(The witness was sworn by the chairman.)
11330. Where do you reside?
- Seaforth, Liverpool.
11331. How old are you?
- Twenty years old, sir.
11332. What is your business?
- Wireless operator on the Californian, sir.
11333. How long have you been a wireless operator?
- Just over six months.
11334. Have you had any special training in that field?
- Yes, sir.
11335. What?
- I had 10 months at the Marconi school, the same school as Bride, the junior operator on the Titanic.
11336. What other ships than the Californian have you ever been employed on?
- On the Cedric, sir; the White Star boat.
11337. Any others?
- No, sir.
11338. How long were you on the Cedric?
- One trip, sir.
11339. When was that made?
- I don't know exactly, sir. I have had three trips on the Californian.
11340. You have been on the Californian ever since you left the Cedric?
- Yes, sir.
11341. Where were you Sunday, April 14?
- From 7 o'clock in the morning until half-past 8 I was on duty. From half-past 8 to 9 I was having my breakfast. From 9 o'clock to half-past 12 I was on watch. From 1 o'clock to 3 o'clock I was on watch. From 3 o'clock to half-past 5. At half-past 5 I had my dinner. From 6 o'clock I was on watch. I was on watch until 5 and 20 minutes past 11. I heard the Titanic working. I put down the phones and I turned in.
11342. What time did you receive the C.Q.D. call from the Titanic Sunday night?
- I did not receive, it, sir.
11343. You did not receive it at all?
- No, sir.
11344. What time did you communicate with the Titanic?
- In the afternoon, sir. I was sending a message to the Antillian, of our line. I was sending an ice report, handed in by the skipper, sir. I was sending to the Antillian and the Titanic called me up and we exchanged signals, exchanged an official T.R. We call it a T.R. when a ship gets in communication with another. I said, "Here is a message; an ice report." He said, "It's all right, old man." He said. "I heard you send to the Antillian." He said, "Bi." That is an expression used among ourselves.
11345. What does it mean?
- It is an expression used. It means to say "enough," "finished."
11346. Through?
- Yes.
11347. Does it mean good-by?
- No; it does not mean good-by.
11348. Do you know with what operator you were communicating on the Titanic?
- No, sir.
11349. Do you know whether it was Phillips or Bride?
- No, sir; I do not know who was on watch.
11350. Bride had been in school with you?
- Yes, sir. I do not know who was on the Titanic, though.
11351. And did you know Phillips?
- I had met Phillips in the London office.
11352. You do not recall which one it was you spoke with that night?
- You never know who is on watch unless the operator is inclined to talk and tell you his name. Then you get to know the name of the person operating at the other end.
11353. When that message was sent by you, do you recall the time, exactly?
- (consulting memorandum). It was sent at 5.30 p. m., New York time, on the 10th of April, sir. I worked New York time.
11354. What did the message say?
- I have the message here, sir, but I have not had authority from my company to disclose it.
11355. Well, I think you may disclose it with perfect propriety. It was our understanding with Mr. Marconi that this information would be obtained. Are you a Marconi operator?
- Yes, sir.
11356. If you are willing to disclose it, with that assurance, I will be glad to have you read it.
- It is a master service message, handed in on the 14th of April from the Californian to "Captain, Antillian."
It is dated 6.30 p. m. "A.T.S." which means apparent time ship.
Latitude 42 3 north, longitude 49 9 west. Three large bergs 5 miles to southward of us. Regards.
(Sig.) Lord.
11357. I would like to know the date?
- I said it was handed in on the 14th, sir.
11358. Sunday, the 14th?
- Handed in, and sent the same day.
11359. And is the hour given?
- The sent date was 5.35 p.m., New York time.
11360. When did you next communicate with the Titanic and what was the message you sent or received?
- 9.05 New York time, sir.
11361. What day?
- On the 14th, sir, the same evening, New York time, that is. I went outside of my room just before that, about five minutes before that and we were stopped, and I went to the captain and I asked him if there was anything the matter. The captain told me he was going to stop because of the ice, and the captain asked me if I had any boats, and I said the Titanic. He said "Better advise him we are surrounded by ice and stopped." So I went to my cabin, and at 9.05 New York time I called him up. I said "Say, old man, we are stopped and surrounded by ice." He turned around and said "Shut up, shut up, I am busy; I am working Cape Race," and at that I jammed him.
11362. What do you mean by that?
- By jamming we mean when somebody is sending a message to somebody else and you start to send at the same time, you jam him. He does not get his message. I was stronger than Cape Race. Therefore my signals came in with a bang, and he could read me and he could not read Cape Race.
11363. Was that the last time you heard from the Titanic that night?
- The last time I exchanged signals with them? I heard them working at 11.25.
11364. Heard him working?
- Working Cape Race. He was still working Cape Race, sending messages.
11365. That was at what time?
- 11.25 Sunday night.
11366. That was 15 minutes before the Titanic struck the iceberg, or was that New York time?
- That was 11.25 ship's time.
11367. After you jammed him, as you say, you heard nothing further from him direct?
- No, sir.
11368. You picked up some wireless messages from him that were directed to Cape Race?
- I had the phone on my ear, and heard him sending, but I did not take them down.
11369. You had the phones on your ears?
- Yes, sir.
11370. And you heard him sending those messages?
- Yes, sir.
11371. But you did not take them down?
- No, sir.
11372. What were those messages that you heard, as nearly as you can recollect?
- They were private messages.
11373. Can you recollect what they were?
- You mean did I read these messages?
11374. Could you read them, or can you remember them?
- No, sir.
11375. Have you got them?
- No, sir.
11376. Then you are unable to furnish the committee with the contents of those private messages from the Titanic to the Cape Race station?
- Yes, sir.
11377. Do you know whether they had any reference to ice?
- I have no recollection, sir. I generally keep my ears open for anything about ice, if I hear anything about ice, and always take it down - ice or derelicts. I always take it down. I would not be positive I did not hear anything about ice, but I do not recollect anything.
11378. What time did you retire that night?
- At 11.25 I still had the phones on my ears and heard him still working Cape Race, about two or three minutes before the half hour ship's time, that was, and at 11.35 I put the phones down and took off my clothes and turned in.
11379. When were you awakened?
- About 3.30 a. m., New York time.
11380. And who awakened you?
- The chief officer.
11381. What did he say to you?
- He said, "There is a ship that has been firing rockets in the night. Please see if there is anything the matter."
11382. What ship's officer was that?
- The chief officer of our ship, Mr. Stewart.
11383. He said rockets had been fired during the night?
- Yes, sir.
11384. And he would like to have you see if there was anything the matter?
- Yes, sir.
11385. What did you do?
- I jumped out of bed, slipped on a pair of trousers and a pair of slippers, and I went at once to my key and started my motor and gave "C.Q." About a second later I was answered by the Frankfurt, "D.K.D., Dft." The "Dft," is the Frankfurt's call. He told me the Titanic had sunk.
11386. He told you the Titanic had sunk?
- Yes, sir.
11387. You went to your operating room?
- My bunk is in the same room as the apparatus.
11388. You put the telephone on your head?
- Yes, sir.
11389. And received from the Frankfurt -
- (interrupting.) I started my motor first, and called. I called "C.Q."- C.Q. means all stations, some one answer - and gave my own code signal. The D.F.T. answered me. He said, "Do you know the Titanic has sunk during the night, collided with an iceberg?" I said, "No; please give me the latest position." He gave me the position. I put the position down on a slip of paper, and then I said, "Thanks, old man," to the German operator, and then the Virginian started to call me, "M.G.M." He started to call me up, and I told him to go. I answered him and told him to go. He said, "Do you know the Titanic had sunk?" I said, "Yes, the Frankfurt has just told me." I sent them a message of my own, what we call a service message, that an operator can always make up if he wants to find out something. I sent a service message, and said, "Please send me official message regarding Titanic, giving position."
11390. Have you got with you the message you received from the Frankfurt at 3.40 Monday morning?
- No, sir; that was not an official message; that was only a conversation. But a few minutes after that I got an official message from the Virginian.
11391. I would like any message, if you have it, that you received from the Frankfurt.
- No, sir; I have none.
11392. You have none at all?
- No, sir. The only thing he gave me was the position of the Titanic. He did not send me an official message.
11393. He gave you more than the position of the Titanic. He told you the Titanic had sunk.
- He simply told me the Titanic had sunk.
11394. Then he gave you her position?
- Yes, sir. The chief officer was in the room, and I said, "Wait a moment; I will get an official message." I got the official message and the positions were both the same. The position I got from the Virginian and the position I got from the Frankfurt were both the same. I sent that up to the skipper. I did not have time to date the message. I dated my own copy of the message, but I did not get the name of the ship on either, or the date, or who it was addressed to, in my hurry.
11395. Did you have any difficulty whatever working with the Frankfurt operator?
- Not then, sir.
11396. Did you afterwards?
- He was jamming a little afterwards, and interfering when I was trying to get the Carpathia.
11397. Did the Frankfurt operator say anything to you about his having received a C.Q.D. call from the Titanic immediately after she had struck the iceberg?
- No, sir.
11398. Did he say anything to you about having received a rebuff from the operator of the Titanic?
- No, sir.
11399. Did you understand that the operator of the Titanic, after he had given the Frankfurt the C.Q.D. call, had waited 20 minutes before he had received any reply and then received a reply from the Frankfurt, asking what was the matter and that he then said to the Frankfurt, "You are a fool, keep out?"
11400. Did you hear anything of that kind from the Frankfurt operator?
- No, sir.
11401. Or from anyone else?
- No, sir; only from the papers when I got in.
11402. Did you know the Frankfurt's position when she gave the message that the Titanic had sunk?
- No, sir. He told me he was about 30 or 40 miles off. I remember that. He did not give me the official position, no, sir.
11403. Did he give you an unofficial position?
- No, sir.
11404. That is, the longitude and latitude?
- No, sir.