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HALIFAX DISASTER RECORD OFFICE
ARCHIBALD MACMECHAN, F.R.S.C.
DIRECTOR
HALIFAX, N.S.

JOURNAL
[Newspaper clipping]
To Mr. Lovett, K. C., witness said the only information that those regulations were in force Dec. 6th was a note upon them. Lieut. Com- Barbour prededed witness in office.
Captain Rudolf.
Capt. Frank Rudolf, Harbor Master, the third witness called by the crown, said the changes in his duties after the war opened were on orders in writing from the Marine Department (Copy of regulations produced and put in evidence.) Commander Wyatt was Chief Examining Officer last year and practically took over all of witness' duties, having to do with incoming and outgoing ships. There was no arrangement between the commander and witness.
Capt. Rudolf withdrew from the stand to go to his office to produce communication from Ottawa regarding the regulations.
Norman Iceton, Assistant Examining Officer on Dec 6, was called by the crown and said his superior officer then was Commander Wyatt, with his office on H. M. C. S. Niobe. The harbor gate was opened and closed on Commander Wyatt's orders. The commander had no jurisdiction over ships in the Basin and nothing to do with ships coming out of the Basin. There was always some member of his staff in the Commander's office. There was telephone communication between that office and the ship at the harbor gate. Witness went on duty at 9 a.m. on Dec 5th and remained until 10 a. m. on the 6th, and was in the Naval Intelligence when the explosion occurred. He saw the Mont Blanc but did not see the ships come together. At that time Commander Wyatt was not on the Niobe. Complaint had been made about pilots not obtaining the Commander's permission to leave anchorages and the Commander spoke of it to witness several times during the summer.
To Mr. Lovett witness said he did not know the commander had any jurisdiction over the pilots. One of the principal duties of the Examining Officer is to determine whether a ship or her crew are hostile or not. Mr. Freeman was the examining officer on the examination boat outside the harbor gate. That boat communicated to the shore by signals which were transmitted to the "C.X.O." office by wire, and were recorded in the signal log there. Witness saw telegrams at the office but had not seen one shown him by Mr. Lovett, but identified an extract from The C. X. O. signal log shown him. Could not remember of munitions ships coming into the harbor previous to Dec 6th.
W. A. Henry
Crown Prosecutor Cluney then called to the stand W. A. Henry, K. C., to obtain evidence of a statement made by the defendant before the commission.
Mr. Henry, in answer to Mr. Cluney, said he represented the Dominion government on the explosion inquiry before the Drysdale commission. He remembered Commander Wyatt saying in the course of his evidence there explanatory of a letter under discussion at the time that he had seen for some time past a collision was likely to occur and he did not propose to be made the "goat." He was speaking of a time long prior to Dec. 6th, when he was making complaint as to the pilots.
George R. Smith.
The next crown witness was George R. Smith, clerk in Pickford & Black's steamship office. The firm was agent of the steamer Imo. She was due to sail on Dec. 5th, but did not sail until the 6th.
Terrance Freeman.
Terrance Freeman, examining officer of the port since June 9th last. On Dec 5th was on an examining vessel off Meigher's Beach. The Mont Blanc arrived about 5 p.m. on the 5th and he boarded, examined her and communicated the nature of her cargo to Commander Wyatt. She had a full cargo of explosives for the French Government. The ship remained outside al night and left to come up the harbor at 7.35 am. Dec. 6th. The orders for opening and closing the gates were given by Commander Wyatt.
To Mr. Lovett -- Did not remember if this was the first munitions ship coming here, but there was another examining officer Mr. Jaynes. Witness notified the C.X.O. that the Mont Blanc was being sent up to Bedford Basin the morning of Dec. 6th.
Ralph Smith, engineer of the Burns & Kelleher motor boat, who testified at the preliminary inquiry, repeated his testimony as to the Mont Blanc-Imo collision. He was in the engine-room of his boa at the time, but came on deck. The boat was near the examining boat at the Basin at the time of the explosion and returned and circled about until he saw the Mont Blanc's crew leaving the ship.
Robert Eccles, stenographer and official reporter on the Commission inquiry, identified the report of Commander Wyatt's evidence there as prepared by him.



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