Coll 28/95 ‘Persia. Relations with H.M.G. Private claims against H.M.G.: case of the S.S. “Kara Deniz”.’ [‎236r] (471/691)

ia 59—11
Q.— 1 understand he left instructions with you that the type of steamer he
wanted was a collier of 1,000 tons or fast passenger boats of 1,000 tons ?
no ^ so regard to the passenger boats. They could be
mger. He never specified. He said “ If you ever come across boats with
o plenty ot passenger accommodation and plenty of'speed that are going cheap and
the boilers are going all right, let me have them at once,” therefore he never
bound me down as to the passenger boat type, but of course with regard to the
cargo boats 1,000 tons was the suitable thing.
in Q* on ly reference I can find in the correspondence is in the letter of
the 29th May 1913 written in Antwerp. The penultimate paragraph says :
Have you got another old steamer tp offer me of 1,000 to 3,000 tons even
with two decks even without class,” what does that mean ?
A.-—-That means without classification at Lloyd’s. That would be possibly
^ at the time when he was wanting to get something on the cheap as he always
) did and nothing came of it so far as passenger boats were concerned. For
instance I have some of the correspondence here with Mr. Alexander to show
that he went into Mr. Alexander’s office and spoke to him but his price was
altogether out of it. What Mr. Alexander writes and says shows that his price
is to ° low. I had another boat called the “ Dyle ” in Antwerp at that time and
his price there again was absolutely out of it. He would buy anything cheap
as regards the cargo boats, but as regards the passenger boats what he wanted
was a dilferent type altogether. The cargo boats would only be wanted to do
8 or 8^ knots but the passenger boats he would want would be 11 or 12 knot
boats or something like that.
25 Q.—Small steamers ?
A.—-Not necessarily, because if he got a boat as long, I may say as the
Strand, if it was cheap and very very cheap, ho would buy it, but it would
have to have the speed and the passenger accommodation.
Q- What do you mean by “ very very cheap.” Do you mean a parti-
39 cular sum or a sum in reference to the steamer ?
A. The price would be the market value. He would try to buy below what
would be the general market value although it would have to be remarkably
cheap to interest him. He was one of those sort of men who was extremely
difficult to work with on account of his low ideas of price, otherwise I should
35 have done much more businetes with him.
Q.—Is there anything in writing specifying his requirements except this
letter of the 29th May 1913 ?
A.—That I am not sure of. Have you anything at all.
Q.—I have not seen any reference in the correspondence ?
4 Q A.—Then possibly it would not be in existence. I think I had one letter
in which there was something mentioned. I think that would come in in 1913.
Q.—What I want to know is whether there is anything in the correspon
dence as to his requirements except the letter of the 29th May 1913.
A.—No, unless of course it is mentioned among the letters.
95 Q-—I h ave looked through the copies and I do not see anything else.
A.—Only from what I know of his requirements personally what he would
tell me at the time.
Q.—Let us first of all keep to the correspondence. Is there
anything in writing as to his requirements except' the 'letter of the 29th May
50 with reference to size ? In 1914 he speaks of wanting two steamers of about
1 ,600 to 2,000 tons with cargo and passenger accommodation. Are those the
only references to size ?
A.—That is as far as I can tell yes ? %