AARON SYVERTSEN,
chief engineer, Storstad,
Sworn.
By Mr. Haight:
4841. You were chief engineer of the Storstad at the time of the collision?
- Yes, sir.
4842. How long have you been chief engineer?
- Three and a half years.
4843. How long have you held a chief engineer’s license?
- Eighteen years.
4844. You have been chief on the Storstad practically since she was launched?
- Yes, since the ship was built.
4845. Where were you when the Storstad actually collided with the Empress of Ireland?
- In my bed.
4846. When did you turn in?
- Twelve o’clock.
4847. Did you feel the jar of the collision?
- Yes.
4848. What did you do after the jar of the collision?
- I turned out quickly.
4849. Where did you go?
- I ran out to the deck.
4850. Did you go to the bridge?
- I went into my room and put my clothes on. I was there about five minutes, then I ran out again after the engines were stopped and asked the captain what it was. He said it’s a big boat that struck us. I ran right forward and looked at the damage. I see the bow was twisted in. I ran back to him and spoke about that. We could not understand where the boat had gone to. We never heard anything of it. The captain’s wife was standing together with us and she spoke about it. We were standing there some minutes when I saw a black streak coming from the port bow.
By Chief Justice McLeod:
4851. Of your own steamer?
- Yes, we saw black smoke coming up.
By Mr. Haight:
4852. Did you hear any sound?
- After that we heard some shrieks and calls for help. The captain ordered all the boats to be dowered quickly and he called the men to come quick, quick, and lower them. We did that. Soon after that the first two of the Empress boats -
4853. Never mind the rest of the story about the rescue; that has been fully covered. When was it that the entries were written up in the official engine room log?
- Between eight and nine p.m.
4854. The day of the collision?
- Yes, the same day.
4855. Between eight and nine o’clock that night?
- Yes.
4856. Is the official log in your handwriting?
- Yes.
4857. Will you please state where the entries were written in your room or where, and who was present when you started to make up the official log?
- Yes, I called them in my room.
4858. You called the assistant engineer to your room?
- Yes.
4859. Take the slip of the scrap log -
- I wrote it down, he has not made his finish down in the engine room before he came up.
4860. What is that?
- He make it up there in my room. He has so much work, so hard, he make it up after the best remember.
4861. How long was it after the jar you went down in the engine room?
- It was about three or four hours after.
4862. Three or four hours. You called the third assistant into your room and you did his correct entries?
- Yes.
4863. Will you please tell me what you said to him and what he said to you about these scrap entries?
- Yes, I told him to give me up the right time.
4864. What is that?
- I told him to give me the right time after the order he got from the bridge. He only enter two or three points and after that he gave me the time he best remember.
4865. When you saw the scrap entries you realized that more bells had been rung than he had recorded?
Lord Mersey:
I don’t realize that. He supposed that, he was not there.
By Mr. Haight:
4866. Were you on the bridge while the captain was manoeuvring the boat to bring her up to the Empress?
- No, I went quickly down the deck.
Lord Mersey:
I may be wrong, but I understood him to say that he did not come on the scene at all after the collision took place.
Mr. Haight:
He was in his bunk, my Lord.
By Lord Mersey:
4867. He knows nothing about it till the collision takes place?
- Yes.
4868. Then he comes into the engine room?
Mr. Newcombe:
No, not the engine room, he was on deck.
By Mr. Haight:
4869. Were you on the bridge any length of time after the collision happened, or were you working at the boats or what?
- I was on the bridge after the collision.
4870. How long were you on the bridge?
- I think about five or eight mintues.
4871. Were you on the bridge when you say you saw this black streak that was the Empress?
- Yes.
4872. What orders had been given on the telegraph while you were on the bridge to bring the Storstad up to the Empress?
- Since I see the black streak come and hear the crash I ran quick down and the captain took the command of that.
4873. Please tell us what the third assistant said to you when you told him about these entries if there was anything more to add - was there any discussion about it?
- No.
4874. As I understand when you first got this scrap book which the third engineer had written, you also made some entries on that scrap. Is that correct?
- Yes.
4875. May I have the exhibit handed to the witness. Now look at the entries on the date of the collision and state which part of those entries are in your handwriting?
By Lord Mersey:
4876. Is it the lower part?
- The lower part I wrote down.
By Mr. Haight:
4877. According to my reading you copied the entries of the third assistant and then some other bells were also added. Is that correct?
- Yes.
4878. Now why did you add the other bells, those not appearing on the scrap book, not appearing in the assistant’s entries?
- I got them from the third engineer after his best recollection.
4879. Did you understand that the third engineer had looked at the clock or that he had any precise knowledge of those?
- No, I don’t know.
4880. Will you, chief, tell us some of the particulars about your engines. What is their indicated horse-power?
- 3,500 horse-power.
4881. What horse-power is she usually developing?
- We use ordinary 2,400.
4882. What is your normal speed when fully loaded?
- About ten miles an hour.
4883. What is your normal steam pressure?
- 180 lbs.
4884. At what pressure do you blow off?
- They blow off 180 lbs.
4885. Do you always carry full steam?
- Not always, different coal we have best steam.
4886. Do you know anything about your pressure this night?
- This time we had good coal. We have about 170 lbs.
4887. You have a single screw?
- Yes.
4888. Is it right handed?
- Yes.
4889. Now when you are making your usual speed of ten knots loaded, about what are your revolutions per minute?
- Between sixty-two and sixty-four.
4890. Under the same conditions about how many revolutions do you make when you are running slow?
- About forty revolutions, between thirty-five and forty.
4891. And with those revolutions about what speed would you have through the water?
- But I cannot tell you, three or four miles I think so.
4892. Three or four miles?
- Yes.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4893. The first you knew of the collision was the crash? Is that so?
- Yes.
4894. Speak louder will you. Was it a heavy crash?
- Oh I feel it heavy.
4895. You felt it heavy?
- Yes.
4896. And what you did is turned out first of all and ran to the deck?
- I ran on deck.
4897. And then ran back to your room?
- Yes.
4898. And then ran back to the deck, is that right?
- Yes.
4899. Is it not usual for a chief engineer when he hears a crash like that to go to his engine room at once?
- Yes, but the men had called all hands on deck.
4900. Had they called all hands on deck?
- Yes.
4901. Who called that?
- Some of the officers.
4902. Is that why you did not go to the engine room?
- The third engineer was down in the engine room.
4903. Why did you not go to the engine room after you felt this crash?
- No it must be fear of that first I must save my life.
4904. I won’t quarrel with that. That was your idea, save your life?
- Yes, and the engine was stopped before I went out.
4905. It was such a heavy crash was it that you thought the first thing was to save your life?
- Yes.
4906. And in fact you did not go into your engine room for three to four hours after the collision? Is that right?
- Yes, sir.
4907. Now I want you to help me if you can about this matter, if you cannot, say so. Your ship was travelling full speed till three o’clock?
- Yes.
4908. She was a heavily laden vessel was she not?
- I don’t know.
4909. You know she had a great deal of coal in her, did you not?
- No.
4910. The chief engineer, surely you know?
- No.
By Lord Mersey:
Q. Will you tell me, I am getting very stupid I am afraid, but what is it he does not know?
Mr. Aspinall:
He does not know whether he was fully loaded or not.
By Lord Mersey:
4911. Do you really mean that. Do you really mean to tell us you don’t know?
- No, I never asked them, for that is not my business.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4912. Mr. Engineer, if she was fully laden, she would carry her speed for a good way?
- Yes.
4913. So that at three o’clock when the order comes to go slow speed the ship does not go down to her slow speed, does she, for some little time?
- Yes.
4914. That is right, am I not right?
- Yes, quite right.
4915. And at three o’clock she was travelling at about ten knots if you are right?
- Yes, they say so.
4916. That is so, is it not. Till 3.2 she goes slow. We are told by the third engineer that the engines were put slow speed to 3.2 and then stop, and after that slow ahead?
- Yes.
4917. If those were the orders don’t you think that this ship would have a good deal of headway through the water at that time?
- Not much.
4918. You know they are not put full speed astern till 3.5?
- Yes.
4919. Don’t you think that this ship, until the engines were put full speed astern would be carrying her way on a great lot, having steerage way on her is what I meant.
- No, I don’t think she has speed for steering after that she stop. Ship goes down quick.
4920. What?
- Ship stand quick slow after its engine is stopped.
Lord Mersey:
I don’t in the least understand what you are saying. Will you say it again if it is of any importance.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4921. What have you just said. You don’t think something, what was it?
- The ship has not much speed at the time she go astern.
4922. What?
- Before they ring astern the ship was about still, I think.
By Chief Justice McLeod:
4923. About five minutes to three?
- Yes.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4924. When you entered up your log between eight and nine had the third engineer finished entering up his scrap log?
- Yes, he handed it to me between eight and nine p.m. the same day.
4925. Between 8 and 9 p.m. the same day?
- Yes.
By Lord Mersey:
Q. At night?
- Yes.
4926. The night following the collision?
- The same day in the evening.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4927. Why did you add anything to the scrap log?
- When the third engineer told me that and he gave me that after he best remembered.
4928. But why? Why did you write in the same log book? Why?
- Yes.
4929. Why, not yes, why? Why did you do it?
- Yes, he gave me that up.
4930. Don’t you understand my question, you have asked the interpreter to interpret?
Mr. Haight:
Captain Jensen, ask him why he made the entry?
Captain Jensen:
The answer is Yes, it is no answer that.
Witness: (pointing to the log book). That is the right book, my log book, and it is most correctly in that.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4931. You are the chief engineer and I assume you are an intelligent man. Can I ask you why did you write something in the log book, the scrap log?
- Yes, that man write badly and cannot spell it, and I take the paper from him in my room and put right down and write it correctly up, and after that I put in my log book.
By Lord Mersey:
4932. He writes badly, he cannot spell? Can you show me a word there that he has not spelt properly?
- Yes, there is some I cannot understand.
4933. Can you show me a word he has not spelt properly?
- There is that word (pointing to a word in Norwegian near the top of the page).
4934. Let me see it, what is wrong with it? How ought it to be spelt? What is wrong with it?
- There is not much wrong with it.
4935. Is there anything wrong with it?
- I write it more correctly.
4936. You have said he did not spell right, and I asked which is the word that he spells wrong. It seems to me he spells it exactly as you do, and it may be that you both spell it wrong. Now wait a moment, get a better excuse. Put the question to him again.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4937. The question you know chief engineer is this: Why did you write in that scrap book. Why did you do it?
- Yes.
4938. It is not yes, that is not an answer.
- The time written is 3.20, and I put it down him from 12 to 4.
By Lord Mersey:
4939. That is nothing to do with spelling?
- It is not filled out.
4940. Listen, that has nothing to do with spelling?
- No. The third engineer did not fill it out.
4941. You said just now you did not like his spelling.
By Mr. Aspinall:
4942. Did this man tell you that he was not sure about his time, and he was not sure that he had got everything in the log?
- Yes.
4943. Have you any reason for not liking these logs of yours from the engine room department?
- No.
4944. Has anybody who was in charge of that ship told you that he does not like these engine room logs, the captain, or the chief officer, have they?
- No.
By Lord Mersey:
4945. Do you want to ask him anything, Mr. Newcombe?
By Mr. Newcombe:
4946. When you got on the bridge immediately after the accident how did the telegraph to the engine room stand?
- I don’t see that.
4947. You did not see it?
- No.
4948. And you don’t know anything about what orders were given down?
- No.
Lord Mersey:
Have you anything more to ask, Mr. Haight?
Mr. Haight:
No, my Lord.
[Witness discharged.]