The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-14
INQUIRY BEGINS

Halifax, N. S., December 13.-Off1- cial inquiry was begun by the Cana dian government today to determine responsibility for last Thursdays dis aster with the loss of 1900 lives. Jus tice Drysdale, judge in admiralty, pre- sided.
 Attorneys present represented the Canadian and Nova Scotian govern ments, owners of the two colliding ves- sels, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc and the Norwe egian-Belgian re- lief ship Imo; the city of Halifax and the Halifax pilotage commission. Git izens of Halifax were still so occu- pied with the rehabilitation of their city that there was no public attend ance.
 Among the first witnesses were Pilot Mckay and Captain Lamodec, of the Mont Blanc, and Alexander Johanesen, steward of the Imo. The relief ship Northland, the second vessel sent from Boston with supplies for the destitute here, arrived today.
 Relief work Is proceeding satisfac- torily and with the injured all prop erly cared for, the task of restoring more normal conditions is going for ward rapidly.
 The most important need is said to be for expert oculists to save hun dreds of persons from becoming blind.
 Captain Lamodec testified the Mont Blanc was loaded at New York with cargo of T. N. T., guncotton and dry picric acid and deckload of benzo1 for the French government He described the distribution of the explosives in the holds, and said all necessary pre- cautions were taken. He said the ship apY TAI where to join her convoy. He received his orders from the British pilot Me Kay the evening of December 5.
 MORNING WAS CLEAR
 The morning of the collision was clear, the captain continued. While proceeding up to Bedford basin his ship sighted the Imo at 30 a. m He was then 12O feet from the Dartmouth shore. The Imo was heading to sea on the west side, but was taking direction across his course, so that her starboard side was visible He gave one short blast to indicate he was go- ing to the right. The>Imo replied by two short blasts.
 He was going to starboard and the | Imo to port. He noticed later that tho 1 lmo came little more to the left In he meantime he had stopped his en- 1 zines. The Imo gave two short blasts when the ships were about 150 feet l apart. The Imo seemed to have great l speed.
 l The captain said he turned his ship | to the left and gave two sliort blasts. | The ships then had each other on the right side and were 50 feet apart. 1 Asked if the vessels wound not have 1 rasaed at 90 feet if no other change was made, the witness sald this was SC. as tie Imo was traveiins obllquely ,:p the harbor. The Imo signaI,ed she was
 song astern at full speo1."
 DIDN'T OBEY PROPELLER I Captain Lamodec said he saw the -me's propeller was song astern, b,.t l sh; FeIt ahead. He nsa signalled his engines astern and pat the helm to starboard, so that the Imo would not 1 strike the hold where the ricric acid was.
 He vas rot successful. Tie impact n' | the vessels was terrific, The black 1 smoke poured from the hold. He thought the ship was to be blown up at once. | It was impossible to put out the fire 1 In order not to uselessly sacrifice lives
 he ordered the crew to abandon the ship I Perfect order was maintained. He gave 1 the o:oer 10 get away and make for the east shore. He called the roll on landing and found cnly one man missing. Eight cen to 70 minutes elapsed before the explosion.
 | ASheu II llG uluCfSlOhu WrhL IhN IfrN' ' l two llasts meant Captain Lamode6 said he thought she was signaling /. wrongly hut aa he had sirnatieA hts rourss first, he had no right to change it ax- cept in case of collision. He declared the Inc was half mile away when ht first saw her. that there was a percepti- 1 ble interval between the blowing of ths whistles. ana that the collision took place l immediately after the Imo signalled sa'
 was going astern. The ships full speed
 at the tune was 7ia knots.
 Carta in amoAec eadmittca this wns
 the first t,n,e he ever had been in Hali
 fax larbor
 | Cross examined by counsel for th'
 owners of the Imo, the witness said th'
 Mont Flare was not carrying ret l flag or anything to indicate that she hat
 explosives aboard He claimed navisa
 tion rules did not call for rcd flag, ex
 cept when loading or unloading muni 1 tions. He was not aware that all nu
 nition ships sailed with a red flag il
 peace times He was the last man, h. 1 "a pSeartaf tn 1aa1,o tb. ehfr