A literal observation of paragraph 18 cannot be set up as a defence where the collision might have been avoided by adopting another course. The captain of thd Alexandra contended that, if he had reversed his engines at the point where he heard the first two, or perhaps three, whistles from the Poltava, the collision would still have taken place, but the effect would have depended on the movements of the Poltava.
To this the Court cannot agree. Taking into consideration the angle at which the collision took place, according to the drawings of Captain Elm and the witness Hamilton, the Alexandra could not have reversed her engines earlier than thirty or forty seconds before the collision, whereas the Poltava had reversed her engines before that time. The Court does not see how Pootung side of the channel. But, according to the log book of the Alexandra, the Poltava answered the collision could have occurred it the Alexandra had reversed her engines when she heard the two, al fror
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.