THE SUNKEN LINER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15646, 27 June 1914, Page 9

THE SUNKEN LINER.

INJURIES TO THE HULL,

TAKING OF EVIDENCE ENDED. MORE WORK BY DIVERS. SEARCH FOR THE BODIES. By Telegraph—Press Association— (Received Juno 26, 11.15 p.m) Quebec, June 25. The Empress of Ireland inquiry advanced a stago to-day, the Court having finished hearing evidence. Counsel for the National Sailors and Firemen's Union addressed the. Commission. The inquiry then adjourned to allow counsel for the owners of the Storstad and the Empress of Ireland to prepare their addresses. After their speeches the Commission is to hold private conferences to sift the evidence, with tin aid of assessors and the Admiralty experts appointed by the Dominion and British Governments. It is expected that these sessions wilMast about two weeks. Rudder Surface Increased. Mr. Percy Hillhousc, of the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company, which constructed the Empress of Ireland, continued his evidence. He stated that one foot was added to the width of tho rudder of the Empress of Irela-i after her accident in 1908 to improve her steoring qualities, and added that he had heard no complaints by th vessel's captains regarding the steering gear. Witness gave the first adequate expUiation of the nctual injuries to the Enipnsa of Ireland, stating that the wai-T ri-flhed through a wound 309 square feet at tho rate of 260 tons a second. He believed that tho twist in the bow of the Storstad was caused by the impact before penetrating the hull of the Empress of Ireland. ! Captain Kendall (recalled) gave the times taken by the ship on the two courses after leaving lather Point prior to the accident, showing a discrepancy between the captain's time of. dropping the pilot and tho time given by the captain of tho boat which picked up the pilotExperts Disagree. An expert called by tho Storstad's lawyers testified that he believed the Storstad struck the other vessel at an inner angle of forty degrees. The builders' expert had claimed that only one watertight compartment was penetrated by tho collier's nose, whereas ho believed two had been penetrated. He believed the enlarged rudder of the Empress ■; Ireland was inadequate.

Mr. Hillhouse, recalled, stated that the liner's rudder showed a greater percentage to the submerged area than was usual in modern liners.

The divers of the man-o'-war Essex have been ordered back to the scene of the wreck, after a conference between Captain Walsh (of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company) and Captain Wats-on (of the Essex), which decided to make a further attempt to recover the 800 bodies entombed in the liner, despite the fact that the work was abandoned following a report indicating its difficulties and dangers.