The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-16
STORIES OF FISHERMEN England's Investigation of
 Outrage. RUSSIA IS REPRESENTED Vice Admiral Carr Tells of
RUSSIA IS REPRESENTED
Vice Admiral Carr Tells of
 North Sea Affair.
Declares Thas the oniy wsrships ssen By the rewv of she TrawIers Were Those of Roiestvensky's
 squadron.

Hull Eng, Nov. l5.-The inquiry which Great Britain conducts on her own behalf into tho North sea inci- dent opanej -lsy. Vice Admiral Bridas ana Butler .spinwall, in ad-. rsiraiiry court law.,>s, whc were ap- pointed ts conduct the inquiry, and whose report wi'i form the basis of the British osss before tho interna- tional conamistion s Paris, sat at large sablv surrounded hs maps show- ing .sse D,ggsr bank ard The North Sea In front vac an array of coun- sel and governnis Tt officials.
 The Russisn counspi. who wac sc- conn .odated with seat on C.e plat form asked the first two witnesses if the men of the trawier fleet had re- ported seeing cthsr warships besides the Russian vessels. but apparently on- ly the Russiar esseis had been met.
 Some ictersHt was added to the pro- ceedfhg by the Introduction of tiny model of trawier Photographs showing the large lettering and num- bers of the frnnels end sides of the trawlers attacked were also presen- ted.
 The witnesses all denied that any arms, ammunition or contraband were on board the trawiers. There was no room. 1t was added. to carry aa tor. pedo.
 Several maritime atorekeepers swore that nothing was put on board the trawIers except supplies and coal.
 Testimony of Carr.
 yice-Admirai Carr. who was in charge of the trawling fleet at the time of the attack. said he had been in the naval reserve for seventeen years, and was accustomed to men nf War and naval signaiing. The only warship he had seen on the trip in question besides the Russians was the regular British cruiser stationed on Hull This was several days prior to the trawling fleet falling in with Vice Admiral Rojest- venekfs squadron. Carr reiterated that the first Russian division passed close second division after starboarding and Keeping their searchlights steadily on the vessel fired with the result now known. Carr said that when he first heard the firing he thought they were having a bit of game with themselves, repelling boarders, or something like that. The warships wero so close that he could see she men passing the open portholes of the Russian ships.
 He kept sending up green rockets, which are not only known throughout tho world as sign that they come ftcm a fishing fleet. but as they burst they lighted up the trawlers so that their numbers could be seen.
 Uncertain as to One Vessel.
 About one vessel which came up on his port quarters. Carr was very un- certain. It might have been. he ad- mitted, another trawler. but he at first thought 1t was one of the Russian war slips.
 Answering the Russian Consul. Carr maintained that the Russians did not signal to the trawlers to stop, and stoutly declared that there could not have been a strange vessel among the fishing fleet.
 At first Carr thought the Russians were British warships praeticing.
 After luncheon 1t was announced that pr. Herbert Woodhouse would rep resent the Russian embassy at the in- quest.
 Commander G. c. Frederick was the first witness in behalf of the Admiralty. He had drawn a diagram showing the probable positions of the Russian yes sells and the trawlers. Commander Frederick said the Russian squadron was thirty miles out of It's way. but replying to Dr. WoOdhouse he admitted that as 1t apprehended danger 1t would he only natural to deviate from the ordinary course. A home office expert identified the shells as Russian.
 One hole was caused by a six inch shell.
 Shells PIeced Together.
 The Home Offlce has secured all the fragments of the exploded shells and has caused them to be pieced together Therefrom an expert. in the manner of Sherlock Holmes, related their origin, inc angle of firing. calibre. etc. con cluding with a scientific demonstra- lion from the fragments that the trawler Mino could not have been hit unless the projectile had been delib- erately aimed at her.
 The shippers of the trawler Keith, in reply to questions declared that there were no Japanese trawlers and no Japanese present and that no Japa- nese agents made any suggestion to him whatever It would have been impossible for the trawlers, he added, to screen a torpedo boat.
 pr. woodhouse elicited from the witness that the trawlers did not at tempt to show distress or other sig nals with the view of getting the Russians to cease firing.
 The skipper of the Snipe related how his vessel had been hit Dr. Woodhouse questioned him closely He asked why he had not stopped when the first shots were fired or al least raise signals of distress.
 There was some amusement when Dr. Woodhouse asked: Did you want to get hit again?'
 The skipper in /the broadest York. shire dialect replied:
 He Kept Agoing.
 "Noa; that's why I kept agoinE.'
 Counsel for the Board of Trade sug. gested that it was rather hard to say what had made the Russians stop.
 Admiral Bridge pointed out that tn, snipe was technically not in distres as she had not been hit below the wa ter line
 Another skipper caused a laugl when he declared he never saw a Jap anese In his life.
 This was the tenor of the evidenc throughout the afternoon. Dr. Wood house elicited that 1t was the genera belief on the part of the fisherme that they first thought the vessel were British warships manouverinl It never occurred to the trawlers { stop, but when they were hit they raj
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