7867. Do you know of his taking a message to this effect:
8.12 P.M.
SEAGATE TO "CARPATHIA":
Say, old man. Marconi Co. taking good care of you. Keep your mouth shut and hold your story; It is fixed for you so you will get big money. Now, please do your best to clear.
Did you hear anything like that?
- Yes, sir; I saw something like that. Bride took it.
7868. Bride took it and you talked with him about it?
- Yes.
7869. Do you recall this message:
MARCONI TO OPERATORS "CARPATHIA" AND "TITANIC": 8.30 P. M
Arranged for your exclusive story for dollars in four figures. Mr. Marconi agreeing. Say nothing until you see me.
J. M. SAMMIS
Where are you now? O. P. R. "C."
Do you remember that?
- The first one I do not remember. I never saw or heard anything about it.
7870. But this second one, this 8.30 one, which refers to four figures, you do remember?
- Something about it; yes.
7871. What do you remember about it?
- I remember Bride mentioning something about it.
7872. What did he say to you?
- I do not just remember. I believe he read that message out.
7873. And what was said?
- I do not remember, sir.
7874. What did you say?
- Well, I should imagine I acknowledged it. I do not know what I did, further.
Senator Smith:
Mr. Franklin, do you remember what time the Carpathia docked?
Mr. Franklin:
At 9.30 o'clock.
7875. (To the Witness.) You talked that over with Mr. Bride?
- I do not remember talking it over. I acknowledged it.
7876. You were not at the apparatus?
- No, sir; I was only in the room for about two minutes.
7877. You acknowledged it to Mr. Bride?
- Yes.
7878. And did not attempt to reply to it?
- No, sir.
7879. By wireless?
- No, sir.
7880. You can not recall what Bride said to you or what you said to him about it?
- No, sir: I had a message from the company asking me to meet Mr. Marconi in the Strand Hotel and I was preparing to get ashore as she touched, sir.
7881. But you got that information, and then you got another message a little later?
- I do not know which came first.
7882. I will read this one to you. This is dated 9 p.m., from Seagate to Carpathia operator:
Go to Strand Hotel. 502 West Fourteenth Street, to meet Mr. Marconi.
Did you get that message? It was signed "C."
- Yes.
7883. And you arranged to do that?
- Yes, sir.
7884. (Senator Newlands.) All this was within about an hour of your docking, was it not?
- It was within less than that. We were getting into the dock when the message came.
7885. (Senator Smith.) I will read this. The date. is 9.33 p.m., from Seagate to Carpathia (personal to operator, Carpathia):
Meet Mr. Marconi and Sammis at Strand Hotel, 502 West Fourteenth Street. Keep your mouth shut.
MARCONI.
7886. Did you get that telegram?
- I do not remember which it was, sir. Apparently you have two there.
7887. I have two; yes.
- I do not know which one it was.
7888. Did you get one signed "Mr. Marconi"?
- I do not remember. Bride was writing it down, and I looked over as he was taking it.
7889. Did he write down "Mr. Marconi"?
- I do not remember, sir.
7890. Did he write down "Sammis"?
- I do not remember, sir.
7891. Did you know the telegram came from Mr. Sammis?
- I do not remember anything about it. I remember the message. I was running about the ship at the time.
7892. Did you keep your mouth shut in accordance with that injunction?
- Certainly.
7893. And said not talk to anybody?
- No, sir; not during all the voyage, from the catastrophe up to the time of arriving in New York, I did not say anything.
7894. And you did not send out a great deal, did you?
- No; I sent out nothing.
7895. Frequent requests were made for details, were they not?
- Yes.
7896. But you sent out nothing?
- No.
7897. Why?
- Because I had the passengers' messages and official traffic to get off before I could provide newspapers with news. That was not the most important thing to do -
7898. Exactly; and I do not want you to infer that I think it was.
- The captain told me to ignore all stations other than those I was in communication with and could benefit by.
7899. And you say you had messages from passengers?
- Yes.
7900. And for passengers?
- For passengers. I had a few; yes.
7901. Were you in communication with Cape Race Station?
- No sir.
7902. Were you in communication with any shore station?
- Yes.
7903. With what station?
- Sagaponack, Siasconset, and Seagate. I had five for Sable Island, and when I offered him about 250 he ignored me altogether.
7904. Two hundred and fifty what?
- Two hundred and fifty messages.
7905. And were you unable to work them off through other stations?
- I was in touch with no other station. Sable Island is a long way out to sea.
7906. When you left the Carpathia did you go to the Strand Hotel?
- Yes, sir.
7907. Whom did you meet there?
- I met nobody.
7908. Did you meet Mr. Sammis?
- No.
7909. Or Mr. Marconi?
- No.
7910. But you reported there and found no one?
- Yes, sir.
7911. Then what did you do?
- I walked about and waited.
7912. How long did you wait?
- An hour or an hour and a half.
7913. Did you see anybody? Did you see either of these men or any other officer of the Marconi Co.?
- No, sir.
7914. Did you say anything to anybody about your story?
- No, sir.
7915. Were you alone?
- Yes, sir.
7916. Where did you leave Bride. On board the ship?
- Yes. He was lying in the cabin. He was trying to get some of the other passengers' messages off, but it was not much good getting them off after the ship had docked.
7917. But he continued to try?
- He continued to try to attend to official traffic.
7918. You sold your story about this disaster to the New York Times?
- Yes, sir.
7919. When did they print it?
- I don't know, sir; about midnight, I should think.
7920. On what night?
- On the night of docking, Thursday night.
7921. With whom were these negotiations held?
- With one of the New York Times reporters.
7922. What did he say to you?
- He told me I had permission to relate my story to the Times.
7923. Did he tell you what he would give you for it?
- No, sir.
7924. What did he give you for it?
- I have not got anything for it yet.
7925. You have received nothing?
- No.
7926. Has anybody received anything for that story?
- Not to my knowledge.
7927. Have you been told you would receive anything?
- I expect something, but I don't know what.
7928. You made no contract with him?
- No, sir.
7929. And no figures were mentioned?
- Oh, figures were mentioned.
7930. What figures?
- The figures in the message.
7931. That said "four figures"?
- Yes.
7932. How many did they mention?
- Four.
7933. Not four naughts? What was the figure?
- I beg your pardon?
7934. What was the figure?
- I do not know, I do not know what the figures were - four figures.
7935. In this conversation was any amount stated?
- No, sir.
7936. Either by him or by you?
- No, sir.
7937. Did you tell him what you wanted?
- No, sir.
7938. Did he tell you what he was going to give you in payment?
- No, sir.
7939. You just relied upon his generosity?
- Yes.
7940. And upon this telegram that you received?
- Yes.
7941. The telegram from Mr. Sammis.
- Yes.
7942. Do you know whether Mr. Sammis received any money from this paper?
- No, sir.
7943. Have you seen Mr. Sammis since that night?
- I did not see him that night.
7944. Have you seen him since you docked?
- Oh, yes.
7945. Where?
- At the inquiry in New York, at the Waldorf.
7946. Did you see him at any other place?
- No; I do not remember. I may have met him on the street.
7947. Did you go to the Marconi offices?
- Yes; I went there one afternoon.
7948. In New York?
- Yes.
7949. Whom did you see there?
- One of the clerks.
7950. Nobody else?
- No, sir.
7951. Have you a report of that story that you gave to the New York Times?
- No, sir.
7952. Have you ever had one?
- No, sir.
7953. Did you ever see it?
- I saw it in the paper.
7954. When?
- The following morning.
7955. Friday morning?
- Yes, sir.
7956. But you have not a copy of that?
- I may have a copy somewhere. It may be in New York. I believe I have a copy somewhere, but I do not know where it is, exactly.
7957. How much of a story was it?
- I gave them only a short story. I gave them brief notes, and the brief notes were copied out.
7958. Do you know how much Bride got?
- No.
7959. He has not told you?
- No.
7960. Where did they see Bride, if you know? They must have seen him at the boat.
- They must have seen him on the ship; yes.
7961. And you were not present when he gave his story?
- No, sir.
7962. And you do not know how much he got for it?
- No.
7963. Do you know that he got anything for it?
- I do not know anything about it.
7964. Have you heard that he got anything for it?
- No, sir.
7965. And you have had no talk with him about it?
- No, sir.
7966. I notice in the wireless messages that are sent and received the term "old man" is often used.
- Yes.
7967. Is that a cipher or code term, or is it a term of friendly endearment, or what is it?
- It is a term of friendly endearment.
7968. As recognized among the wireless boys?
- Among all the wireless fellows.
7969. And it is used as a pleasantry?
- Yes.
7970. Did you telephone Mr. Marconi for permission to give out this story?
- Yes.
7971. Did you receive his consent?
- Yes.
7972. And talked with him personally?
- On the phone.
7973. Over the phone?
- Yes.
Senator Smith:
Mr. Marconi. I would like to ask if you will endeavor to obtain for the committee the wireless message sent from the Amerika on Sunday, supposedly received by the Titanic, warning the Titanic that there was ice ahead.
Mr. Marconi:
Yes, I will endeavor to obtain it; or, if I can not obtain the original a certified copy.