RS 953 - Ships required to take pilots
All ships and vessels inward or outward bound throughout the entrances of the Mississippi River or other inland waterway connecting the port of New Orleans with the Gulf of Mexico, or other outside waters, except those of one hundred tons or less lawfully engaged in the coasting trade of the United States, shall take a bar pilot when one is offered; and any ship or vessel refusing or failing to take a pilot shall be liable to the pilot thus offering for pilotage.