No owner or other person interested in any shipwrecked goods shall be held to pay to any person, other than the commissioner, any charge for services or expenses in taking or securing the property, unless it be for property taken or secured before the arrival of the commissioner, in which case the commissioner shall, upon due hearing of all parties interested, determine the compensation to be received; and any party dissatisfied with the award of the commissioner may appeal therefrom according to the provisions of law with reference to appeals from town councils for the county in which the wreck or shipwrecked goods may be found.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 46-10-6