ERNEST PUGMIRE,
passenger, Empress of Ireland,
Sworn.
By Mr. Newcombe:
4511. You were a first cabin passenger on the Empress of Ireland?
- Second-cabin.
Mr. Newcombe:
My Lord, Mr. Haight wants to ask him a few questions.
By Mr. Haight:
4512. You were one of the passengers on the Steamship Empress of Ireland?
- Yes, sir.
4513. At the time of the disaster?
- Yes, sir.
4514. Where were you when the collision actually occurred?
- I was in my cabin.
4515. Were you aroused by the collision or did you wake before?
- Just about a second or so before.
4516. What wakened you?
- I could not say, except it was the whistles.
4517. Whereabouts was your cabin?
- 432, on the upper deck.
4518. As soon as you felt the-jar of the collision, what did you do?
- I immediately got down from my berth, stepped out in the corridor and immediately went back and put on my overcoat and went upstairs on to the deck.
4519. Which part of the deck did you go to when you got out on it?
- The left side.
4520. The port side?
- I presume that is what it is.
4521. What deck was it that you went out on, can you tell?
- The saloon deck.
4522. Did you see the Storstad at all after the collision?
- Not until I was in the water.
4523. Did you have any opportunity to observe whether or not the steamship Empress was in motion when you got on deck?
- I looked over the side.
4524. And what did you see?
- Either the Empress was moving astern six or seven miles an hour or there was a pretty strong current.
By Lord Mersey:
4525. Moving astern?
- Moving astern, sir.
By Mr. Haight:
4526. Did you, Mr. Pugmire, happen to see an article which appeared on June 1st, in one of the Detroit papers?
- I did.
4527. That statement, purporting to be an interview with you, just had the facts reversed, then.
Mr. Aspinall:
My Lord, I object to that.
Lord Mersey:
This will not do, you know; you have asked a question and given the answer.
Mr. Haight:
That is quite right.
Lord Mersey:
And it is not the answer you wanted.
By Mr. Haight:
4528. Did you, Mr. Pugmire, go out on to the upper deck on the same side of the ship that your room is located on?
- No, on the opposite side.
4529. And you went to the rail and looked over?
- Yes.
4530. Now, as you stood at the rail and looked over, which way did the water seem to be moving, to your right or to your left?
- To the right.
By Lord Mersey:
4531. And the stern of the ship was to your left?
- The. stern of the ship was to my left.
Witness discharged.