80 The Frederick Gerring, Jr. 



Q. Captain Knowlton says that when he first saw the Gerring 

 she was lying with her head sails down, and her fore-sail and 

 main-sail set with the booms off to starboard. (Reads evidence on 

 this point.) I want to ask you with the wind blowing very lightly 

 from the eastward, the current running half a mile an hour to the 

 westward, the booms over the starboard side well out, the vessel 

 fastened to her seine, with about 100 barrels of mackerel in it, 

 and the seine about 15 fathoms deep in the water, in what direc- 

 tion the vessel would drift? A. Fishermen usually take their seine 

 on the quarter to keep it clear of the vessel when in motion. The 

 trend of the wind and current would send her in a south-westerly 

 direction. I would say that she would probably make a course west 

 by south. That is leaving a large margin. 



Q. I want to ask you, supposing that there was a heavy swell 

 on the shore, that the wind was blowing from the east very lightly, 

 and that the vessel was in that position, and fastened to her net, 

 whether she would drift inshore, or along shore, or more to the 

 southward and westward? A. I don't think, with the weather 

 you state, that there would be swell enough from the Southward to 

 give her an inshore trend against any light breeze that might be 

 blowing at the moment. Of course if a vessel is lying without her 

 sail she would not go more than a few hundred yards an hour. 



Q. With the booms out to starboard and the sails well over, 

 would the wind be sufficient to counteract the heavy swell? A. I 

 should say so, if not more. If the vessel was keeping clear of her 

 net she must have been making to the southward. 



Q. Under circumstances such as Capt. Knowlton details, 

 would it be possible for the vessel to drift from where she was 

 found by Capt. MacKenzie to where she was seized by Capt. 

 Knowlton? A. I cannot see very well how she could do it. I 

 would say that she would not. 



O. Have you any doubt about it? A. No, not the slightest. 



Q. She would have to drift north by west? A. Yes, about 

 that. 



Q. Then she would have to drift north by west from the 

 place where Capt. MacKenzie found her, to the place where Capt. 

 MacKenzie seized her? A. Yes. 



