United States Senate Inquiry

Day 10

Testimony of Harold S. Bride, recalled

Senator SMITH.
Mr. Bride you were sworn in Now York; and I hoped to have some of my colleagues here to examine you. There are one or two things I want to ask you. First, I would like to know how much you received for the story you gave to the New York Times.

Mr. BRIDE.
I received a thousand dollars.

Senator SMITH.
I want to ask whether, on the way from the scene of the disaster to New York, you were at the wireless apparatus aboard the Carpathia?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir; I was at the wireless apparatus from Tuesday night to the time of docking.

Senator SMITH.
All of the time?

Mr. BRIDE.
I relieved Mr. Cottam, watch and watch.

Senator SMITH.
How much of that time did you spend at the apparatus?

Mr. BRIDE.
Mr. Cottam spent a great majority of the time in the actual transmission, and I was preparing the messages for him for transmission, and myself I did a certain amount.

Senator SMITH.
You had been injured on the Titanic?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And notwithstanding that, you relieved him?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
I want you to tell again, because there seems to be a little confusion about it, when you last saw the captain of the Titanic?

Mr. BRIDE.
The last I saw of the captain of the Titanic, he went overboard from the bridge about, I should think, three minutes before I left it myself.

Senator SMITH.
Did he have a life preserver on?

Mr. BRIDE.
I could not say, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You said in New York the other day that he did not. Do you want to correct that?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes; I want to correct it. He had not a life preserver on the whole of the time when we were working; when he came into the cabin at frequent intervals. We had not a life preserver on.

Senator SMITH.
How long was that before the ship sank?

Mr. BRIDE.
That was from the time of the beginning of the catastrophe to the end.

Senator SMITH.
At no time did you see him with a life preserver on?

Mr. BRIDE.
No.

Senator SMITH.
You spoke the other day of your mate, Phillips, who was the chief operator, I believe -

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH. (continuing)
and yourself, putting on life preservers, as I recollect, about 10 minutes before the boat sank?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes; I think it would be somewhere about that time before the boat sank; I could not say for certain.

Senator SMITH.
And you did not leave the ship until the captain gave your permission?

Mr. BRIDE.
No.

Senator SMITH.
Had everyone else gone?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir; there were several people about.

Senator SMITH.
Passengers?

Mr. BRIDE.
I could not say. I should think they would be passengers, or crew; there were quite a number of sailors who assisted in getting the collapsible off the top deck.

Senator SMITH.
Did any of them get into it?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir; I think I was the only one that was in it.

Senator SMITH.
When did you get in, before it left the side of the Titanic?

Mr. BRIDE.
I was not exactly in it, either; I got hold of it. That was as far as I got.

Senator SMITH.
You got hold of it?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes.

Senator SMITH.
And as it fell into the water it fell over, upside down; is that correct?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
So that you were down under this overturned boat?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes; sir.

Senator SMITH.
You swam out from under that boat, and at that time you saw the boat sink?

Mr. BRIDE.
Which boat?

Senator SMITH.
The Titanic.

Mr. BRIDE.
A short time after that I saw the Titanic sink.

Senator SMITH.
How many minutes afterwards?

Mr. BRIDE.
The time was long enough to give me a chance of getting away from the Titanic itself.

Senator SMITH.
From the side?

Mr. BRIDE.
The distance I estimate at 150 feet.

Senator SMITH.
You had time to get 150 feet away from the side, and then she sank?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes.

Senator SMITH.
Then you found your way back to this overturned collapsible boat?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And by that time you say it was crowded?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And you got on?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Between the time that you got into the water and the time that the Titanic went down I understood you to say you saw the captain still on the deck?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir; I said the captain left the Titanic a minute or two minutes before I left the Titanic myself. He left by way of the bridge.

Senator SMITH.
He must have left immediately after telling you to take care of yourself?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir because we did not leave the cabin immediately the captain told us to.

Senator SMITH.
What did you do?

Mr. BRIDE.
Phillips gave another call of C.Q.D., I believe, and, had an answer to it.

Senator SMITH.
From whom?

Mr. BRIDE.
I could not say whom the answer was from. I could hear what Mr. Phillips was sending, but I could not hear what he was receiving.

Senator SMITH.
And he did not state to you from whom the answer came?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And you had no means of fixing the source of that message?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir. I do not think there was an answer, because he would have told me if there had been.

Senator SMITH.
Was your C.Q.D. confirmed by any other ship's operator?

Mr. BRIDE.
Phillips called C.Q.D. and listened for an answer, but whether he got one or not I can not tell. He did not tell me he had an answer. He did not say he had not got an answer.

Senator SMITH.
And you never talked with him about it after that?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you ever see him alive after that?

Mr. BRIDE.
I saw him walking aft as I was helping to get the collapsible onto A deck.

Senator SMITH.
And he got aboard the collapsible, too?

Mr. BRIDE.
I am told.

Senator SMITH.
As I recollect, you say he died before you got to the Carpathia?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
So you are unable to fix, by any means, the source of this answer that he got?

Mr. BRIDE.
I think he would have stated it if he had had an answer.

Senator SMITH.
Was that last C.Q.D. all you said, or all he said?

Mr. BRIDE.
That was the last, because we were of the opinion at the end that we were not getting a spark, owing to the poor supply of power.

Senator SMITH.
The power had been impaired?

Mr. BRIDE.
The power was being impaired all the time.

Senator SMITH.
And you were not getting your full spark?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
That interfered somewhat with the results?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Do you recollect being in communication with the Mount Temple during Sunday evening?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir; I can not recollect it.

Senator SMITH.
I want to fix this fact in the record, so that there can be no question about it. What was the hour when the Californian tried to get you Sunday evening?

Mr. BRIDE.
With the ice report?

Senator SMITH.
Yes.

Mr. BRIDE.
It was in the vicinity of 5 o'clock. It may have been before or it may have been after that time.

Senator SMITH.
And at that time you were figuring up your accounts?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And did not reply to the Californian for 30 minutes.

Mr. BRIDE.
I should not say it was 30 minutes. It was nearer 20 minutes.

Senator SMITH.
And when you did reply, what information did you get?

Mr. BRIDE.
The Californian transmitted the ice report to the Baltic, and when the Baltic had acknowledged to the Californian the receipt of the ice report, I did the same.

Senator SMITH.
Then the Californian, that had been trying to get you about 5 o'clock to give you these ice reports, was unable to give you directly a warning about the ice?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You got it through the Baltic?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir; I read it as it was being sent to the Baltic.

Senator SMITH.
I understand; but I think the record shows that the message was sent out by the Californian on Sunday about 5 o'clock to the Titanic, or communication was undertaken with the Titanic, about that time to warn you of ice. Am I right?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
They were unable to do so because you did not respond promptly to their message.

Mr. BRIDE.
To the first call.

Senator SMITH.
Whereupon the Californian got into communication with the Baltic?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And you picked up the message from the Californian to the Baltic?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
At what hour?

Mr. BRIDE.
I should say it would be about 20 minutes after the Californian had called me with the report.

Senator SMITH.
What did that message say?

Mr. BRIDE.
It stated, as far as I can recollect it, that the Californian had just passed three large icebergs, and he gave the latitude and longitude?

Senator SMITH.
Of his ship?

Mr. BRIDE.
Of the Californian, when she passed the icebergs.

Senator SMITH.
Do you recollect the position of the Californian?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
When you received that message did you take it to the bridge?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
To whom did you deliver it?

Mr. BRIDE.
To the officer on watch, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Do you know who that officer was?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Was it Mr. Murdoch?

Mr. BRIDE.
I could not say who it was.

Senator SMITH.
Was it the captain?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You are positive you delivered it?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
In person?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Who took it, Phillips or yourself?

Mr. BRIDE.
I took it myself, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you receive any other messages on Sunday warning the Titanic of ice?

Mr. BRIDE.
Not to my knowledge, sir.

Senator SMITH.
I believe you do not recollect having received anything from the Amerika?

Mr. BRIDE.
No; sir.

Senator SMITH.
Do you know whether the captain was on the bridge when you delivered that message?

Mr. BRIDE.
I did not see him on the bridge when I delivered that message.

Senator SMITH.
Now let us fix exactly the first message you received after you sent out your first C.Q.D. call. What was the first reply you received?

Mr. BRIDE.
The first reply we received was from the Frankfurt.

Senator SMITH.
Of the North German Lloyd Line?

Mr. BRIDE.
I could not say what company she belonged to.

Senator SMITH.
Was that an immediate reply?

Mr. BRIDE.
I should think so, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did the Frankfurt give her position?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You are positive of that?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you or did Mr. Phillips take the Frankfurt message?

Mr. BRIDE.
Mr. Phillips.

Senator SMITH.
Were you present at the time?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
What was the reply?

Mr. BRIDE.
Mr. Phillips told me to write in the log the result of the replies as he told me, and the reply was, "O.K. Stand by." That was the reply the Frankfurt gave to our C.Q.D. and position.

Senator SMITH.
What is the meaning of "Stand by"?

Mr. BRIDE.
It tells you that he has not finished corresponding with you.

Senator SMITH.
Did you infer from that that he had not enough information?

Mr. BRIDE.
You infer from "Stand by" that he is going to report, or he is getting something for you, and he will call you again in a minute or so.

Senator SMITH.
Does that mean, "Hold on; I will talk with you later"?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did he talk with you later?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
What did he say?

Mr. BRIDE.
He said: "What is the matter?"

Senator SMITH.
And that is all. I do not think I shall ask you to repeat what you said to him. You do not wish to change it, as I understand. You did not hear from him again.

What ship did you next hear from?

Mr. BRIDE.
The Carpathia, sir.

Senator SMITH.
How long after this last message from Frankfurt?

Mr. BRIDE.
Mr. Phillips just called "C.Q.D.," and gave our position and the Carpathia responded immediately.

Senator SMITH.
At that time you did not know, and you do not know now, how far the Frankfurt was from you?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did the Carpathia give her position?

Mr. BRIDE.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
With the first response to the C.Q.D.?

Mr. BRIDE.
No, sir; we waited about two minutes for the Carpathia's position.

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