Proof of the Claims of Mariners and Others

If the claim of the mariner, boatman, or other person filed with the clerk of the court, as provided in the last section, be not contested within five

(5)days after notice of the filing thereof by the owner, master, agent, or consignee of the steamer, vessel, or boat against which the claim is filed, or by any creditor, it shall be deemed admitted; but if contested, the clerk must endorse upon the affidavit thereof a statement of what is contested, and the grounds of the contest, and must immediately thereafter order the matter to a single referee for his determination, or he may hear the proofs and determine the matter himself. The judgment of the clerk or referee may be reviewed by a court in which the action is pending or a judge thereof, immediately after the same is given, and the judgment of the court or judge shall be final. On the review, the court or judge may use the minutes of the proofs taken by the clerk or referee, or may take the proofs anew.