Incredulity toward and in many cases, disbelief of, Mayers' experience of flying through the air and landing atop Needham Hill was well known by the time the inquiry took place. The stigma of the event unfortunately followed him into the courtroom. The following is an exchange between Crown counsel William Alexander Henry Jr. and Third Officer Mayers:

Q.- Any sound of the explosion?
A.- Not that I remember; everything went dark.
Q.- Describe your experiences?
A.- I don't feel proud of it altogether.
Q.- You were hurled through the air a considerable distance?
A.- Yes, I was on top of Fort Needham hill, about a half a mile from the ship.
Q.- You were fully dressed at the time going up?
A.- Yes, heavy coat on, and when I realized where I was I had nothing on but just my boots.
Q.- Everything went black?
A.- Yes.
Q.- And you had a sensation of revolving?
A.- Yes, revolving sensation; I tried to throw myself back and could not.
Q.- And also of knocking against something?
A.- Yes, I remember hitting something with my left side.
Q.- And you were going through the air you had the sensation?
A.- I remember meeting pieces of timber and wood; I was quite conscious; I felt the water; I thought I was under the bottom of the sea somewhere.
Q.- You had the sensation of being under water?
A.- Yes, I was wet when I came down.
Q.- You fell on your left side?
A.- Yes.
Q.- And that stopped you?
A.- Yes.
Q.- You were pretty badly injured?
A.- Very badly cut; nothing broken.
Q.- Your face was pretty well cut all over?
A.- Yes, I picked nails and pieces of wood out of my face.

At the heart of the inquiry and all subsequent civil proceedings, besides determination of responsibility for the collision, was a $2,000,000 damages claim. If Mont-Blanc had been the cause of the accident, her owners La Compagnie Generale Transatlantique would be awarded the money. If Imo were at fault, the payment would go to her owners.

By all accounts, Mayers was a credible witness and appeared to possess an almost photographic memory. He had witnessed the circumstances leading up to and following the collision - from the time Imo came down the harbour from Bedford Basin and The Narrows until the accident took place just across from Pier 9 near midstream. He clearly recalled the exchange of whistle signals between the two ships and their positions. His testimony was succinct, truthful. Throughout, the young man remained unflappable.

The public showed much contempt for Captain Aime Le Medec and Pilot Francis Mackey of Mont-Blanc. The Halifax Herald newspaper amplified this disdain back to its readership. Many were prejudicial towards French-Canadians for their stance against the rest of Canada going to war for Britain. They were well aware that the French ship's crew abandoned their vessel and escaped to Dartmouth (with one casualty on land). There were seven fatalities aboard Imo, including Captain Haakon From, First Officer Iverson, and local Pilot William Hayes. Notwithstanding all of this, most people in Halifax were surprised at the inquiry panel's decision to assign the blame for the collision on Mont-Blanc.

The assumption of Imo's responsibility for the collision predominated. During the inquiry, some controversy arose regarding the unwritten rule that it went against British fair play to speak ill of the dead. So, due to the fact that the captain, first officer and pilot had died, the reasons for Imo's erratic actions went unanswered for the most part. The Norwegian ship's owners, the Southern Whaling Co. Ltd., contended the accident took place on the Halifax side. Conversely, Mayers, who had keen eyesight and a good understanding of navigation, stood firm in his belief that the collision took place on the Dartmouth side of the line. His testimony strongly indicated Imo was to blame, much to the chagrin of Charles Jost Burchell, counsel for the ship's owners.

Burchell was particularly hard on the third officer. He attempted to completely discredit Mayers' testimony regarding signals and locations. He went so far as to hammer the young man with invective, bringing up inane subject matter such as how many steps did he count coming into the courtroom and whether he read fantasy as a child such as Deadeye Dick* or books by Jules Verne. Counsel remarked that Mayers' experience was considered a joke by his crew mates - to which the third officer replied, "A good many people do."

Q.- You said you were ashamed of it?
A.- No.
Q.- I thought you said you were ashamed?
A.- I was not proud of the experience of being blown in the air.
Q.- When you came to you were not quite yourself?
A.- No, my mind was affected.
Q.- And you saw some horrible sights?
A.- I did; I did see some horrible sights; I remember them.
Q.- A woman badly mangled giving birth to a child?
A.- I did in a field.
Q.- You wandered around and didn't know where you were?
A.- I didn't know until I was picked up by a blue jacket from the Niobe and taken to the hospital.
Q.- And been under medical treatment since? The doctor fixed you up?
A.- Yes, at the house.
Q.- You went to the hospital first and then to a private house?
A.- I did.

Burchell then bluffed by suggesting he could produce a witness who said Mayers did not go back to his ship but rather ran up a hill just before the explosion. The third officer categorically stated he did not do such a thing and that he would be surprised if such a witness was produced. Counsel backed down. Mayers was next examined by Humphrey Mellish, who represented the owners of Mont-Blanc and wanted to know more about his ordeal:

Q.- You stated you had no clothing after the explosion?
A.- None whatever.
Q.- And you were found on a hill?
A.- In a field amongst burning houses.
Q.- And you were taken care of then?
A.- I could not properly walk from the pain in my feet.
Q.- Some people took care of you?
A.- I helped myself: I got a pair of trousers from a house and a mackintosh coat.
Q.- And a blue jacket assisted you?
A.- Yes, to a conveyance; a motor car.
Q.- And since then you have been provided with clothing from the Relief Committee?
A.- I have what remains on my own ship.

Mr. Mellish went on to establish that Mayers had stayed at the hospital for thirteen hours and then recuperated at the house of Mr. Hart of the Green Lantern Building. Mayers verified that he had also been interviewed prior to his inquiry testimony by Mr. Mellish himself, Mr. Gaboury, French Consul and the chairman of the Relief Committee, and Mr Burchell.

Despite much evidence to the contrary, the biassed three-man inquiry panel concluded that Mont-Blanc was entirely to blame for the collision. One of the panel's members, Judge Arthur Drysdale, oversaw the first of the civil litigations and issued the same decision. This led to the appeals and cross-appeal by the ships' owners to the higher courts. Ultimately, The location of the collision was made irrelevant by the Supreme Court of Canada (19 May 1919) as well as the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (22 March 1920). Both committees determined Mont-Blanc and Imo were equally responsible for the collision thus, voiding the $2,000,000 damages claim altogether

One statement regarding Mayers appeared within the Privy Council decision. The panel wrote, "...but though one may not have the same confidence in his evidence as if he was free from his delusion, yet his testimony ought not to be put aside as entirely untrustworthy."