ROBERT HENRY BRENNAN,
Junior 2nd engineer, Empress of Ireland.
By Mr. Meredith:
2394. Mr. Brennan, what position did you occupy in the engine room of the Empress of Ireland at or just before the time she sank?
- Junior second engineer.
2395. Do you happen to know how many engineers they had on the Empress of
Ireland?
- Sixteen.
2396. When did you go on watch in the engine room?
- At midnight, sir, the 28th.
2397. Who was on watch in the engine room; who was on duty in the engine room with you from that time up to the time of the sinking?
- Mr. White, sir.
2398. What other engineers?
- Mr. Liddell, Mr. White, Mr. Liddell, Mr. Hampton, Mr. Smith.
2399. Was there a Mr. McEwen in the stokehold?
- Yes, Mr. McEwen and Mr. O’Donovan.
2400. Hampton would not have been on the watch at the time of the collision?
- No, sir.
2401. But all the others were there?
- Yes, sir.
2402. Now, what engines were you looking after particularly in the engine room?
- The main engine, sir.
2403. I know, but was it on the starboard or the port side?
- Port side.
2404. Who was the engineer who had to look after the engines on the starboard side?
- Mr. Hampton until two o’clock and Mr. Liddell from two o’clock.
2405. Therefore, for some time before the collision Mr. Liddell had charge of the starboard engine?
- Yes, sir.
2406. Now, do you remember leaving Father Point?
- Yes, sir.
2407. Before we go further down the river, before you got to Father Point, do you remember the ship having been slowed down on one or two occasions?
- Yes, sir.
2408. Of course, being in the engine room, you could not tell for what reason?
- No, sir.
2409. After leaving Father Point - I want to make it as short as possible - will you state to the court what was the first indication on the telegraph as to speed after leaving Father Point?
- Full speed, sir.
2410. Have any of the log books of the engine room or the slates or scrap or anything of that kind, been preserved? Are they still existing?
- Not that I am aware of, sir.
2411. I mean to say, they went down with the ship?
- Yes, sir.
2412. Therefore, you have to depend on your memory and as to periods of time, I presume, like most people, and you cannot be very certain.
- No, sir, merely approximation.
2413. When you got full speed ahead after leaving Father Point, was that carried out on the engines?
- Yes, sir.
2414. Now, will you tell us the next indication of speed that you got in the engine room after that one?
- About twenty-six minutes past two on our clock.
2415. You don’t know as to whether your clock agreed with the bridge clock?
- No, sir.
2416. I am asking you what were the next signals that you got from the bridge, as to speed, on the telegraph?
- Stop, full ispeed astern.
2417. Were they given one after the other, or were they given simultaneously?
- Practically right around.
2442. As a matter of fact was there any steam at all available when you left?
- When we left the engines, sir, would be -
Lord Mersey:
I do not know what all this is about.
By Mr. Meredith:
2441. In addition to the signals you got from the bridge, indicating what movements to make on the engines, did you or did you not just before the collision receive any order from the bridge?
- Yes, sir.
2442. What was that?
- Full speed ahead.
2443. Was that just before the impact?
- Yes, sir.
2444. Could you give an idea to the court of about how many revolutions you would have made on that order of full speed ahead?
- Well, I do not suppose we made any more than five or six revolutions.
2445. Then by what was that followed, if it was followed at all, from the bridge; what order?
- Stop, sir.
2446. Was that order carried out?
- Yes, sir.
2447. Subsequently to that and after the collision, was anything done in the engine room with a view to sending her ahead and beaching her?
- Please quote that again, sir.
2448. After that order of stop, was anything done with the engines with the idea of beaching the ship, of sending the ship ahead and beaching her?
Lord Mersey:
That is not a question to put to him. Ask him what was done, and it is for us to judge as to the intention. (To witness). Did you get any further order in the engine room after you got the order to stop?
- Not by the bridge.
2449. Not from the bridge. Then, did you in the engine room do anything without getting any order from the bridge?
- The order of the Chief Engineer.
2450. What did you do?
- Started her again.
2451. You started her again?
- Yes.
2452. At what angle was she lying at that time? Was the order of any use?
- No, sir, it wasn’t; there was no steam to drive her.
By Mr. Meredith:
2453. Do you know whether the Chief Engineer had any telephone communication with the bridge at that time?
- The Chief Engineer went to the telephone.
2454. You don’t know what happened? You don’t know what transpired?
- I don’t know, sir.
Lord Mersey:
Is there any further question you would like to put, Mr. Newcombe, to this witness?
Mr. Newcombe:
No, my Lord, I think not.
Cross-examined by Mr. Haight:
2455. Mr. Brennan, were you on the engines when the steamer stopped at Father Point?
- Yes.
2456. Do you recollect how long the engines were stopped while you were letting the pilot off?
- I could not say for certain.
2457. Approximately?
- I should say two to three minutes.
2458. Had you reversed your engines and brought the steamer to a dead stop or had you slowed and run them in that way?
- We had slowed down.
By Lord Mersey:
2459. Is that when they dropped their pilot?
Mr. Haight:
Dropped their pilot. (to witness).
2460. Captain Kendall thought you had remained stationary in the water for about ten minutes at Father Point; you do not recollect?
- I cannot say.
2461. Do you recollect the hour, according to the engine room clock, at which the steamer started away from Father Point?
- Yes, sir.
2462. What hour was that?
- Seven minutes past two.
2463. How many minutes were you running full speed ahead before you got the second order to stop?
- About 19.
2464. You think you were reversing full speed about three minutes?
- Yes, sir.
2465. Then you got the order to stop about 2.29?
- About, yes.
2466. Did you hear any whistles blown by the Empress before the collision?
- We cannot hear anything in our engine room under certain conditions.
2467. If your vessel was brought to a dead standstill at Father Point and you then started ahead full speed, how long do you think it would take you in minutes before your steamer actually gathered full headway of, say 17 knots?
- I should say approximately a good hour.
2468. After you had run 19 minutes how much speed do you think you had gathered?
- I do not know.
2469. A vessel of that size gathers headway slowly?
- No, sir.
2470. Do you, when you receive an order on the telegraph to put your stationary engines full speed ahead, throw your throttle wide open and give them full steam or do you really give them steam gradually?
- Gradually.
2471. It would be some minutes before you opened your throttle full?
- Yes.
2472. That is to avoid straining your engine?
- Yes.
2473. How many minutes after the full speed order was given elapsed before you threw the throttle wide open?
- It was never wide open.
2474. Up to the time you got the stop order at 2.26 you had not yet gathered speed enough to make it advisable to throw the throttle wide open?
- No, sir.
2475. You would not feel able to express ail opinion as to what your speed was at 2.26?
- No, sir.
2476. What is the number of revolutions when, your throttle is wide open and you are running full speed ahead?
- That depends, sir.
2477. How much steam did you have that night?
- We had all pressures.
2478. How many pounds on the main boilers?
- Anything from 180 to 220.
2479. You do not remember?
- No, sir.
2480. Assuming that you had 220 lbs. pressure what would be the number of revolutions if you had your throttle wide open and you had been running for some hours?
- 70 to 71.
2481. Do you happen to know approximately what your revolutions were at 2.26?
- No sir, I could not say.
2482. They were considerably below 70 to 71?
- Yes, sir.
2483. Would they be over 50?
- Yes, sir.
2484. Between 50 and 60 perhaps?
- Yes, sir.
2485. Did you have hold of anything when the jar came or when the jar was felt on your vessel?
- I had hold of the wheel of the stop valve.
24S6. Was the vessel jarred enough that if you had not had hold of anything you would have been thrown from your feet?
- No, sir.
2487. Was there a very serious jar?
- It sounded like a crash or tear.
2488. It was more a tear than the bodily shaking of your ship?
- Yes, sir, the ship never shook as far as I could feel.
2489. There was no more real jar than if you were docking and going up against a pier, was there?
- It was a pretty severe crash.
2490. Where was the engineer at the time of the collision do you know?
- On the top of the engine room.
2491. On the upper grating?
- Right on the top.
2492. Had he been there from the time you left Father Point?
- I could not say.
2493. When did you first see him after the collision; or had you seen him before the collision?
- I could not say.
2494. You do not remember whether you saw him after you left Father Point or not?
- No, sir.
2495. What speed would 71 revolutions give you, Mr. Brennan?
- I cannot tell you offhand.
249G. What is the pitch of your propeller?
- 27 feet 9 inches.
2497;. Are both of the same pitch?
- Yes.
2498. One right and the other left?
- Yes, sir.
2499. What is the slip of the propeller?
- It varies.
2500. At full speed?
- It varies.
2501. What is the average slip at the average speed?
- 11 to 12 per cent.
2502. When you receive your order to put your engines full speed astern from full speed ahead, do you shut your steam off, throw your reversing gear and then gradually let the steam in, or do you change directly from full speed ahead to full speed astern without shutting the steam off?
- No.
2503. That would not be advisable?
- No.
2504. How long would it take from the time you got your full speed astern order before you got her really going full speed astern?
- A matter of seconds.
2505. As soon as you get your reversing gear over do you give her full steam?
- Gradually.
2506. Have you any idea how many revolutions you got your engines going full speed astern before you got her stopped?
- No.
2507. She would not really be making 70 turns?
- That I could not say.
2508. In 19 minutes you did not get your throttle full open going ahead; did you get it fully open going astern before you got your order to stop?
- I beg your pardon.
2509. Did you get your throttle open the full way after the reversing order during the three minutes you were reversing before you got the order to stop?
- The stop valve full open going full speed astern.
By Lord Mersey:
2510. Did you hear the question?
- Yes, sir.
2511. What was it?
- He asked me did I get my throttle valve full open when the engines were reversing.
2512. What is the answer?
- Yes, sir; the engines were going astern two minutes, my Lord.
By Mr. Haight:
2513. It is unusual to actually put your engines full speed astern from the order full ahead in so short a time as three minutes?
- From full speed ahead to full speed astern?
2514. Yes?
- We open her up gradually, sir.
2515. You opened her up so gradually going ahead that in 19 minutes you had not gotten her open?
- Yes.
2516. Would you, without orders through the speaking tube from the bridge, slap her over from full speed ahead to full speed astern and actually get your throttle wide open in a matter of 180 seconds - 3 minutes?
- Certainly, sir.
2517. When you stop for a pilot or when you are manoeuvring ordinarily you would take a good deal more time than that to put her over?
- No, sir.
By Mr. Meredith:
2518. How long had you been on this ship?
- Five years and ten months.
2519. What certificate have you?
- A first class certificate.
2520. Do you know whether, at the time of the accident, the clock in the engine room agreed with the bridge clock? They sometimes differ.
- I could not say.
By Chief Justice McLeod:
2521. Was there any water in the engine room?
- Practically none.
(Witness retired.)