Page:The Lusitania's Last Voyage (lusitaniaslastvo00lauriala).djvu/177

 would have mentioned it when he testified that he had ordered the bulkhead doors closed.

There is evidence that at least two life-boats, each containing about fifty people, were dropped when almost 20 feet from the water. A survivor of one of these boats told me that the man for'ard, who had charge of the rope, simply let it run out through his hands. He was not one of the "frightened passengers" but one of the crew. It seems to me quite possible in this instance "to impute negligence" and "incompetence in connection with them" (the ropes).

In another part of the report Lord Mersey states that "no doubt there were mishaps in handling the ropes of the boats and in other such matters, but there was, in my opinion, no incompetence or neglect, and I am satisfied that the crew behaved well throughout, and worked with skill and judgment."