The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-14
LA BoURGoGNE DISASTER.
Canadian Wreck Commissioner Re
 sumes His Inquiry at Halifax

Canadian Wreck Commissioner Re-
 sumes His Inquiry at Halifax.
 Halifax, N. S., July Exclamation Wreck Commissioner Smith resumed his court of inquiry to-day into the Cromartyshire-La Bourgogne collision.
 The French consul and other inter- ested parties were on hand with their lawyers. Captain Smith put a series of questions regarding the time of the collision, and continued the questions in the endeavor to learn the speed at which the La Bourgogne was travelling.
 Captain Henderson of the Cromarty- < shire reiterated his statement that the French quartermaster had told him La Bourgogne was going eighteen knots an hour, and that the fourth engineer said that she was travelling at full speed. His own opinion was that she was go- ing at fifteen knots an hour.
 Assuming that La Bourgogne passed Sandy Hook at 1 o'clock. on Saturday, July 2, she would have gone sixteen knots an hour steadily up to the time of the collision. Captain Smith stated at this stage that it might seem strange that Captain Henderson should have heard the steamships whistle in the chart house while the chief officer fail- ed to do so on the deck. Such, how ever, was a common phenomenon which he himself had frequently ex- perienced.
 MT. Borden examined the witness on this point. The witness went on to say that he had made every effort as soon as he saw the rafts with survivors to save them. Every soul was saved that it was possible for him to save by the exercise of his utmost efforts.
 Taking the united capacity of all the rafts and boats discovered, he thought that the number of persons saved was all that possibly could have been res cued by that number of boats and rafts.
 The captain of the Grecian agreed with him, when the tow to Halifax was started, that it was useless to remain longer with any hope of saving fur tIer life This concluded the evidence of Captain Henderson Chief Officer James Kelman was then put on the stand. His evidence was largely in line with that of Captain Henderson.
 At the afternoon sitting of the court the examination of Chief Officer Hol- man was continued. He testified that the bowsprit of the Cromartyshire car ried part of the steamers bridge and damaged her funnel There was a lit- tie serio-comic incident at this stage. D. F. Harris, Q. C., representing the French consul, had been handed the Cronartyshire' log book. MT. Borden, counsel for the captain of the Cromar- tyshire noticed this and objected to his fuse of it. He had no right to any in- formation from it beyond what came out in evidence elucidated by counsel in the case. MT. Harris was not of such counsel, but was really a mere specta- tor This view was endorsed by the court, and 1t was held that MT. Harris could not examine the log book. MT. Borden explained that there was pos sibility of an action against the owners of the La Bourgogne and any evidence bearing on this subject should be ad- mitted
 MT. Harris proceeded to make an ex- planation but he was reminded, amid such laughter as the solemn proceed ings of the court would permit, that he had no right to speak. In reply to R. T. Borden, the chief officer said he was told by three men from the steamer that he was going at full speed. One of these was the quartermaster, who said the speed was eighteen knots. One of the engineers, through an interpre- ter, told him the same thing, or rather that he was going full speed. Two others with whom he had spoken-sail- or passengers-told him the same thing, snea king in English