By Mr. Aspinall:
2049. Were you serving as an A.B. on board the Empress of Ireland at the time of the collision?
- Yes, sir.
2050. How long have you been at sea?
- About thirty years, sir, off and on.
2051. How old are you?
- Well, I gave 48 when I was signing, sir, I don’t know my proper age, sir.
2052. You haven’t got your eye on an old age pension?
- Not yet, sir; after a while, sir.
2053. Well, now, were you in the 12 to 4 watch?
- Yes, sir.
2054. And did you go up at twelve?
- Yes, sir, on deck.
2055. And at first did you do some job of sweeping, and stand-by, and then at
two, that is four bells -
- I relieved the look-out, sir.
2056. And where did you go to keep the look-out?
- Up in the crow’s nest, sir.
2057. And after you had got up in the crow’s nest did you see anything of any gas buoy or shore-light or anything of that sort?
- I saw a gas buoy, sir.
2058. Do you know the name of it or not?
- No, sir, I don’t know the name.
2059. But you saw it?
- I seen it.
2060. Did you report it?
- Yes, sir.
2061. And after a time did a fog come on?
- Yes, sir.
2062. Before it came on, did you see anything of the lights of the Storstad?
- Yes, sir.
2063. You say you did?
- Yes, sir.
2064. Well, what did you see, do you remember?
- A masthead light, sir, a bright light? [sic]
2065. Did you report it?
- Yes, sir.
2066. What did you do to report it?
- Struck one bell.
2067. That means lights on the starboard bow?
- Yes, sir.
2068. And then the fog came along?
- Yes, sir.
2069. And did it shut out the lights?
- Yes, sir.
2070. I dare say you heard some whistles?
- Yes, sir, I heard one.
2071. I don’t want you to go through the whistles that you heard — my learned
friend, Mr. Haight can ask you to do that, but there were whistles?
- I beg your pardon.
2072. Were you hearing whistles?
- I heard one, sir.
2073. Only one?
- Yes, sir.
2074. Did you see this vessel later on that you had a collision with?
- Yes, sir.
2075. Was she close to you when you saw her?
- Yes, sir.
2076. On which bow?
- On the starboard bow.
2077. She was on your starboard bow?
- Yes, sir.
2078. Do you remember what you saw of her?
- Yes, sir.
2079. What did you see?
- I saw her masthead lights coming out of the thick fog.
2050. Was she close to?
- Yes, sir.
2051. And did she strike you?
- Yes, sir.
2052. Do you remember what you did after she struck you?
- No, sir.
2083. You don’t?
- No, sir.
2084. What happened to you?
- I stopped in the crow's nest there a couple of minutes after she struck.
2085. You stopped in the crow’s nest a couple of minutes after she struck?
- Yes, sir.
2086. And what was the ship doing while you were up there?
- She was going right forward sir, three points on the starboard bow.
2087. No, but what was your vessel doing? When you remained up in the crow’s nest?
- She was standing still in the water, not a move out of her.
2088. She was standing still in the water?
- Yes, sir.
2089. Well I am obliged for that answer, but did she keep upright or did she go either way after the collision?
- She was taking a list.
2090. Which way?
- To starboard.
2091. And how did you get out of the crow’s nest after she took the list?
- I got on the ladder, and from the ladder I got on the forecastle-head.
2092. And having got on the forecastle-head, what did you do next?
- I ran up on the boat deck, sir.
2093. Which side?
- The port side.
2094. Were you able to do anything with the boats on the port side?
- No, sir, you couldn’t stand there.
2095. And what did you do after that?
- I took off all my clothes, only my pants, sir.
2096. And what did you do next?
- I made for the water.
2097. Did you get there, into the water?
- Yes, sir.
2098. And how were you saved?
- Begorra, I couldn’t tell you, sir. I was
picked up.
2099. Were you picked up in a boat, or got on to some raft or what?
- I was picked up by some boat.
2100. One of your own boats?
- Yes, sir.
2101. And where were you taken to?
- To the Storstad.
2102. And what did you do when your boat got to the Storstad?
- Someone helped me aboard, sir.
2103. Did you remain on the Storstad?
- Yes, sir.
By Mr. Haight:
2104. How soon after two bells were struck did you go into the crow’s nest?
- I went into the crow’s nest at four bells.
2106. And relieved the other man?
- Yes.
2107. How far off do you think the white lights of the Storstad were when you got into the crow’s nest . . . . Did you see them at once or was it a few minutes after?
- About a couple of minutes after, sir.
2108. That is, when you first stepped into the crow’s nest and looked about the horizon for the first time, you didn’t see the white light?
- No, sir; I saw nothing then for about two or three minutes.
2109. Had you been on deck any length of time before you went into the crow’s nest?
- Yes, sir.
2110. How long?
- I was an hour.
2111. Had you been on deck all that time?
- Not on deck, I was sweeping up the steerage deck.
2112. How long had you been on the forward deck before you went up the ladder?
- I was two hours before I went up the ladder.
2113. Actually on the forward deck, where you could look out over the water?
- I went into the forecastle after coming out of the steerage deck and stopped there until four bells to relieve the look-out.
2114. And you came out when four bells were rung?
- Yes, sir, to relieve the look-out.
2115. How far off do you think the masthead lights of the Storstad were when you first saw her and when you rang your report?
- When I reported her first, sir?
2116. Yes?
- She was about six miles off, sir.
2117. And she was then bearing how from your vessel?
- About three points off the starboard bow.
2118. You were heading out away from the shore then, were you?
- Yes, sir.
2119. How long was it before you went into the crow’s nest that the pilot went over the side?
- We were just landing the pilot when I went on the look-out, sir.
2120. So that you were lying still in the water at Father Point discharging your pilot when you went into the crow’s nest?
- Yes, sir.
2121. And it was a couple of minutes after you got there that you saw the lights of the Storstad six miles away?
- Yes, sir, about six miles away.
2122. Were you able to see the two masthead lights of the Storstad when you first made them out, or was there just a blurred white light?
- I only seen one, sir.
2123. And how long was it before her side lights were visible?
- The fog came on all of a sudden, sir.
2124. Both masthead lights, I meant?
- When I seen both the masthead lights?
2125. Yes, you saw the masthead lights of the Storstad quite a little while before the fog shut her out, did you not?
- Sure I did, sir.
2126. As I understood Mr. Jones’ testimony, you ran about twenty-one or twenty-twro minutes from Father Point before the fog came on? Now did you not see both masthead lights of the Storstad a few moments after you had seen her white light as a single light, and before the fog shut in?
- No, sir.
2127. You did not?
- No, sir.
2128. How far away do you think the Storstad was when the fog shut off her light?
- I think about six miles and a half.
2129. Now, I don’t want to have you get rattled at all, witness you
were about six miles from the Storstad when you first saw her white light?
- Yes.
2130. Xow you ran eighteen or twenty minutes, according to Mr. Jones, before the fog came on; during that time you were getting closer to the Storstad were you not?
- Yes, sir.
2131. Well, did you not get close enough to her, before the fog shut in, so that you could see both of her electric masthead lights?
- No, sir, I didn’t take notice; I only reported the one.
2132. You didn’t watch the Storstad after you had reported it?
- No, sir, I didn’t take notice of her after.
2133. Well, didn’t you see how she was bearing when the fog shut her out?
- No, sir.
2134. I suppose you casually, at least, looked at the Storstad two or three times after you first reported her, to see whether her bearings were changed?
- No, sir, I didn’t take notice.
2135. Was there another ship at all around about you?
- No, sir, not as I
seen.
2136. How did you know when the fog shut the Storstad out if you never looked at her from the time you first reported her, you were seeing her when the fog shut her off, were you not?
- Yes.
2137. Now how far away do you think she was when she did disappear into the fog?
- She was about four miles off.
2138. At that time, couldn’t you see both of her white masthead lights?
- No, sir, I didn’t take much notice.
2139. Now when the fog shut her out from view, did you hear the Empress
of Ireland blow a signal of one long blast?
- Yes . . . . no sir, it blew twice, three
long blasts each time.
By Lord Mersey:
2140. Do you mean three long blasts?
- Three short blasts.
2141. Well is that the reason why you said three long blasts?
- It was three short blasts.
Lord Mersey:
Do you think you are going' to make much of this witness, Mr. Haight?
Mr. Haight:
No, my Lord.
2142. Carroll, is it not according to your recollection that you heard a
whistle, one long blast, from the Storstad, after the fog came, on, and shut your
vessel out?
- Yes, I heard one blast, sir, that is all I heard from her.
2143. Now, wasn’t that one blast from the Storstad when you first heard it in answer to a signal of one long blast blown by the Empress?
- I didn’t hear the Empress blow one long blast. I wasn’t taking notice.
By Lord Mersey:
2144. Isn’t it your business in the crow’s nest to take notice of whistles?
- Yes, sir, I was there.
2145. Is it your business to do it?
- Yes, sir.
2146. As well as to look around and see what you can find with your eyes?
- Yes, your worship.
By Sir Adolphe Routhier:
2147. As a lookout you have to listen too?
- Yes, sir.
By Lord Mersey:
2148. And do you report the whistles you hear?
- Yes, your worship.
By Mr. Haight:
2149. When you saw the masthead lights of the Storstad coming out through the fog, did you see two lights then?
- No, sir, I only seen,the one.
By Lord Mersey:
2150. That is just before the collision?—
Mr. Haight:
Yes, my Lord, just before the collision.
2151. And that one bore about three points on your starboard bow?
- Yes, sir.
2152. And did that one broaden off so that it was about amidships when the vessels struck?
- Abreast the starboard rigging, sir.
2153. Could you see the masthead lights which first bore three points on your starboard bow broaden out four points, five points, and go down along towards the beam of your vessel?
- Yes, sir.
2154. Did you at any time, Carroll, see a coloured light on the Storstad?
- No, sir, I seen nothing but the masthead light, I couldn’t see his hull. I seen nothing but the masthead light.
2155. Either before the fog shut her out or after?
- Or after, sir.
2156. You have spoken of reporting a gas buoy?
- Yes.
2157. How long-was that after you went into the crow’s nest, if you can remember?
- About six minutes after we were getting away, sir, after dropping the pilot.
2158. And how did that bear when you first saw it?
- I didn’t take notice, sir.
2159. You did report it?
- I reported it, sir.
2160. And what bell did you ring?
- One bell.
2161. It was on your starboard side?
- Yes, sir, starboard side.
2162. Was it well off?
- It was well off the bow, sir.
2163. Three or four points?
- About four points, sir.
(The witness then retired.)