The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-19 00:00:00

make engines and. send them away without
_ever

putting steam in them.

He had been in hundreds

Of trial' trips, and generally went in charge of the
engines as acting for the engine maker. Had known

the next engineer, Arnott, for many years. Arnott
had been in many trial trips, but did not sign ship's
articles as Mr. Scott Russell's servant. He might
have signed such articles, but not as engineer of the
trial trip. The same remarks, to a certain extent,

applied to the other engineers, Patrick, Gerard, and
Marshall, all of whom had been some time in Mr.
Scott Russell's service. Did not agree with Mr.

Galloway as to the pressure in the funnel case when
it blew up being as much as 5001 b. ; it was not
more than half that: Even that amount, however,

was an immense pressure. The casing was very
strong. It had been tested to 551 b. He did not
think that the use of water casings ought at all to

be affected by the accident which had occurred. He
still considered the water•jacket an admirable plan

when properly carried out.
By Mr. Lawson—Witness had no particular rea-
son for leaving the cock in the tube at all. Could
not say whether or not it was usual to have such a

cock upon a tube. had made many small tubes,
but could not recollect whether or not they were

fitted with cocks. Would not, in auy case, put a
valve on. It was essential to put cocks or valves

in all pipes taken from hot wafer or steam. Wit-
ness attached the pipe without any thought about

the matter at all.

Mr. Arnott worked one engine, and witness, to a
certain extent, the other. Reports ought .always to

be made to the chief engineer, but witness made ro
report whatever to Mr. MTennan on any subject.
Could not say why he was put to work the engines.
No one asked him to go to them. The cock was so
placed that any one could have gone and turned it,

Though not Without using ''
a 'spanner" or key.
Witness always considered that ho built the en-
gines for Mr. Scott Russell. He thought all the
drawings of the engines were in the possession
of Mr. Brunel's assistants. In those draw-

ngs the cock on the tube did not appear.

At the

Last trial, ' when Mr. Brunel was present, he said

nothing which would tend to show tliat the company,
either approved or disapproved the engines. Stop-
ping the feed into the casing and the cock at the
top was like confining the safety-valve. Witness
generally acted as chief engineer in trial trips; this
time considered the boat was in the hands of the
company, but he did not nevertheless consider that,
though working at the engines, he was under the
orders of anyone.
By Mr. Newton—There were a great many mat-
ters of detail not put down in the drawings, as well

as the omission of the cock in the tube. The derange-
ment of the donkey engines was entirely caused by
the boilers priming. One donkey engine was all
that was required to feed the boilers. Was ready
to swear that Mr. M•Lennan asked him to leave
the cock in the tube. He never asked Mr. M‘Lennan
on the Thursday before sailing if he had got all his
paddle-engine room stores complete, as he (witness)
was going in charge. Such a conversation never
took place, either in the presence of Mr. Briscoe or
any one else. He could swear on his oath that Mr.
Brunel never desired him to remove the cocks from
the tubes.

By Capt. Robertson—As he had stated, he went
with Mr. Galloway an hour after the explosion to
see if the cock of the next funnel casing was open.
Ho found it was open, but he had reason to believe
that it had not been opened until after the first
funnel casing had blown up. Some one had told
him that they had opened it, but he could not re-
collect who. It was not witness's son who told him,
though it might have been his son who opened the
cock. Until that was done both cocks were alike
turned off, and allowed no escape for the steam.

Capt. Robertson—Then it is a mercy from Hea-
ven that both the funnels did not blow up together.
Witness could not say, when the second funnel
was thus shut up, whether the water for the boilers
was being taken from the casing or whether the
donkey engine was pumping the water into the
boilers direct.

Mr. J. R. R. Campbell, chairman and one of the
managing directors of the Great Ship Company,
was called, and stated that as one of the managing
directors, it was his duty, in conjunction with the
board, to give directions as to the day of the vessel's
quitting the Thames. He thought she was ready
to leave Deptford when she started on the 7th inst.
Capt. Harrison had the command of the ship, though
ske was in charge of the sea and river pilots till her
arrival at Portland. Mr. Saunders was the river
and Mr. Atkinson was the sea pilot, but Mr. Atkin-
son had the chief charge on behalf of the company.
As managing director belied been in communication
with Mr. Russell and Messrs. Bolton and Watt, and
it was arranged that those engineers would take
charge of their engines in the trip to Portland.
with a view of seeing their working before they
were given up to the company at Weymouth. For
this purpose it was arranged that they should have
the appointment of the chief engineers to be re-
sponsible fur the entire working and control of the
screw and paddle engines to the two. contractors.
So desirous was Mr. Russell that a full trial should
be had that he said lie was determined to make the
first voyage to America, and accordingly engineers
were engaged on his behalf to make the voyage
there and back. The trip round from Deptford to
Portland was merely to work the engines into trim.
The real trial trip was to take place as advertised,
round to Holyhead. Even if all the engines had
worked well coming round it would not have been
considered a fair trip for such a vessel. The whole
responsibility for the working of the engines rested
with the contractors, who had the whole and entire
charge of them. That was previously arranged
and understood, and at the request of the con-
tractors they were allowed to appoint their
own engineers. If the latter arrangement
had not been the case the directors would
have felt it to be their duty to have a
rigorous examination as to the competency of any
of the engineers to discharge such an important
duty. They would have subjected them to the
severest tests as to their fitness for the office. The
necessity for the trial trip was a verbal agreement
of the contractors, who, on the understanding that
it was a trial trip, insisted on appointing the engi-
neers in charge. A letter would be found addressed
by witness to Mr. Brunel, advising the appoint-
ment of engineers to the respective engines, and in
witness's presence Mr. Scott Russell was asked
to name his engineers to go in charge for the trial
trip, and in witness's presence Mr. Scott Russell did
name them, and they were appointed accordingly.
Both the directors and Mr. Russell were equally
anxious that the vessel should leave the river as soon
as possible, for it was a common remark that while
there nothing would be done, and the ship would
never be ready at all. The whole responsibility of
the trial trip rested on the contractors, and not on
the company. On the voyage round to Holyhead
if the engines worked well they would have been
accepted by the company ; if not, they would not
have been taken at all. Mr. Russell and his fore-
man (Mr. Dickson) were in charge of the paddle en-
gines. Mr. Russell directed the movements 9f the
engines as the pilot wished, and by the indicator
conveyed his orders from the bridge to the engine-
room below. In the event of any accident occurring
to the paddle engines witness would have felt it his
duty to communicate at once with Mr. Russell and
not with the company's chief engineer, Mr.
M'Lennan. Did not consider the chief engineer in
any way responsible till the contractors gave up
their work. Mr. M‘Lenniti, at that time, he viewed
more in the light of a fifth wheel of a coach.
(Laughter.) On one or two occasions during the