Mr. Aspinall:
My Lord, I have other seamen here, but I do not propose to call them.
Lord Mersey:
Mr. Gibsone, you have heard what the witnesses have said, so far, I mean the seamen. I don’t know whether in the face of their evidence you desire to persist with the charge that some of the men in a cowardly manner refused to go back to the rescue of the drowning people.
Mr. Gibsone:
I made no such charge, my Lord, on the contrary my intention and my belief is, and my instructions are, that all the men acted in a courageous and proper manner throughout, and all the questions I have been putting to the witnesses have been with the intention of bringing out those facts. The suggestion, if I may put it that way, that some of the Empress’ men did refuse to go back and were derelict in their duty, I think came from the lips of Mr. Toftenes, the chief officer of the Storstad, and also partly from the captain of the Storstad. I venture to say that I think the statements have been disposed of by the witnesses that have been heard since.
Lord Mersey:
Well, Mr. Haight, do you suggest that the members of the crew of the Empress behaved badly?
Mr. Haight:
Not at all, my Lord, I only wanted to show, in answer to the charges that have been made against us of deliberately allowing people to drown, that we not only manned our own boats, but also manned those of the Empress.
Lord Mersey:
Well, all I can say is that if these charges have been made here I have not realized the fact. It has never entered into my head to suspect that anybody in the Storstad behaved badly towards the people that were drowning. On the contrary, it seems to me they behaved very well.
Mr. Haight:
The charge was made principally through the press, while your Lordship was on the ocean, but while Captain Kendall was on the stand, he said that without reason or excuse we not only backed away but we backed a mile away. I do not for a moment suggest that the conduct of the officers or men of the Empress should be characterized as cowardly or otherwise, but I only want the court to know that we not only manned our own boats, but also supplied a full crew to one Empress boat and part of a crew to one other. It may well be that every man whose place we filled was quite exhausted and unable to go any further.
Lord Mersey:
Mr. Aspinall, do you suggest that any of the people on the Storstad misbehaved with regard to saving life?
Mr. Aspinall:
No, my Lord, on the first day of the inquiry I said on one occasion that speaking for myself that was my view, and I will say now it is speaking for everybody too, that is for my clients.
Lord Mersey:
Well, Mr. Gisbone, under these circumstances, do you think it is worth while to call other witnesses to substantiate what these witnesses have spoken to?
Mr. Gibsone:
No, my Lord, I do not. I think the whole point is cleared up now.
Lord Mersey:
Then I think we will pass to something else.
Mr. Haight:
I only asked Mr. Henderson to be here because our people felt that the world as a whole believed we had deserted drowning people. My only purpose in having Mr. Henderson here is to prove how close the Storstad came to the Empress while we were sending our boats back and forth. After your Lordship’s pronouncement I do not require him any further.
Mr. Aspinall:
Now, my Lord, I was going to call the first-class passenger steward, and also the second and third-class passenger stewards, and thus dispose of the stewards’ department.
Lord Mersey:
Well, proceed, Mr. Aspinall.
Augustus Gaade - Chief Steward - ss. Empress of Ireland.
Testimony.
Thomas S. Williams - Chief Second-Class Steward - ss. Empress of Ireland.
Testimony.
Joseph Hayes - Assistant Steward - ss. Empress of Ireland.
Testimony.
Ronald Ferguson - Senior Marconi Operator - ss. Empress of Ireland.
Testimony.
By Mr. Haight:
3559. May I ask one or two questions of Bamford the assistant?
Edward Bamford - Junior Marconi Operator - ss. Empress of Ireland.
Testimony.
Mr. Aspinall:
We have one more witness of the ship, my Lord. He is the doctor. I should prefer it if you would assent to my calling him to-morrow.
Lord Mersey:
Very well.
The Commission thereupon adjourned till 10 a.m. Friday, June 19.