e proof is absolute that she was not and never had been armed nor did
she carry any explosives. She did carry some 18 fuse cases and 125
shrapnel cases, consisting merely of empty shells without any powder
charge, 4,200 cases of safety cartridges, and 189 cases of infantry
equipment, such as leather fittings, pouches, and the like. All these
were for delivery abroad, but none of these munitions could be exploded
by setting them on fire in mass or in bulk, nor by subjecting them to
impact. She had been duly inspected on March 17, April 15, 16, and 17,
all in 1915, and before she left New York the boat gear and boats were
examined, overhauled, checked up, and defective articles properly
replaced.

[Sidenote: The drills sufficient.]

There is no reason to doubt that this part of her equipment was in
excellent order when she left New York. The vessel was under the command
of a long service and experienced Captain and officered by competent and
experienced men. The difficulties of the war prevented the company from
gathering together a crew fully reaching a standard as high as in normal
times, (many of the younger British sailors having been called to the
colors,) but, all told, the crew was good and, in many instances, highly
intelligent and capable. Due precaution was taken in respect of boat
drills while in port, and the testimony shows that those drills were
both sufficient and efficient. Some passengers did not see any boat
drills on the voyage, while others characterized the drills, in effect,
as formally superficial. Any one familiar with ocean traveling knows
that it is not strange that boat drills may take place unobserved by
some of the passengers who, though on deck, may be otherwise occupied or
who may be in another part of the ship, and such negative testimony must
give way to the positive testimony that there were daily boat drills,
the object of which mainly was to enable the men competently and quickly
to lower the boats.

[Sidenote: Emergency precautions.]

Each man had a badge showing the number of the boat to which he was
assigned, and a boat list was posted in three different places in the
ship. Each day of the voyage a drill was held with the emergency boat,
which was a fixed boat, either No. 13 on the starboard side or No. 14 on
the port side, according to the weather, the idea, doubtless, being to
accustom the men quickly to reach the station on either side of the
ship. The siren was blown and a pi