84 The Frederick Gerring, Jr. 



the vessel in any way, I would say that she would probably make a 

 northwesterly course. I understand the meaning of the question 

 to be that she was not attached to the seine. That would take her 

 in the direction of Little White Island. 



O. You would not be prepared to say that she would not drift 

 more inshore than that? A. If I was in a disabled vessel there, I 

 would expect her to go ashore in the vicinity of Little White Is- 

 land. The current is about equal to the trend of the swell. 



Q. She might go north or north-west? A. She might but 

 it would not be much. 



Q. It would depend on the force of the swell ? A. Yes. 



Q. The heavier the swell the more she would go to the north ? 

 A. Yes. 



Q. Is there anything else that you base your opinion on than 

 the fact of the vessel being in that position with her sails on the 

 starboard side? What other ground have you for saying that she 

 did not drift as Capt. MacKenzie says he saw her drift? Is there 

 anything else than the fact that the sails were on the starboard 

 side ? A. In all my experience at sea, I never knew the opposite to 

 happen under the circumstances. I know of nothing else. If Capt. 

 MacKenzie's statement is correct, the other man must be wrong. 



Q. If the sails had been down all the time what would you say 

 in that case? A. That would be a different thing; I think that she 

 would have drifted more in a northwardly direction. 



Q. I suppose these swells and currents do not always work in 

 the same way? A. They repeat themselves pretty correctly. 



Q. Do you not sometimes drift in a way that you cannot ac- 

 count for? A. Very seldom. 



Q. Do you mean that it is impossible, or only that it is un- 

 usual? A. If a person has taken note of the weather on our coast, 

 he finds that they repeat themselves as regularly as clockwork. I 

 never knew the currents to get out of their regular course, taking 

 everything into consideration at the time. 



Q. How is it possible for you to tell us the westerly drift that 

 a vessel would have on that day without having an accurate knowl- 

 edge of the extent of the swell? A. I know from Capt. Mac- 

 Kenzie's report of the next day that a south-easterly gale was 

 blowing up. 



Q. In finding out whether she will drift further to the north 

 you must estimate the extent of the swell? A. Certainly. 



