10838. Sent or received?
- Mr. Ismay addressed that in that way. I said I did not send any.
10839. Have you filed with the committee all the messages you received, addressed to "Islefrank," from the Carpathia, its officers, crew, or passengers?
- I have.
10840. From the day of the accident until its arrival in New York?
- I have.
10841. Who put the memorandum on that message in lead pencil, "Received 9 a. m., 4 - 17 - 12"?
- I did.
10842. That was Wednesday?
- Wednesday morning, about 9.30.
10843. 9 a. m., you say here.
- 9 a. m., then.
10844. When did you receive the first tidings from the Titanic disaster, and from whom did you receive such tidings?
- As I testified on Monday, at about 20 minutes of 2 on Monday morning I was aroused by the telephone and the door bell, and was informed by a reporter, evidently of some paper, that they had heard this rumor or had this information. Who that was I can not tell you.
10845. But you had your first information from the Carpathia or from Mr. Ismay, or from any other source that was official or authentic, at what time?
- I got my first information from any source that was official or authentic from the captain of the Olympic, and a copy of his message is filed with you, all of his messages, to the best of my knowledge and belief, being filed with you. They are not in that lot (indicating).
10846. They are marked "Haddock"?
- "Haddock."
10847. Is that the cablegram to which you refer (exhibiting cablegram)?
- No, sir; that is a cablegram that we sent to Liverpool. That is a copy of a message we sent to Liverpool.
10848. Find the message that came from Haddock -
- It is not here, sir. These are, the cables between Liverpool and ourselves.
10849. Have you that cablegram?
- I have it here some place. Here is the first telegram, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that I received from Haddock.
10850. Read it.
- (reading):
VIA HALIFAX, STEAMSHIP "OLYMPIC,"
April 15,1912ISMAY, New York:
Since midnight, when her position was 41.46 North, 50.14 west, we have been unable to Communicate. We are now 310 miles from her, 9 a. m., under full power. Will inform you at once if we hear anything.COMMANDER.
10851. What reply did you make to that?
- The three messages that we sent to Capt. Haddock that morning are as follows:
About 3 a. m., April 15, from 168 Gates Avenue, Brooklyn, by telephone:
Haddock, Olympic:
Make every endeavor communicate Titanic and advise position and time. Reply to Ismay, New York.
10852. That was sent from your house?
- No, sir; this was telephoned by me to the manager of our steamship department, Mr. Rodger, living in Brooklyn. I did not want to leave my telephone or communicate with anybody except the people in connection with the Titanic.
10853. That was 3.a.m., Monday morning?
- That was 3 a. m., Monday morning.
10854. After the accident?
- The next one was 6.05 a. m., the same day, April 15:
COMMANDER "OLYMPIC":
Keep us fully posted regarding Titanic.
The next one has no hour on it; no time. April 15:
HADDOCK "OLYMPIC":
Can you ascertain extent damage Titanic?
Those are the telegrams we sent to Capt. Haddock that morning.
10855. All of them?
- All of them, to the best of my knowledge and belief.
10856. Have you the replies?
- I read you off the first telegram. The next telegram we received from Capt. Haddock is as follows:
Parisian reports Carpathia in attendance, and picked up 20 boats of passengers, and Baltic returning to give assistance; position not given.
10857. What time was that and what day?
- That was received April 15.
10858. Monday?
- Monday.
10859. What hour?
- To the best of my knowledge and belief, it was around about 1 o'clock; between 12 and 1. Do you want me to read these? They are all in the evidence verbatim.
10860. I wanted to make very sure that they contained all the communications you had with Capt. Haddock, of the Olympic, to him or from him.
- We have made every research, and as far as I can find out in any way, or from recollection or anything else, they contain every telegram we have exchanged with Capt. Haddock, from the time of the disaster to date.
10861. And yet, as I understand you this morning, that is the first authentic information you received of the sinking of the Titanic?
- The first and only authentic information we received, not only of the sinking, but in connection with the Titanic sinking, until we got Mr. Ismay's telegram on Wednesday morning, which was to the same effect, of course.
Senator Smith:
I want to read into the record from the Anaconda Standard, published at Anaconda, Mont., Monday morning, April 15, 1912; the following, headed -
"TITANIC" STRIKES ICEBERG AND IS SINKING.
CAPE RACE, Newfoundland, April 15. - At 10.25 o'clock last night the steamship Titanic called "C.Q.D." and reported having struck an iceberg. The steamer said that immediate assistance was required. Half an hour afterwards an additional message said they were sinking by the head and that women were being put off in the lifeboats.
Then I skip a few unimportant facts, and this follows:
The last signals from the Titanic were heard by the Virginian at 1.37 a. m. The operator on the Virginian says these signals were blurred and ended abruptly.
10862. I simply quote this newspaper announcement because it comes from the far West, and seems to give more information of a definite character than you had in your possession at that hour.
- That is perfectly true, except that we had exactly that same information from various telephone communications, and Associated Press and other reports; but we had no authentic information except what I am giving you in those telegrams.
10863. You said the other day that you had rumors -
- Rumors and reports.
10864. Rumors of this character, which were called to your attention by newspaper reporters and others that morning; but that you had no authentic information of an official character until the afternoon of Monday?
- Until the afternoon, except the telegram which we have just read from Capt. Haddock, which advised that he was proceeding. All of our telegrams and all of our information were given at once to the press as received.
10865. At 6.15 a. m., Monday, this message was sent to your Liverpool office (handing witness paper).
- April 15, sent at 6. a. m.:
Ismay, Liverpool:
Newspaper wireless reports advise Titanic collision iceberg.
These are all code words.
10866. Give us the code words. Read the code words.
- I will just have to spell them out. The next word is -
Isnak 41.46 north. Joyam 50.14 west.
Women being put lifeboats; steamer Virginian expects reach Titanic 10 a. m. today. Olympic, Baltic proceeding Titanic. We have no direct information.
10867. Who sent that message?
- I sent that message myself.
10868. How did you get the information that the Virginian was going to the relief of the Titanic at 6.15 a.m. Monday?
- I had a telephone conversation with Montreal about, I should say, half-past 2 in the morning - between half past 2 and half-past 3 - and I gathered from that, and also from other information that we were probably receiving from other sources, that the Virginian was going there.
10869. That circumstance would reveal the fact that it was rather an important matter, would it not?
- My understanding is that the Virginian got practically the first information passed ashore regarding the Titanic.
10870. I understand that, Mr. Franklin.
- And she proceeded at once.
10871. I want to know who got the first information in your company. You said you received idle rumors that she had had this accident. You considered important enough to send to your Liverpool office advices of that character at 6.15 Monday morning?
- Right, sir.
10872. Did you consider it of sufficient importance to inform the public that this accident had occurred?
- As a matter of fact, the newspapers were informing me; the newspaper reporters were in our office the entire morning, and we were giving them about every 15 or 20 minutes anything we had received, any rumors or communications of various kinds; and when our telegram came in from Capt. Haddock, we gave them the content of that. We gave the newspapers everything we had.
10873. I am not concerned about your giving out Capt. Haddock's information. What I am concerned about is whether you considered that the information you had received from Montreal about half past 2 Monday morning, and which was the basis of your advices to your Liverpool offices, was of sufficient importance to have justified your announcement of the sources of your information to the public at that time?
- I do not quite follow you, for this reason -
10874. Read the question. I think I made it plain. I do not want to be too searching about it, but if it connects with other things I have in my mind, I want it down.
- Quite right.
10875. (The reporter repeated the question as follows):
"Senator SMITH. I am not concerned about your giving out Capt. Haddock's information. What I am concerned about is whether you considered that the information you had received from Montreal about half-past 2 Monday morning, and which was the basis of your advices to your Liverpool offices, was of sufficient importance to have justified your announcement of the sources of your information to the public at that time?"
- The sources of my information at that time were from the press, whose representatives were in our office.
10876. One moment. The sources of your information were in Montreal. I would like to know what sources they were?
- What we did was - we got Mr. Thom -
10877. (interposing.) Who is Mr. Thom?
- Mr. Thom is our agent at Montreal - on the telephone, Mr. James Thom. We asked him to communicate with the Allen Line representative, if he could get anybody, and ask them whether they had any information; that we had heard through the newspapers that the Titanic was in serious trouble. Mr. Thom, to the best of my knowledge and belief, called up - it must have been after 3 o'clock - and said he had gotten hold of somebody in the Allen Line office and they had similar information. Therefore, when we went to the office we told the reporters of the telephone conversation with Montreal. I told them myself.
10878. At what hour?
- I can not tell you exactly what time the reporters got there, but they were there very early. It was between 5 and 6.
10879. What time would that be in London?
- That would be in London five hours earlier.
10880. What would be the hour?
- Five hours earlier.
10881. I ask you because you are testifying. I am not testifying. If my question seems to reveal any inability to make any deduction, I beg you to remember that I am not on oath. I want your statement on the record.
- That would be between 12 and 1 o'clock in the morning.
10882. Then your Liverpool office had this information, all the information that you made public on Monday morning between 6 and 7 o'clock, or 5 and 6 o'clock, five hours in advance, and from you, of its publication through you here?
- Well, of course, the difference in time - have I the time wrong?
10883. Five o'clock here would be 10 o'clock in London?
- Yes; there is five hours difference in the time. Now, if we understand each other, at 10 o'clock Monday morning after this accident -
10884. (Senator Fletcher.) Have you a translation of those code words?
- I think we have.
10885. It would be better to put the translation in.
- We will give a translation of each one of those words. That is what we will do.
10886. (Senator Smith.) You are satisfied that the answer you have now made is correct?
- No; we will have to correct that, because five hours later instead of five hours earlier in London.
10887. What I want to show is this. Realizing we have the sun five hours later than they have - that is correct?
- That is right.
10888. I want to know what information you communicated to your Liverpool office was received at Liverpool. I know when it was sent from here. That is all I was trying to get at about that feature. I think you have made it plain.
- I think we have made it plain, but of course I can only tell you the time we filed the message here. Whether that message went off promptly and rapidly I can not tell.
10889. Did you receive any confirmation of its receipt at Liverpool?
- No, sir.
10890. Did you receive any message from Liverpool that indicated that they were amazed and horrified at this information that you had given them?
- Yes, sir.
10891. What did you receive?
- From Liverpool April l5 (referring to memorandum).
10892. Give the hour.
- I can not give you the hour unless I can get a copy of the cable. Here are the cables we received from Liverpool. I will try to get the cable itself, and get the hour.
Sensational press messages being received concerning Titanic. We have nothing from her or yourselves. Telegraph immediately.
That was the telegram. Then the next telegram was this -