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Between the third shot and the fifth shot, I think about
two minutes slapaød. About a minute elapsed between the
third and fourth shots. I was coming in at a speed of
about 8 knots. The tide was against me. The tide van
running about one knot. My actual speed would be between
7 & 8 knots. I think my ship would go astem about one
minute after giving the order to go matern, i.e. after re-
varsing the engines. When the second skot was fired, I
stopped the engines; and at the same time that the third
shot was fired the engines were reversed. I gave avidance
at a Court of Enquiry held on the day after the accident.
(Record of evidence read to witness). After the second shot
I thought it was firing practice; and, when the third shot
was fired, I thought it was for me to stop. It is not so
that I gave the order to go astern first as the fifth shot
struck the ship. It is not so that I gave the order to go
aster after the fourth shot which struck a man in the bows
of the ship- It was after the second shot that I gave the
order to stop. I signalled to go astern about the same time
that the third shot was fired. I did not tell the polios
on the 14th August that I did not go astern till after the
3rd round-
I saw a launch going alongside the lapress. It had SAMO
flags, but it was raining and the flags were drooping dowa.
It was raining when the launch went alongside the impress.
I saw the imprese stop, I thought there was some dignitary on board the Empress and that the stem-launch was going to
meet him. I did not think anything about the flaga. 1 thought the first two shots were firing practise. After
the second shot I stopped the engines. I did not think
very such about the first two shots. I have an international
signal code book on the ship. I did not hear any signals
sound-rockets, whistles à megaphones.
My evidence given at the court of inquiry was read over