed, using caution in passing tows and dredges. This applies to all wharves and docks along the water front. Any vessel violating this rule will be held responsible for any damage done thereby. 9. Nothing in these rules and regulations fixing the maximum speed permitted to vessels of the various classes shall be construed as exonerating any master or other officer in command of steamers from the use of all necessary care in so regulating the speed of their steamers to a lesser rate than is specified in said rules and regulations, so that no damage will result from the passage of their steamers to any vessel or craft of any sort or kind under way, anchored, or made fast to wharves or docks in said harbor within the limits prescribed by said rules and regulations. 10. The master or commander of any such vessel who shall enter or depart from said harbor within the above limits at a greater speed than here prescribed shall forfeit and pay a fine of $50 for each and every offense, one half the fine to go to the informer and the remaining half to go to the commissioner's fund for defraying expenses. 11. This order, so far as relates to the speed of steamers, is not intended to apply to regular ferry steamers. While this restriction as to the speed of steamers does not apply to ferryboats, it is understood and so ordered that the said ferryboats, owners or managers, shall be required so to sheathe the piles in their docks as to prevent the waves from damaging contiguous property. 12. The harbor masters have full authority, and they are hereby required so to regulate the manner in which a vessel shall lie at any of the wharves, that the facilities for discharging and receiving cargoes may be afforded as generally as may be practicable and as will best promote the public interest. Any person having charge of any vessel who shall refuse or neglect to obey the harbor master in carrying out this section shall forfeit and pay a fine of $5 for each and every offense. 13. No person in charge of any ship or vessel shall permit any fire to be kept on the deck thereof while lying at any wharf or dock within the harbor, between the hours of 10 o'clock at night and 5 o'clock in the morning from the 1st of April to the 1st of October, and between the hours of 9 o'clock at night and 6 o'clock in the morning, from the 1st of October to the 1st of April. Anyone offending against this section shall forfeit and pay a fine of $20 for each and every offense. 14. Stone, ballast, sand, manure, oyster shells, ashes, or dirt of any kind whatsoever shall not be taken on board or landed from any vessel lying at a public or private wharf, under a penalty of $20, unless the master of such vessel first obtain the written permission of a harbor master. The harbor masters are required before granting permission as aforesaid to see that the master of such vessel has taken all necessary precaution to prevent injury to the navigation of the harbor by any such articles falling therein. 15. If any person shall cast or throw any ballast, dirt, ashes, oyster shells, filth, or trash into the water in any part of the harbor of Norfolk or Portsmouth, or on the shores of said harbor below high water mark, unless for the purpose of making a wharf, after permission obtained for same, and which wharf shall be sufficiently inclosed and secured so as to prevent injury to such navigation, person so offending shall forfeit and pay for every offense not less than $20 nor more than $50, one half to the informer and the remaining half to the commissioner's fund. 16. If any vessel shall be lying in any dock, or at the entrance thereof, so as to obstruct any vessel that shall be coming into the same, the vessel so obstructing, unless actually engaged in loading or unloading, and then if deemed expedient by the harbor master, shall be removed to such place as shall be necessary to give room to the passing vessel, under a penalty at the rate of $5 per hour for the delay which shall be occasioned to the passing vessel, unless in cases where some unavoidable casualty or accident may make it impracticable to remove such obstructing vessel. 17. It shall be the duty of the captain or other person having in charge any vessel lying at any of the wharves or docks to top the yards, rig in the jib booms, and place the anchor or anchors on the deck of such vessel whenever required to do so by the harbor master, or the occupant of any wharf or his agent, and any person having charge of any vessel who shall neglect or refuse to obey the directions aforesaid shall forfeit and pay a fine of $5 for each and every offense. 18. No ballast of any kind shall be landed on any wharf or dock in the harbor, except by permission and under the supervision of the harbor masters, who are directed to see that every precaution is observed to prevent its falling into the water. Anyone offending against this section shall forfeit and pay a fine of not less than $5 nor more than $20. No tows exceeding 700 feet in length shall enter or depart from the harbor, under a penalty of $20 fine. 19. No pitch, tar, or other inflammable matter shall be heated on board any vessel lying at any wharf or dock in the harbor; but the same may be done on a floating stage or lighter. Penalty, $5 for every offense. 20. Vessels whose draft of water will admit of loading on the flats out of the way of passing steamers will be permitted so to load, but no vessel whose draft of water when loaded is over 8 feet will be allowed to load in the stream, except in cases of emergency, and then only by special permission from the harbor commissioners. 21. Shooting from the deck of any vessel or boat within the harbor is positively prohibited. Any violation of this order will subject the party so offending to a fine of $5. 22. Should any steamer plying in this harbor use wood as fuel, "spark catcher," or some other effectual spark extinguisher must be attached to the smokestacks |