JOHN MURPHY,
quartermaster, Empress of Ireland,
recalled.
By Mr. Meredith:
3279. You have been already examined?
- Yes, sir.
3280. You were quartermaster and you were on duty during what time?
- 12 to 2.
3281. Tell the Court how that ship steered?
- The ship steered very good, as good as any ship I have ever been on.
3282. You have been quartermaster how long?
- Four years and five months.
3283. Were you on any ship before that?
- Yes, the Lake Champlain.
3284. Have you ever had any trouble with her wheel?
- Never.
3285. You have heard Galway -
Lord Mersey:
Is not Galway the gentleman who wrote the letter to the newspapers?
Mr. Meredith:
Yes, my Lord. My learned friend handed in a document this morning which purports to be an interview between Galway and somebody which I think might be filed.
Lord Mersey:
I do not want it. I only wanted to know whether he was a literary man or not.
Mr. Meredith:
It depends entirely on one’s ideas of literature.
Mr. Haight:
It is an interview printed in a Montreal paper and not a letter addressed to the paper that I have quoted here.
By Mr. Meredith:
32S6. Now, Murphy, you heard the last witness . . . you were in Court?
- Yes.
3287. You heard him say that he told you something to this effect, to be careful of the ship that she was not steering well . . . is that true?
- Never, sir.
Lord Mersey:
The letter, as I understand it, is not about the steering.
Mr. Meredith:
No, my Lord; not as I remember it.
Lord Mersey:
Mr. Haight, does the letter mention the steering?
Mr. Haight:
There is no letter, my Lord. It is an interview.
Mr. Meredith:
It purports to be an interview, my Lord. It is not put in the form of a letter but is supposed to be an interview with Galway.
Lord Mersey:
Well, gentlemen, I think I know the reporters more or less, and my experience is that reports of interviews are always very full. I am not sure they are always very accurate, but they are always very full. Is there a word about the steering gear in that interview?
Mr. Meredith:
I shall leave that to Mr. Haight. I do not think there is.
Mr. Haight:
I think not, my Lord.
Lord Mersey:
The principal asset is left out.
By Mr. Meredith:
3288. I understood you to say, Murphy, that you relieved this man Galway at the wheel, didn’t you?
- At twelve o’clock, sir.
3289. Did he say anything to you in any way about the bad steering of the ship, or that the wheel was not working properly?
- Never, sir.
By Mr. Haight:
3290. I understand, Murphy, you have never had any trouble with the steering gear?
- Never since I have been on the ship.
3291. You found that it worked with absolute promptness whenever you put the wheel one way or another?
- No, sir, it might be that it does not catch, and what you have to do is put your wheel back amidships and give it the helm, and it will catch on right away.
3292. Sometimes when you first put the wheel over she does not catch on, and then you have to bring her back amidships?
- That might occur every two years.
3293. It has occurred?
- Only once since I have been in the ship.
3291. Your sometimes is rather infrequently then?
- Sir?
3295. Has she ever jammed with you?
- No, sir, never.
3296. Well, when was the one occasion, Murphy?
- Two or three years ago, sir, I am not quite sure, but it is a long time ago.
Mr. Meredith:
May I ask one question to Pilot Bernier.