This case involved a dispute between the Providence and Stonington Steamship Company and the estate of a deceased passenger, Clare. The passenger had purchased a ticket from the steamship company for a voyage from New York to Providence. During the voyage, the passenger died, and his estate sued the steamship company for damages. The Supreme Court held that the steamship company was not liable for the death of the passenger. The Court reasoned that the steamship company had provided a safe and comfortable voyage, and that the passenger had died due to a pre-existing medical condition. The Court also noted that the steamship company had not been negligent in any way, and that the passenger had assumed the risk of death when he purchased the ticket. The Court concluded that the steamship company was not liable for the death of the passenger, and that the estate of the deceased passenger was not entitled to damages.

In Providence and Stonington Steamship Company v. Clare's Administratrix, the Supreme Court was tasked with deciding whether a steamship company could be held liable for damages caused by an employee’s negligence. The majority opinion found that the company should not be held liable because it had no control over its employees' actions and thus could not have prevented them from causing injury to passengers on board their ships. However, in his dissenting opinion Justice Field argued that employers are responsible for any harm caused by their employees while they are acting within the scope of employment, regardless of whether or not they had direct control over those actions. He further noted that this responsibility is necessary to ensure safety standards on vessels as well as protect passengers from potential harm due to negligent acts committed by crew members who may otherwise go unpunished if employers were absolved of liability in such cases.