The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-06-16
Chairman of Cunard Board of
Directors Admits on Stand
In London Inquiry Lack of
Proper Equipment.
HOLDS ESCAPE WAS
IMPOSSIBLE ANYWAY
Other Witnesses Assert Big
Ship Could Not Have
Dodged Submarines With
Speed of 100 Knots an Hour

London. June iG. $40 y. m.--
Baron Mcrscy. president of the court
OF inquiry into the sinking of the
steamrhip Lusitania. minated this
afternoon that the investigation would
soon be ended. The baron said his
mind was quite satisfied as To the
most important questlons-the speed
Of the vessel al the time she was at
tacked. ana the absence OF British
destroyers as an escort. He believed
the court had before u all the eyi-
dence II was likely To obtain relative
To the alleged shortage of officers and
the use of boats at the time OF the
catastrophe.
Counsel connected with the case
were inclined to believe tomorrow
would be the last day.
one Of the points elected today was
that there was only one boat drill
during the voyage. On that occasion
some members OF the crew, In life
belts. swung out a life boat aud
jumped in. This drill lasted only "A
few moments.
The coal saved during the voyage
/ by cutting on six of the twenty five
] rollers amounted to 1000 tons. ac-
/ cordinE TO the testimony of pas
senFer who said he received this in
/ formation from stan Captain Ander-
son.
The inquiry was resumed today
| with the examination Of Alfred
! Booth. chairman ot the board OF the
Cunnrd steamship company The at
torney general. Sir Edward Carson,
I A. a. NH . hNs
| l.usitanin was economizing by using
only nineteen of her twenty-five
/ boilers al the time she was torpcdoed.
so FAR as submarines are con
cerned. there Is No difference between
2l aud 24.i knots Mi. Booth re-
piled
The witness said the Cunard com
pany was unable tu communicate
with ehe vessel by wireless. except
through the admiralty and therefore
had given no wireless Instructions Ia
Captain Turner II was lett to Cap
tain Turner'S discretion 10 arrange the
time Of the vessels arrival lie said
that an he knew relative to warnings
issued to intending passengers, wai
| what hc mad read In English news
PAPERS
Mr. Rooth was cross-eNamined b,
an attorney representing survivors ai
To whether the company took an,
steps to prevent the Lusitania ffod
dulng what she did do. namely, 'en
lteriug tn. war zDnc ON schedule.
The witness replied he did not know
what schedule time meant.
Donald Mac Master. representing th'
Canadian government, asked MI
Booth whether there had been tn
4 stalled ON the Lusitauin an apparatus
Tor the dctcctiun of submarines. tn
. witness responded that he had M
knowledge of ans workable device o
this sort. tie also said that on hc
count ur the VA rthere Were man
ponrly trained men IN the crow
The attorneys Tor the stewards
Iunion asked whether there were Ger
mnns working on the cunard dock q
New York. Mt. Booth replied ina
uerhaps German Americans or Amer
leans of German descent were en-
pIcyed there The attorney the
asked whether Il would have bee
possible for SPY to board the Lusi
tania for the purpose of signallin
sunmarincs. MIR Booth answerc
that he Was not prepared To say th'
would have been Impossible, hut w
company took all necessary steps u
prevent such action.
Baron MerseY president "i IN
court. ELECTED from Mr.. Buoth ina
the I.uHtaaia had neither c"ai ""
Aremea enough ON board to make IN
! trip across under full boiler power
seaman quinn who was IN W
! crows nest of the Lusitnnia when sl
j was struck. expressed the opinion ina
) the I.usitania could not have escape
|. eve, if ehe had been going hundre
) knots nm hour