The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-17
|SPEED WOULD NOT
HAVE SAVED LUS|TAN|A
watcvhman Who Saw Torpedo Com.
ing Says Hundred Mile Clip
wouldn't Have Dodged 1t.
MANY POORLY TRAINED
MEN AMONG CREW
This, However, Cunard Company
Head Declares, Was Due to Condi-
lions Arising From the War-Sug-
gest Divers BE Sent Down.

London. June 16.--Aifred A. Booth,
chairman of the board OF the Cunard
Steamship Company, was the CHIEF
witness called today in the govern
ment's inaui. into the sinking OF the
Lusitania When he was asked by At
torney General Sir Edward Carson
when the Lusitania was ecomomizing
by using only nineteen OF her twen-
ty-five boilers when she was torpe-
does. he replied that so far as SUB
martens are concerned. there is no
difference between twenty-one knots
and twenty-four. knots.
Mr.. Carson then asked him whether
there was any difference between
eighteen knots the speed at wnicn
Lusitania was travelling, and TWEEN
ty-one knots, and to this query Mr'
Booth responded that no steamship
making more than fourteen knots had
been torpedoed until the Lusitania was
hit. He said that no wirseless instrue-
lions had been given Captain Turner,
because the company had no way OF
communicating with him excepeEI
communicating with the ship except
through the admiralty. The company
previously had given general instruc-
tons. however, that all water ugnt
comparenents should be closed and
lifeboats swung out upon entering the
danger xone. Captain Turner also had
heau ordered not to slow down to take
on a pilot and mt to lie-t II Ldverpoi
10 wait for the tide. He knew MOTH
ing regarding warnings issued to pas
sengers except that what he had read
In the newspapers.
In cross-exu,nination by an attorney
representing some OF the survivors he
was asked IL the company had taken
steps to prevent the Lusitania from
entering the war zone on scheduie
He replied that Captain Turner mac
been given entire discretion. Donald
| McMaster, representing the Canadian
government. asked the witness IL tnt
! Lusitania had been supplied with
| device for the detection of submarines
and was told that Mr.. Booth did MOI
| know that there was such device.
| 1t developed that there were many
poorly trained men in the crew on &C
count of the war. Baron Mersey
president OF the court of inquiry. In.
| terrupted to say that no evidence hae
heen introduced to show that a great
err speed would have saved the Lusi
| tania.
| The attorney for the stewards unior
wanted to know II there were Ger
mans working on the Lusitania.s piel
| in New York Mr.. Booth said that M
| supposed there were German-Ameri'
cans working there.
| 1t was brought out that the Lusi
tania did not have coal enough or
board to make the full trip under ful
speed, but there was coal enough K
| have worked all the boilers within
| the danger zone.
Escape Not Possible.
Able Seaman Quinn. who was In thu
| crows nest and saw the torpedo
coming, said that the ship could moi
have escaped II she had been coins
one hundred miles an hour. Nava
Commander Anderson. who testified
after Quinn. expressed the opinion
that II the Lusitania had made 2.
knots and had followed q zig zae
course she might have escaped.
1t was suggested in the House o
Commons today that divers be sen
down to ascertain what the Lusitanis
had. on board in the way of ammuni-
ton. Walter Runciman. president 0
the board Of trade, replied that thu
suggestion was probably imprac.
ticable because Of the depth at which
the ship is lying, and added that n
thought that these facts would b
brought out by means of the board o
| trade inquiry.