Witness was satisfied that the ship was in good order all round. The life boats were in their proper positions, on the, occasions when he had! visited the ship, and they were properly equipped. He had them opened himself for unofficial - inspection, finding everything inside clean and orderly. Witness had heard from Mr. Green, the chief engineer, that the ship's engines. were. absolutely reliable and had never- given any trouble. The vessel was not fitted with wireless, but very few coast vessels were. The desirability of installing wireless had been brought to his notice by Mr. Simpson, who was interested in the sale of sets, but witness had never considered it necessary for a vessel engaged on short coast voyages. He was not an expert, but he did not think such an installation would be of much use in a typhoon.
In answer to Mr. Teesdale, witness said the company did not keep a marine superintendent. Any complaints were brought before witness personally and referred to marine surveyors. Witness was not financially interested in the company, holding only one share out of 1,000. The Mylie was originally built to the order of Mr. Koh Dib-sang, and transferred to the Haichow Ca,, of which he was a shareholder. Her deadweight of 3,100 tons had been altered to 2,800 tons.
Mr. Teesdale—My instructions are that the deadweight was afterwards reduced: again to 2,400?
Witness—Your instructions are definitely wrong. - Continuing, witness said that when the vessel was loading at Chinwangtao the captain would not know the accurate weight. It was his duty to know the weight he was taking on board, but in no port in China was coal weighed into a ship.
In answer to the President, witness said that, under a time charter, he would not know what was.on board, nor was it his business to know. If he asked he vould probably be told to mind his own business. His experience of China coast shipping was very great. He had now under his control the Mylie's sister ship, Gweneth, and his own boat, the Ralph Moller. In the case of the Gweneth, witness telegraphed to Hongkong giving instructions so that she would not be fully loaded when travelling through the typhoon. The Gweneth arrived in Hongkong to replenish her bunkers at midnight on August 17, and the typhoon broke over Hongkong on the following morning. She left on the 20th, and came up outside the Yangtze river on the other side of the typhoon in which the Mylie foundered, and arrived safely at Woosung. Witness was always careful to send weather instructions by telegraph, The draught of the Mylie when fully loaded for a long voyage in the danger zone would be 19.3, and for a short voyage a little deeper.
Continuing, witness said all the officers of the Mylie were certi-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.