THE WRECK OF THE SUKAT,

Otago Witness, Issue 1155, 17 January 1874, Page 11

THE WRECK OF THE SUKAT,

OFFICIAi ENQUIRY. (Continued from page 8)

Witness : I am not here as an expert. Mr Stout : I can make you my expert if I like.

Cross-examination continued : I consider a man not sober when he is in a state of intoxication.

Mr Stout : Will you give me the symptoms of non-sobriety ? Witness : I am not an expert. Must I answer, your Worship ? Mr Strode : Yes.

Witness: The symptoms vary greatly, whether the subject is used to liquor or whether he has not had liquor before. Not having proper control over the voluntary muscles, is one of the symptoms of non-sobriety. The spirits of the subject are excited or roused, or depressed, according to peculiarity of constitution and the liquor he has taken. These are one or two of the symptoms. There will be a more or less staggering gait and peculiar feelings. Mr Stout : This is objective. I wish, to keep to the subjective. Witness : There will he a flushed appearance of the face and more or less congestion of the eyes, while sometimes there will be a rash on the face. Sometimes there is tremor of the hands, and a difference in. manner, according to the constitution. If a man has taken the same quantity of liquor the same change almost always takes place in his manner. These are a good many of the symptoms. Then there is the odour from the breath, which is always a sign of drunkenness. This sign, however, must be taken in conjunction with others before a man can be pronounced not sober. Overexcitement might cause a flush, but it would not remain there. If a man was excited first, and took a small quantity of liquor after, I cannot say whether the symptoms of intoxication would develope more rapidly. It all depends on the constitution of the man. In some men the symptoms would show themselves more rapidly. On the night when the ship struck I showed no sign of excitement except to go out to see what: was the row. I was perfectly calm at the moment. I was never in a greatly excited state all the time. If I had been perfectly calm I should have gone to sleep between the time the ship struck and we got ashore at Catlin's River. I cannot say I was very much excited. I may have been a little excited. When I saw the water over the coal I cannot say what depth of water there was in the hold. I was never down there. I waa not most excited when the ensign was hauled down. I shottld say I was most excited wheu the ship struck. I do not want to certify myself. Some one can do that for me. The long-"boat was launched from one hour to one hour and a half after the steamer passed, and after the second mate had left. When I went to the captain to ask him to get the passengers landed, 1 was quite calm. _ I can't say but that I might have been anxious. I thought very little about my life being in danger at the time. When I left the ship the sailmaker was sober so far as I know. When he and the first mate had the talk at the forecastle before I left the ship, he was sober. When I finally left the ship, there was a change in the demeanour of the sailmaker. He appeared not to be sober. I spoke of hearing a grating noise after I came back with the long-boat. I heard that the cable was slipped afterwards. I saw the vessel turn a point. I then came up with her, and heard a grating noise. The vessel got round the point, and vanished for a short time, and then we came up with her in the boat. The vessel must have been making some slight progress when I went on board. After I got on board I heard the bumping. Before I got on board I heard the grating ; but whether it was the cable or the ship on the rocks I will not say. I did not see the second mate come on board. I should think the ship made more or less sail after I got on board until she got aground. I wa3 in the boat when the cable was slipped. Before the long-boat came up there was another boat alongside, but I will not swear that there were any emigrants in the boat. The emigrants were landed in two places. The ale in my boat did not land where I cd. At the time the anchor was dropped 1 was in.the long-boat. I was on board some time before I heard the ship bumping on the rocks. The enquiry was adjourned at twenty minutes past 6 o'olock until 10 o'clock on Monday morning.