Ships and the Sea

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1929, Page 28

Ships and the Sea

t Tho New Motor Ship Port Aln(n

An arrival at Port Chalmers on Mon'Aay morning was the new twin screw Doxford-engined motor-ship Port 'Alma, which has boon built by Messrs. Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Eichardson, Ltd., for the Commonwealth and Dominion Line. The Port Alma has been, specially designed for thu carriage of refrigerated cargo, such as meat, fruit, and dairy produce, between New Zealand and England, as well as for dealing with general cargo on tho voyage from Homo. At her service speed of 15 knots it is expected that the Port Alma will bo able to maintain a regular service of less than 34 days.. The Port Alma is tho second of two eimilar Doxford-engined motor-ships tmilt at Wallsend for the Commonwealth and Dominion Line, tho first, •Which is named tho Port Fairy, was completed last year. They aro sister ships of the. Port Gisborne and the Port Huon, which were also built by Swan, Hunter, and AVigham Kichardson, Ltd., last year, but which are propelled by Wallsend-Sulzer engines. The Port Alma is provided with three complete decks, top-gallant forecastle, two bridge erections, and poop. Sho has a cruiser stern, and the double bottom extends for the entire length of the hull. : , Accommodation is provided for twelve passengers in four single-berth and four two:berth cabins, the public rooms, comprising dining saloon and smoking-room. Although small, these rooms are. of very attractive appearance for :i vessel carrying only a limited number of passengers. Tho dining saloon is in the Elizabethan period stylo, the- walls being panelled 1 in oak. The coiling is painted white and formed into panels by oak-encased beams supported on pilasters on the wall panelling, thosn pilasters being fluted, and carved, with an oaken leaf. The! furiiituro "of this saloon comprises two sideboards at tho after end, these having a' canopy supported by pillars, faced with a'grotesque head and vintage^ a piano and stool and small round

tables'are" also provided. Entrance to the saloon is obtained through two swing doors. Jiaving. plate-glass panels, ■while the floor is covered with ruboleum tiling in a design of blue and grey. The accommodation for the captain, officers, and crew is also of a high standard. The navigating officers and engineer officers, are: berthed on cither side of the engine-rpom casing, while the crew's quarters :are in the forecastle. A Travesty of Justice.' The haste with which an inquiry into the loss of ;the-yestris. was .opened in New ..York,^aiicl. the manner; in which" the investigation has been conducted, has; shocked- the sense of decency' 8f everyone 'this'side, of ..the Atlantic; for ■we •have certain iflxed ideas as' to the .procedure 'which should.be. followed in sueh 1 circumstances, • states' the. " S.hip-'. ping» World: ' In"the first place,:there ■was,'of 'c'ourseV-u'o''justification for holding! ''aa'i inquiry in the United States since the Vestris was a British-owned ship''oh -the British ■ register, and was manned by a British crew, and the Board of Trade would have investigated Jb'li'c cause of the- disaster. But if this impropriety be ignored, •what,shall he said of the manner\in ■which State Attorney Charles H Tuttle conducted the proceedings^—a manner which would be farcical were it not that'lns'action has inflicted unnecessary'suffering on officers of the lost ship, fresh from it nerve-racking experience,, as. well as on .passengers. Mr. Wilson Midgley, the New York correspondent, of the "Daily. News," has rendered no mean service in describing the way iv which this inquiry,'which he wat.ched from its opening, was conducted. He set himself this task in the interest, as he explained, of those who are not acquainted with American methods; of- trial by a mixture of newspaper "stunts, sensation, . and scandal,", ail of them being employed in, .this instance'by-Mr.'Tuttle., The inquiry pursued consequently a course unheard-of in -nautical• annals.. Stiito Attorney, Charles IT. Tuttl? spends a large part of his life in prosecuting financial criminals, .bootleg-gers,-and, New York gangsters. He is supported by four assistants. They consult with him and pass him notes and suggestions. Newspaper men —keen as hounds to take any point they miss —also share (his privilege, and make suggestions, to Mr. Tuttle and pass notes on which he acts. Commissioner Francis A. O'Neill, who presides, takes no, part except to ask witnesses to speak- up. . . ' . .The.-methods arc completely casual. Sir. /Puttie frequently consults the newspaper men's convenience. Ho stopped, onco in .cross-examination to pose in court aiid add another to the numerous "photographs of himself and his-assistants appearing in the papers.' . ili's'conlnct with newspapers is of the closest. He. informs them in advance of his pliins, his informations, and his baseless- suspicions. The most flagrant of-these was-.that the sinking was due to ;t secret :wireless message from the owners ordering Captain Carey to carry on. j.'.was able to-deny this a^ soon as published, but Mr. Tuttle continued to '■ reiterate it for two (lays, and published a letter to him from Congressman,. La Guardia practically accusing the owners 'of sending the ship to her doom, by ordering the, captain to keep onv."." . ■ " . .•■•■- After referring to the fury with which .the Attorney- examined Mr. ■'IV' Verchece, .the 18-year-old, wireless op-' prater, because, lie. denied knowledge of tne alleged message'of the owners and to tiitf ""Tiaseiess-' allegation - that - witnesses had .bce'n-liiddeu.,. were.; refusing to give evidence; and .were lodging subpoenas, this correspondent added:— ' Mr. Tiittle's'mahner 'with witnesses is iilwavsMlint'of a prosecuting attoiticv. Ho shouts lit witnesses, accuses : thcm .of lying, !<nd, when lie thicks ho :;has'V'/ored, grins in 'triumph—which 's6iW;:'Wew~spapers do, not hesitate „to ICPOl'd. ■"■'■"""■ '■'..■ ; ■- He read the British Consul's suggestion that two naval assessors should be appointed, but no .slops havo been token to secure the presence of either Amcri-

can or British assessors; Tho result is that Mr. Tuttlc becomes confused and confuses his witnesses on points which any expert could clear up at onco. One of his triumphs, scored over young Verchere^ disappeared when newspaper men suggested that ho should carry it further. Ho recalled Verchere, and with tho first question his triumph blew up in tho air, for the boy pointed out that Mr. Tuttlo had confused the starboard with tho port side. Mr. Tuttle, with a rueful face, excused him at once.

He accused witnesses of lying because he assumed that "hove to" meant that the engines were necessarily stopped. Tho next day an engineer said that the engines were going for-24 hours after tho vessel had been hovo to. . *

For half an hour Mr. Tuttlc examined the first officer under the impression that he was the chief officer who was drowned. Finally, he accused him of lying; because he denied doing things which the wireless operator had said the chief officer did. .. ' l Summing up his impressions after closely watching the-, proceedings, Mr. Wilson Midgley remarked: — No plans of the ship are available, so the confusion extends to such points as witnesses speaking of one deck while Mr.-Tuttl.e is thinking of another. At one period he remained under the impression that a witness had said that a bunker was full.of water when he had only said that it was full of coal. •■•.■■

These questions (which could be cleared up in an instant by experts), added to Mr. Tuttlc's accent—he always says-"foist" for. 'first"—confuse men who have recently gone through a harrowing experience. Most of them'are suffering with throats torn by exposure and hours of shouting. They are left entirely unprotected to the onslaughts of a man who 'conducts himself as if he wero committed to find someone guilty. Neither owners nor officers are entitled to be repre-

sented, so there is no. cross-examination to clear up any' doubtful points '• that remain, The result of such proceedings should be taken for what they are —attempts to get the maximum evidence of guilt. The Court has no legal standing—this .Mr. Tuttle himself admits. The owners, in face of the tragedy^ have- • thrown open , all v the facts: . Their protests-against such a court' might be. misunderstood, Taut, for the sake of America's national dignity soui'e higher authority ought to protect them and their men from such proceedings, even 1 though familiarity with them ' make's them seem. less, monstrous.here than they, would: in England. ; It; .should' bo' noted'.that-this so-eall-el' i. Court.»' ..cannot". cv.en' formulate legal findings; all it can do is to submit any .evidence^tp'the'grand/: jury; ■ Tlie^Kungsholm Accident. We have received from Messrs. Burmeister and Wain,- Copenhagen, their official report' on ■ the explosion which occurred in -the new motor liner Kungsholm in October while she was or trials in the North Sea and which caused the loss of several lives (reports the "Syren and Shipping). When the starboard engine was running at about 90 r.p.m. there was a slight explosion inside the crank-casing, followed immediately by a violent 1 one in the engineroom. The first explosion caused the sheet inn doors of .cylinders 3, 4, and . 6 to be blown out, striking the handrails fitted between tlfe pillars at the bac,k of the engine. The 'name shot out from' the door openings and extended. in£o. the .-.thrust recess and tunnel and round, the. aft end of the port engine. Part of the floor plating in the main engine-room was lifted out of place, and an examination of the. port engine showed' that .the- lubricating oil trough under the bedplate "was bulged in about 3in at the sides-as well, as 1 the bottom., This-trough is made of steel plates i mm. in thickness and welded together; ; : Tho .air pressure': following the explosion; was released through the engine-rodm easing and the force was still so strong that the skylight was lifted and: blown overboard. This was, says the report, no doubt the cause, .of the original impression that a cylinder cover had been blown off. Upon examination'of the:starboard main;engine it was'found that the jockey wheel for the main chain, drive to the camshaft had heated and the bronze.bushes had seized, on the, shaft, with the .result that the securing pins were sheared, allowing the wheel, to revolve on the external surface of the bushes. Gas vapours were produced, which, with the air in .the. crank-casing, formed an explosive mixture; this mixture became ignited by the burning oil .on the bronze bushes, thereby starting Hie explosion. As the jockey wheel, was in perfect oi'dci" it is considered most, likely that some sand or foreign matter had remained'iii the piping and'worked itself into, the bearing. ..'.'..' P. and O. Profits Increased. The profits'of the P. and. 0. Steam' Navigation Company have again increased, i'ortho year ended 30th September, 1927, they were £918,00.1; for the twelve months'which have.just been completed they are (including : £188,. 327, brought forward)' &923,029.. This iigure has been arrived at after providing' for depreciation, adding £92,----050" to the reserve fund (bringing it up to -£.1,70.0,000), and setting aside. >tlie premium of £1,00.0,000 received on : the isi-ue or' new deferred stock to be used for now tonnage construction. Motor Ship Production in 1928. When the complete figures, are available, it will lie-■■ -found, ■ according ..to "The.Motor .Ship, 1" /that .the number and tonnage <of •■ nibtor'vessels built; throughout the world in 1028 will be 50 per cent greater .thrin during the, pro-, vious year. It is estinuited (hat the t'.itnl will reach l.j -'million tons gross, compared with 810,000 tons gross in 1927." The rapidity'of: the growth of popularity-of-t he mo.lor.vessel is illustrated by the . .fact that in 0923 the ships of this class that were built totalled rather under one quarter of a million tons gross, or 20 per cent, of (lie corresponding figure this year.