TITANIC INQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1482, 3 July 1912, Page 7

TITANIC INQUIRY.

THE DUFF-QORDON ESCAPE.

Br Telegraph—Press Association— Copyriclit (Bee. July 2, 11.5 p.m.) London, July 2. At tlio Titanic Inquiry yesterday, the Attorney-General, Sir llufus Isaacs, in Ilia address, said that the seaman Charles Svmons, who was in eliargo of tlio DullGordon boat, could, had' ho returned, have saved many lives. Ho niado no explanation of his failuro to Tcturn, except that ho was afraid tho boat would bo swamped. Sir liufus Isaacs defended tho Board of Trade for not requiring increased boats for vessels over 10,000 tons, on the ground that it was more important to' provide efficient water-tight compartments than to complcto tho boat accommodation. ' / DEPTH QF ICE PUNCTURE. London, July 1. Tho Attorney-General (Sir Hufus Isaacs), in Ilia address beforo tho Titanic Commission of Inquiry, stated that the evidence showed that tho Titanio was punctured to a depth of 42in. by an icespur. Tho commission lias adjourned until Wednesday.

THE DUFF-GORDON BOAT. Tho 'l'itanic's No. 1 boat was built to hold some forty persons, but was occupicd by only twelve, of whom only two wero women—Lady Duff-Gordon and her secretary. George Symons, ouo of the lookout men, was in chaigo of the boat, which lay off tho see no of tho disaster and made no effort to save others when tho Titanic sank. In describing Symons s evidence, Jlr. Harold Spender, writing in tho "Daily News," said it seemed at first as if he was a great "find' for Mr. Duke, counsel for Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, who some of the other witnesses had declared had to(Ul tho crew not to return. Sjmons absolutely denied that any conversation had taken piaco in the boat; ho asserted boldly that ho had acted entirely "within his own discretion" and as "master of tho situation" in refusing to go back; and ho openly and specifically assorted that ho had not been influenced by the Duff-Gordons. Ho admitted that his orders were to stand by 1 and return t"> tho ship if called for, but ho asserted it would nave been dangerous to havo gono back. "All this sounded," continued Mr. Spender, "very satisfactory, and things were going well for Mr. Duke and his olients, when suddenly tho AttorneyGeneral put to tho sailor a question as to whether ho had been approached since his return to England. Then it was dragged out of him, hesitatingly and reluctantly, that ho had not only been visited at his homo by a representative of a firm of solicitors ncting on tho instruc-

tiens of a relativo of Sir Cosmo DuffGordon,. but that his evidonco had been taken down at length,' and tho suspicious phrases just quoted actually put into his month. After that it was quite clear that this man's cvidenco was of littlo value, and when he dramatically swore by Heaven abovo that ho had only taken »C 5 from Sir Cosmo_ nobody paid very much attention to him. He grew crusty and secretive, and soon was allowed to go."