In the 1898 case of The Elfrida, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving maritime law and salvage rights. A British vessel named The Elfrida had run aground near Cape Fear in North Carolina during a storm. An American ship called The Merritt came to its aid and successfully refloated it, but not before stripping it of valuable cargo as compensation for their efforts - an act known as "salvage". However, when the owners of The Elfrida refused to pay additional fees demanded by the salvors from The Merritt, they took legal action claiming that they were entitled to more than just what was taken off the stranded ship due to their life-saving assistance. The court held that while salvors are indeed entitled to compensation for their services based on factors such as risk involved or value saved, this does not automatically entitle them ownership over any part of rescued property unless agreed upon beforehand with those being assisted or ordered by a competent court later. In this case since no such agreement existed between parties nor there was any order from lower courts granting extra remuneration beyond what was already taken by salvors initially; hence further claims made by crew members from 'The Merritt' were dismissed.

In the dissenting opinion for The Elfrida case in 1898, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a lower court ruling, which held that a foreign vessel could be seized and sold by U.S. authorities due to its violation of American revenue laws while within U.S. waters, was incorrect. The dissenting justices believed this interpretation of maritime law went beyond what international law allowed and infringed upon the sovereignty of other nations. They contended that such an action should only be permissible if there were explicit agreements between countries or if it involved piracy or slave trade - actions universally condemned by all nations as violations against humanity itself. They feared this ruling would set a dangerous precedent where any country could seize foreign vessels under their own domestic laws without regard for international norms and treaties.