NEW YORK, N. Y. May 27, 1912.
Hon. WILLIAM ALDEN SMITH,
United States Senate, Washington, D. C.:Regret exceedingly that further investigation does not disclose clerk who sent telegram to Hughes from our office Monday evening April 15, but am satisfied that the telegram was started prior to the receipt in the office of the information of the foundering of the Titanic and there is no doubt that delay was caused probably to some extent in this office but particularly in the telegraph office in the hall of this building, as the number of messages being received there at that time and consequent congestion resulted in their not putting time of receipt on messages only timing them as sent and the Hughes message sent by them at 7.50, but there is nothing to show that this message was not received by them much earlier, which I believe was the case. We filed between 8 and 8.30 p. m., April 15, a message to Representative Hughes, giving him exact particulars regarding the Titanic sinking, which he must have received shortly after the receipt of the earlier telegram.
P. A. S. FRANKLIN.