Seventh Day, Wednesday, February 20, 1895.
Evidence for the Defendants.—(Continued.)
Thomas Webb, examined by Mr. Purves, stated: I am a master mariner, and a member of the firm of Huddart, Parker & Co. I knew the S. S. Alert. She was built under my special superintendence at Glasgow. She was classed ninety A1. I have had experience in the navigation and building of ships. When finished the Alert was a sea-worthy ship. The pantry window was built in her during her construction. I was master of her for about twelve years, and my opinion was that she was a very fine sea-boat. The alteration of her engines gave her more lift aft, about five inches. During the twelve years I was in command, she ran every day whatever the weather was. I saw no indication in her of a danger of shipping seas. In my time no water went in at the pantry window, nor in the grating, which latter was four feet lower then than when she was lost. She was insured for £4,000. She stood in my ledger at that time at £13,000, and we were satisfied to stand the risk of £9,000.
Cross-examined by Mr. Smyth: The vessel cost about £12,000 at first, and we expended £7,000 on her here, putting in new machinery in 1893. On the voyage out from England she was insured for £12,000. She came out under sail, as a barque, with funnels down. She was then in charge of Captain Munn, who gave her the character of a splendid sea-boat. He told me that. He is dead now. At the time she was trading in the Bay I believe the insurance was less than £4,000. I was managing director of the Company. I am not so now. I am still a member of the firm and also a member of the Marine Board. During my twelve years’ command of the Alert in the Bay, I have seen her take some water on board. She did not quite fill the alleyways. She could not fill them as the water ran away through the port-holes and the scuppers. The pantry window was glass in my time. It was cracked by heat but not by water. I never gave instructions to Captain Mathieson to hurry up. I told him not to go so fast, and complained about too much coal being used. There might have been a time when she was in the Bay trade that she was not insured at all. She got Lloyd’s certificate in 1877 when she was built, and that was allowed to drop until 1893. We did not find it necessary to put her on Lloyd’s Register again in 1893; it was for our own convenience to put her back on it so as to give her a character again, in case we wanted to sell her. We paid the fees, £5 5s., for putting her back on Lloyd’s Register. My company subscribed £100 to the fund got up for the Alert sufferers. Ponting had some I believe. He got it through us. I don’t think Huddart, Parker & Co. paid him anything at all. There was £1,200 subscribed. Mrs. Kilpatrick got her portion of that. I don’t think Huddart, Parker & Co. gave her anything. Only one writ has been served on Huddart and Parker in addition to the present case. I believe the plaintiff in the other case is Mrs. Mathieson—the late captain’s wife. I consider we did our duty when my firm gave £100 to the relief fund, to which the public subscribed £1,100 more.
Alexander Wilson, examined by Mr. Purves, stated: I am engineer in charge of ports and harbours in the employment of the Victorian Government. I am by profession an engineer. I have no other qualification. I have had experience of the sea for seven years in the capacity of a marine engineer. I consider myself competent to give an opinion as to the sea-worthiness of ships. The steamer Alert has been under my observation ever since she arrived here. Up to 1881 I surveyed her every six months. My opinion is that she was a good sea-worthy boat. I recollect a small pantry window she had in the poop. I don’t think it affected her sea-worthiness. I don’t think it would be possible for green seas to find their way down the grating on top of the stoke-hole. Ring bolts at each corner for the purpose of fastening a tarpaulin would be quite as efficient as cleats. The bunker lids rested in the ordinary way. I never knew of lids being washed off. I don’t think they made the ship unsea-worthy. Assuming that the wooden awning was made of right material, it would not affect the ship to any great extent. If she laid over it would rather have a tendency to raise her again. Wood instead of canvas would not in the least make her unsea-worthy. There is a wooden one on the Lady Loch, and she goes anywhere. The old steamer Western had a house on deck with a wooden awning. The Alert had watertight bulk-heads. She was divided into one, two, three, and four compartments when I knew her. These bulk-heads would prevent water going from one part to another. The ship in my opinion had sufficient stability.
Cross-examined by Mr. Smyth: I am not a shipwright, but I have designed seven ships. The Lady Loch is one. She does not carry her awning the whole length of the poop like the Alert. The length of the Lady Loch is one hundred and seventy-five feet, beam twenty-five feet, and depth about twelve feet. She has only a small portion of awning aft. Her freeboard depends upon what she is carrying. I should say with nothing in her but coal and her machinery it would be about four feet. The Western was not far different in dimensions to the Alert, but was a different class of vessel. The Western’s length was one hundred and eighty-three feet, beam, twenty-three feet, and depth, twelve feet six inches. I agree with Mr. McLean that an iron casement outside screwed down would be a good protection for the pantry window, but whether it was necessary is another thing. The water would not have got in if the window had been shut; and if the window was burst open, it would be a matter of five minutes to put it right. It could be barricaded from the outside. I would find my way there with a piece of timber and shove it up against the face of the window. As for the gratings, if green seas came down, the only thing the men could do would be to spread canvas and lash it over the gratings.
Q.—How long would it take with a vessel lying over on her beam ends, and heavy seas running, to get your canvas and lash it over? A.—You are putting almost an impossibility. I cannot imagine the ship getting into that position. It would take ten minutes to get the canvas—supposing the covers were at hand. All these vessels carry covers, but I would not swear that the Alert carried covers.
Q.—Do you say that the bunker lids are always let in by their own weight? A.—I am not prepared to say positively whether I have seen any screw on like the lid of a four hundred gallon tank. I think some are that way. I am not positive how the Alert’s were.
Q.—Would not a canvas awning that you could take in be better than a wooden awning at sea? A.—It would be advantageous I think.