The Inquest Dover 1916 - Questions

The Foreman. "You expressed the opinion that some difficulty arose in connection with the vessel going astern so rapidly. Would not that have been minimised if you had been able to stop the engines?"
Second Lieut. C. Vincent. "Yes we should have been able to get the boats away earlier."
The Foreman. "Is it not possible to stop the engines from any other part of the vessel than in the engine room?"
Second Lieut. C. Vincent. "No not to actually stop them."
The Foreman. "Has it ever occurred to you that such an occurrence as this points to the necessity of being able to stop the engines from some other part, by some means or other? If you had been able to stop the engine five or ten minutes sooner you would have been able to get other boats away too?"
Second Lieut. C. Vincent. "If we could have stopped the ship we could have got away the boats earlier, and it would be a very good thing if we could stop the ship from some other position."

Juryman. "Did the engine blow up?"
Second Lieut. C. Vincent. "There was an explosion afterwards but I do not know what it was, whether it was the boilers or not."
Juryman. "In the light of events would it not have been better not to stop the engines at all, and have headed for the shore?"
Second Lieut. C. Vincent. "It might have been but conditions would have been much the same. The ship would have “way” on her and if the ship had gone down headway on her we should not have got many boats away."

Another Juryman. "Did the passengers have a trial with a lifebelt the day before?"
Second Lieut. C. Vincent. "The night before when we anchored in the mouth of the river and the captain instructed all the passengers and a steward showed them how to put on a lifebelt and they were warned to have their lifebelts at hand day and night and not to part with them."
Juryman. "That accounts for so many having them on?"
Second Lieut. C. Vincent. "Yes!"

The Chief Constable "I Have just received a telegram from Birmingham in regards to two refuges, who were on board, husband and wife. The woman had a ring engraved with “June 10th ” a body with a similar ring had been picked up at Ramsgate but amongst the property that had been handed to witness, and which he could not say to whom it belonged, was a similar ring." 

It was decided to adjourn the inquest till Thursday afternoon at 2.30 p.m.