CHAPTER 156.
GENERAL PROVISIONS CONCERNING CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS.
AN ACT for the protection of the aids to navigation established by the authority of the United States Light House Board within the State of Delaware.
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Delaware in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same: That any person or persons who shall moor any vessel or vessels of any kind or name whatsoever, or any raft or any part of a raft to any buoy or beacon or day-mark placed in the waters of Delaware by the authority of the United States Light House Board, or shall, in any manner, hang on with any vessel or raft or part of a raft to any such buoy, beacon or day-mark, or shall willfully remove, damage or destroy any such buoy, beacon or day-mark, or shall cut down, remove, damage or destroy any beacon or beacons erected on land in this State by the authority of the said United States Light House Board, or having, through unavoidable accident, run down dragged from its position or in any way injured any buoy, beacon or day-mark as aforesaid, and shall fail to give notice as soon as practicable of having done so to the Light House Inspector of the District in which said buoy, beacon or day-mark may be located, shall for every such offence be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof before any court of competent jurisdiction, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed two hundred dollars, or by Imprisonment not to exceed three months; one-third of the fine in each case shall be paid to the informer and two-thirds thereof to the Light House Board to be used in repairing the said buoys and beacons.
SECTION 2. It shall be unlawful for any vessel to anchor on the range line of any range lights established by the United line of range States Light House Board in this State, and the master of any vessel so anchoring shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, Conviction and upon conviction thereof before any court of competent jurisdiction, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed fifty dollars; one-half of' the fine in each case to be paid to the informer and one-half to the State.
SECTION 3. The cost of repairing or replacing any such buoy, beacon or day-mark which may have been misplaced, damaged buoy to e or destroyed by any vessel or raft whatsoever, having been made fast to any such buoy, beacon or day-mark, shall, when the same shall be legally ascertained, be a lien upon such vessel or raft, and may be recovered against such vessel or raft, and the owner or owners thereof in any action of debt in any court of competent jurisdiction in this State.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
Passed at Dover, March 26, 1879.