Page 18 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 23 - 26

Examined by Mr. PRINGLE. 22829. There is a Naval Architect to the Board of Trade? - Yes. 22830. Who is he? - Mr. Archer; he is called the Chief Ship Surveyor. 22831. Has he any experience as a Naval Architect? - Yes. He will tell you when you examine him what his experience was. 22832. There is another point. You classified the Surveyors who are in the employment of the Board of Trade. You said that there were 80 Engineer Surveyors and 34 Shipwright Surveyors. I find that is not the classification in the Merchant Shipping Act. They are classified as Engineer Surveyors, Shipwright Surveyors, or both. Now, how many of these would be described as both Engineer and Shipwright Surveyors? - I should have to carefully look through the list, but an amendment was made by the Act of 1906 with regard to the titles of our officers. 22833. You use the old phraseology; does the amendment make any difference, in fact? Is it not simply a change in the name? - Yes, I think it is. 22834. Could you say whether it is the practice in the various ports to have a ship surveyed by a Shipwright Surveyor as distinct from an Engineer Surveyor? - If any question is considered necessary to be investigated by a wooden ship Surveyor, he would be called in at once; otherwise it would be passed by the ship and Engineer Surveyor. 22835. Do you still adhere to the idea that there is a distinction between a wooden ship Surveyor and an iron ship Surveyor? - In some cases of old wooden ships; you require very special qualifications to survey an old wooden ship which has nearly passed out of date, but we still have a few officers qualified for that. 22836. I wish to be clear. Do you mean that a Shipwright Surveyor is employed for the purpose of the survey of wooden ships? - Some of them, yes, special officers. 22837. I asked generally, all of them? - No, there is a special class of Shipwright Surveyors so- called, and there is another class of Surveyors called Ship and Engineer Surveyors, but the chief of the staff will be able to give you evidence of that much better than I can. I can only answer generally. Mr. Edwards: May I suggest that your Lordship gets this Witness to clear up a certain point. Your Lordship will remember that in the two certificates that were put in from the report of the survey of an emigrant ship and the declaration survey of a passenger ship, there was a disparity in the certificates as to the accommodation in boats D. In the one certificate it was certified that boats D should hold 80 persons, whereas in the other certificate it was certified that the boats of Section D should hold 64. 22838. (The Commissioner.) Will you put it to him yourself. The Witness: It is quite a simple answer. 22839. (Mr. Edwards.) Will you tell us? - A slight error was made; it was put 64, and it should have been 80. Mr. Edwards: The certificates are by the same Surveyor, are they? 22840. (The Commissioner.) No, I think not. (To the Witness.) Are they? - I am not quite sure, but the nautical officer will clear that up. 22841. But have not you the certificates in your hands? - I am not quite sure they are the right ones. Mr. Edwards: I want to see if there is a common standard of arithmetic at least among the Surveyors. The Commissioner: I thought you had a contempt for arithmetic. 22842. (Mr. Edwards.) That is only on ethical grounds, my Lord. The Witness: I think I must still tell you the Surveyor must give you the information you need. Mr. Laing: I have no questions, my Lord.