Evidence for the Defendants.—(Continued.)
William Francis Deary, examined by Mr. Purves, stated: I am inspector of shipping, and nautical surveyor to the Victorian Marine Board; also shipwright surveyor. I thoroughly understand the nature of a shipwright surveyor’s work. I went to sea in 1872, and I have had experience since that time in shipping. Apart from my official standing, I am a master mariner, and I have had the command of ships since 1883, until I took up my present position about five years ago. I knew the steamship Alert for ten or twelve years. In my official capacity I have known her nearly five years. During that time I had opportunities of surveying her, and I have surveyed her critically. I remember a change in her equipment being made when she went to take up the running of the S. S. Despatch in the Gippsland Lakes’ trade. Generally the changes made were in the nature of life buoys and life boats. I know her machinery was altered. Subsequently to those alterations I surveyed her on November 11, 1893, and gave a declaration upon which a certificate was issued. (Shipwright surveyor’s declaration concerning S. S. Alert, and dated November 4, 1893, was here handed in and marked as an exhibit.) I carefully examined the Alert on the date specified in my declaration, and in all respects the requirements of the Act were fulfilled. Having regard to the projected voyage, namely within the limits of the home trade, all apertures, and skylights, and places of that kind which would require protection were sufficiently protected. In my opinion the Alert was one of the most sea-worthy ships afloat. I knew her lines, her tonnage, and her dimensions. I knew Captain Mathieson, and always considered him a competent navigator. The vessel had a good crew. There was nothing omitted in the case of the Alert which was done in the case of any other steamers licensed by me.
THE PANTRY WINDOW.
Cross-examined by Mr. Smyth: Exhibit No. 10 now handed in is a certificate granted by the Marine Board, based on my declaration and that of Mr. McLean. He is engineering surveyor to the Marine Board, and has the machinery and the whole of the iron-work in his department. I have the whole of the wood-work and the deck-work. In my declaration two life-boats are described as being in good order on the Alert. If it is said there was only one life-boat and a dingy, then I say it is false. One boat was slung in the starboard davits on the foreside of the bridge, and the other on top of the engine room skylight. There was a difference in their size. One was twenty feet long, and the other fourteen feet. The fourteen-foot boat was not whale-boat form, and some people might call it a dingy. There was cork padding in both boats. The top of the skylight is a very fit place for a life-boat. It would not make the vessel top heavy. In a small ship like the Alert, it is hard to find a place to carry a boat, and you have to do the best you can. She had not two life-boats when in the Bay. They were not required in the Bay traffic. She had boats then but not life-boats. I was appointed shipwright surveyor when the retrenchment business began, nearly two years ago. I am not a shipwright. I did not want the assistance of a practical shipwright surveyor in the case of the Alert. I am perfectly practical enough to carry on that work. I know there is a rule to the effect that iron gratings over stoke-holes must be protected with iron plates fitted with hinges, or otherwise, in a manner satisfactory to Lloyd’s surveyors. On the Alert the protection consisted of canvas covers, which were kept ready on board for immediate use. They were not tarpaulins, but just ordinary canvas. I think they were brought out for me to see. There were no cleats to fasten them down, but they could easily be lashed down to ring bolts on the deck. The canvas might in time tear away from the grating—say in about three years. The wooden awning was put on a few years ago for the Bay trade.
Q.—How was the pantry window protected? A.—It could easily be protected.
Q.—That is not answering my question. How was the glass window protected? A.—The glass was the protection, and if necessary a piece of canvas could easily have been placed over it. The aperture was about sixteen inches by fourteen inches, and we did not think it was a source of danger, that is why it was not further protected. I was in the service of Huddart, Parker & Co. some years ago. I was second mate, mate and master in various of their vessels. I was appointed to the Marine Board in March, 1890, about five years after leaving Huddart, Parker & Co. I know Captain Webb. He was managing director of Huddart, Parker and Co. up to a short time ago. He is a member of the Marine Board. Mr. Ernest Parker of Huddart, Parker & Co. is also a member of the Marine Board. I never in my life designed a ship. A shipwright surveyor ought to have a knowledge of designing ships. I never had that knowledge. I knew the covers to the Alert’s coal bunkers. They were iron, kept on by their own weight. If necessity demanded it there was no trouble in putting four battens and a piece of canvas over them. When making my declaration I was perfectly satisfied that these bunker lids were quite sufficient held down by their own weight.
Re-examined by Mr. Purves: According to the evidence given, the Alert was kept away, and I say that before she was kept away all the places that required covering should have been seen to. Supposing there was a drop of water about the deck, there would have been no difficulty in making everything secure. The lids to the bunker holes would weigh about fifty to sixty pounds each.
Re-cross-examined by Mr. Smyth: The bunker lids were about ¾ of an inch in thickness. They might not have weighed more than forty to fifty pounds, and they may have been an inch thick for all I know.
Charles William McLean, examined by Mr. Purves, stated: I am engineering surveyor to the Marine Board of Victoria, and have occupied that position since the inception of the present Board, and previously I was under the Steam Navigation Board—ten years altogether. Prior to that I was assistant resident engineer to the Melbourne Harbour Trust. I have been as engineer on steamers trading here on the coast, and hold a certificate as first class sea-going engineer. I am a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers in London. I have been engaged in supervising and designing the actual construction of vessels. I knew the Alert, and saw her very frequently. I saw her in December, 1892, when the boilers were out. A change was then being made in her machinery. I made a thorough examination of the position of the old machinery, and also of the hull from stem to stern, both internal and external. I always considered her sea-worthy. She was much fuller below the water than she appeared to be above water. The water displaced by the vessel when loaded down—without any cargo, but with everything ready for sea—would weigh about 312 tons. Comparing that with the surplus buoyancy—which is the amount the water would weigh if all the spaces above water were filled—it was very good. The surplus buoyancy was about 400 tons, being rather more than the displacement. That means that there was a very fair amount of surplus buoyancy. I acted on behalf of the Marine Board in examining the Alert, and I gave a declaration to the secretary of that Board. The Alert was then plying in the Bay for a short time after. I next saw her between the 2nd and 4th November, 1893, when it was proposed to send her down to the Gippsland trade in place of the Despatch which had to be laid up to get new engines. The owners desired a home trade certificate for the Alert to go outside the Heads. The new machinery had been placed higher up than the old, and it was thought in doing that that every provision had been made for outside work. The new machinery did not alter the main freeboard at all, but raised the ship about five inches aft. I was perfectly satisfied that the engine room protection was quite the thing, the very best that was made, and as a result of the examination I gave the certificate. I remember the pantry window referred to. It was about two feet three inches above the level of the main deck. It was fastened by two ordinary bolts running into catches, and was quite safe.