HC Deb 07 July 1896 vol 42 cc928-9
MR. H. C. STEPHENS (Middlesex, Hornsey)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, in the case of the Drummond Castle Inquiry, the relatives or representatives of deceased passengers will be allowed to present persons, papers and documents connected with the circumstances of the command, and with other causes leading to the disaster; whether a full report of each day's evidence and proceedings will be taken and printed, so as to be available at the commencement of each succeeding day's sitting of the court; and, if this be not undertaken by the Board of Trade, whether the relatives or representatives of deceased passengers will be allowed to make provision for such a report for their assistance in the Inquiry?

MR. RITCHIE

The relatives or representatives of deceased passengers will be allowed to take part in the Drummond Castle Inquiry, to call witnesses, and to produce evidence, either documentary or otherwise, connected with the circumstances of the command and other causes leading to the disaster. A full report of each day's evidence will be taken by a shorthand writer, but it is not proposed to print the evidence. The relatives or representatives of deceased passengers will be allowed to make provision for such a report.

MR. STEPHENS

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade, with reference to the Drummond Castle Inquiry, whether, in addition to the logs of ships which the owners have been requested to produce, he will also request owners to produce the engineer's logs of all such vessels; and, whether, in particular, he will request that the log of the engineer of the Doune Castle, for the time between 1st December 1890, and 1st March 1891, shall be produced at the Inquiry?

MR. RITCHIE

The owners have been requested to produce at the Inquiry the engineer's logs for all voyages of vessels in which the late master and chief officer of the Drummond Castle have served since 1891, together with the engineer's log of the Doune Castle between the 1st December 1890, and the 1st March 1891.