11251. There was no objection made on the part of anybody?
- Not to me; no.
11252. Or your company?
- He said, "Just stay around handy to the telephone until I get hold of Mr. Thomas." That is all he said.
11253. (Senator Perkins.) What was the response? Did you get any further response?
- Yes; he told me to hurry up and go.
11254. (Senator Burton.) On that Sunday night, when you were stopped by the ice were you hemmed in by it, or was your ship floating about?
- We were just floating about.
11255. You spoke with reference to the use of glasses by the lookout men in the crow's nest?
- Yes, sir.
11256. What is your opinion in regard to that?
- I do not see any necessity for it.
11257. Why not?
- A light is visible a great deal farther from the crow's nest than it is from the bridge. With two men of equal eyesight and range of vision the man in the crow's nest would see farther than the man on the bridge. Once he reports that light, it has nothing to do with him what it is afterwards.
11258. But as regards objects ahead?
- The officer on the bridge can see the objects far enough. I very rarely hear a man in the lookout report a light before the man on the bridge has seen it.
11259. (Senator Bourne.) The object is not merely to descry light, but to see any obstacle in the passage of the ship?
- Yes; but I do not use glasses.
11260. (Senator Perkins) You have never used them?
- Only in that case of the Titanic. The men did not see anything that day quicker than from the bridge.
Senator Burton:
That is all.
11261. (Senator Fletcher.) You were asked by Senator Smith a moment ago whether, if the wireless operator on the Californian had been on duty, he would have picked up this message from the Titanic giving the alarm?
- Yes.
11262. Could you have gone to the relief of the Titanic at that time?
- Most certainly.
11263. You could have gone?
- We could have gone; yes.
11264. The engines were not running then.
- The engines were stopped; perfectly stopped.
11265. But you could have gone to the Titanic?
- The engines were ready. I gave instructions to the chief engineer and told him I had decided to stay there all night. I did not think it safe to go ahead.
I said, "We will keep handy in case some of those big fellows come crunching along and get into it."
11266. Did you keep lookout men on duty after your engines were stopped?
- A man on the lookout; only one, the man in the crow's nest.
11267. (Senator Smith.) On that Sunday night, the 14th of April, one man was relieved and the other was kept on duty?
- We discontinued the one on the forecastle head. We just kept the one on the crow's nest.
11268. Captain, did you see any distress signals on Sunday night, either rockets or the Morse signals?
- No sir; I did not. The officer on watch saw some signals, but he said they were not distress signals.
11269. They were not distress signals?
- Not distress signals.
11270. But he reported them?
- To me. I think you had better let me tell you that story.
11271. I wish you would.
- When I came off the bridge, at half-past 10, I pointed out to the officer that I thought I saw a light coming along, and it was a most peculiar light, and we had been making mistakes all along with the stars, thinking they were signals. We could not distinguish where the sky ended and where the water commenced. You understand, it was a flat calm. He said he thought it was a star, and I did not say anything more. I went down below. I was talking with the engineer about keeping the steam ready, and we saw these signals coming along, and I said "There is a steamer passing. Let us go to the wireless and see what the news is." But on our way down I met the operator coming, and I said, "Do you know anything?" He said, "The Titanic."
So, then, I gave him instructions to let the Titanic know. I said, "This is not the Titanic; there is no doubt about it." She came and lay at half-past 11, alongside of us until, I suppose, a quarter past, within 4 miles of us. We could see everything on her quite distinctly, see her lights. We signaled her, at half-past 11, with the Morse lamp. She did not take the slightest notice of it. That was between half-past 11 and 20 minutes to 12. We signaled her again at 10 minutes past 12, half-past 12, a quarter to 1 o'clock. We have a very powerful Morse lamp. I suppose you can see that about 10 miles, and she was about 4 miles off, and she did not take the slightest notice of it. When the second officer came on the bridge, at 12 o'clock ,or 10 minutes past 12, I told him to watch that steamer, which was stopped, and I pointed out the ice to him; told him we were surrounded by ice; to watch the steamer that she did not get any closer to her. At 20 minutes to 1 I whistled up the speaking tube and asked him if she was getting any nearer. He said, "No; she is not taking any notice of us." So, I said "I will go and lie down a bit." At a quarter past he said, "I think she has fired a rocket." He said, "She did not answer the Morse lamp and she has commenced to go away from us." I said, "Call her up and let me know at once what her name is. So, he put the whistle back, and, apparently, he was calling. I could hear him ticking over my head. Then l went to sleep.
11272. You heard nothing more about it?
- Nothing more until about something between then and half-past 4, I have a faint recollection of the apprentice opening the room door; opening it and shutting it. I said "What is it?" He did not answer and I went to sleep again. I believe the boy came down to deliver me the message that this steamer had steamed away from us to the southwest, showing several of these flashes or white rockets; steamed away to the southwest.
11273. Captain, these Morse signals are a sort of language or method by which ships speak to one another?
- Yes, sir; at night.
11274. The rockets that are used for the same purpose and are understood, are they not, among mariners?
- As being distress rockets?
11275. Yes.
- Oh, yes; you never mistake a distress rocket.
11276. Suppose the Morse signals and the rockets were displayed and exploded on the Titanic continuously for a half to three-quarters of an hour after she struck ice, would you, from the position of your ship on a night like Sunday night, have been able to see those signals?
- From the positions she was supposed to have been in?
11277. Yes.
- We could not have seen her Morse code; that is an utter impossibility.
11278. Could you have seen rockets?
- I do not think so. Nineteen and a half miles is a long ways. It would have been way down on the horizon. It might have been mistaken for a shooting star or anything at all.
11279. Did you see anything of the Amerika during that voyage?
- No.
11280. Did you see anything of the Frankfurt?
- Yes.
11281. Where and when?
- I met him 5 or 10 minutes past 12, after I was leaving the Titanic, the scene of the disaster. He was running along parallel with the ice, apparently trying to find an opening, and he saw me coming through and he headed for the place I was coming out, and as I came out he went in. He went through the same place toward the scene of the disaster.
11282. Where was the Frankfurt headed?
- He was running about south-southeast, when I saw him, coming away from the northwest.
11283. For what port?
- I saw in the papers since, he had arrived in Breton Harbor. I did not know then.
11284. Had you any means of fixing his position at any time between 10 and 12 o'clock Sunday night?
- Oh, no; none whatever.
11285. Or between 10 o'clock Sunday night and 2 o'clock Monday morning?
- None whatever.
11286. Do you know the captain of the Frankfurt?
- I never met him.
11287. Do you know, of your own knowledge, whether you have ever exchanged wireless messages with the Frankfurt?
- Yes, sir, we did; on the morning of this disaster or the morning after the disaster.
11288. Where were you at that time?
- We were stopped in this position I have given you.
11289. At the scene of the wreck?
- Yes.
11290. And where, with reference to distance or longitude and latitude, was the Frankfurt?
- I do not know; he did not give us his position.
11291. What hour was this?
- I suppose shortly after 5.
11292. In the morning?
- Yes, sir.
11293. Sunday morning?
- No, Monday morning; the day after the accident.
11294. And what did he say?
- I think the first message we got was, "Ship sunk." But I understand between the German and English operators they do not always grasp one another's messages; there is a little confusion about it. Apparently we did not get it. The first report I got to the bridge that morning, after I had sent down and had the operator called, the chief officer came back and said, "He reports a ship sunk." I said, "Go back and wait until you find out what it is. Get some more about it." So he went back, and I suppose 10 minutes afterwards he came back and said, "The Titanic is sunk, and hit an iceberg."
11295. The wireless operator told you?
- No; he did not tell me. The chief officer was delivering the message. I was on the bridge, and he was running backward and forward to the operating room.
I said, "Go back again and find the position as quickly as possible." So he went back, and he came back and said "We have a position here, but it seems a bit doubtful." I said, "You must get me a better position. We do not want to go on a wild goose chase." So in the meantime, I marked off the position from the course given me by the Frankfurt in the message just from one operator to another. I marked that off and headed the ship down there.
11296. Will you kindly give it to us?
- I gave it to you earlier.
11297. That was your position?
- That was the position of the Titanic given by the Frankfurt.
11298. I recall that. I thought you said you had the position of the Frankfurt?
- No, sir; he gave the position of the Titanic disaster.
11299. Was that the first information you got of the sinking of the Titanic?
- That was the first information.
11300. You received it from the North German-Lloyd boat?
- The Frankfurt.
11301. And that was about 5?
- Shortly after 5; between 5 and half past.
11302. Monday morning?
- Monday morning.
11303. Did you have any further communication between your ship and the Frankfurt until you met later in the day?
- I do not think so. As we were trying to get official news from the Frankfurt the Virginian chipped in, and he gave me this message, which I will read to you.
11304. Give the date.
- There is no date on it. There was great excitement then and no date was put on.
11305. Give the time of the day.
- 4.10 a. m., New York time.
11306. Can you tell where it was received?
- No; it was given right away.
11307. I understand, but was it received Monday or Sunday night?
- Well, there is nothing on it at all, sir.
11308. Do you recollect?
- I remember perfectly well, at 6 o'clock; here it is in the log book:
Six o'c1ock, received message re Titanic.
This from the Virginian.
Captain
It does not say what ship -
Titanic struck berg; wants assistance; urgent; ship sinking; passengers in boats. His position 41� 46', longitude 40� 16'.
CAMPBELL, Commander.
11309. You heard nothing further from the source?
- From the Virginian?
I had a message about an hour and a half after. He said, "When you get to the scene of disaster will you please give me particulars of what is happening?"
11310. Do you know, or does your log show, or are you able to determine the depth of the water where the Titanic sank?
- Well, I see it is approximately 2,000 fathoms, which would be l2,000 feet.
11311. (Senator Fletcher.) Let me ask you a question with reference to that ste amer you saw 4 miles away. What was her position in reference to your ship -
- Pretty near south of us, 4 miles to the south.
11312. (continuing.) As to being on the starboard or port side.
- Well, on our ordinary course, our ordinary course was about west, true; but on seeing the ice, we were so close we had to reverse the engine and put her full speed astern, and the action of reversing turned the ship to starboard, and we were heading about northeast true. When this man was coming along he was showing his green light on our starboard side, before midnight. After we slowly blew around and showed him our red light.
11313. And he passed southwest?
- He was stopped until 1 o'clock, and then he started going ahead again; and the second reported he changed from south-southeast to west-southwest, 6 1/2 points; and if he was 4 miles off, the distance he traveled I estimated to be 7 or 7 1/2 miles in that hour.
11314. Was he ever any closer to you?
- No, sir.
11315. Were you able to tell what kind of a ship it was?
- The officer on watch, and the apprentice , and myself - I saw it before 1 o'clock, before I went to the watch room - were of the opinion that it was an ordinary cargo steamer.
11316. Did you see the funnels?
- No, sir. It had one masthead light and a green light, which I saw first.
11317. You could not hear any escaping steam, or the siren, or the whistle?
- No, sir.
11318. You have two men on duty in the crow's nest, but only one on duty at a time?
- No; we never have two in the crow's nest. When we double the lookout we have one man on the forecastle head. That is right up in the bow of the ship.
11319. (Senator Bourne.) What is the tonnage of the Californian?
- Four thousand and thirty-eight, sir.
11320. She has accommodations for how many passengers?
- Accommodations for 47.
11321. Do you have a regular boat drift on your vessel?
- Once a passage.
11322. After you leave the dock?
- After we leave port.
11323. Only one?
- Well, you see we are only 13 days on a passage.
11324. (Senator Fletcher.) You mean the net tonnage?
- The net tonnage is 4,038.
11325. And what is the gross tonnage?
- Six thousand two hundred and thirty-three.
11326. (Senator Smith) Senator Fletcher asked you regarding this ship that stopped you on Sunday night?
- Yes, sir.
11327. Have you any idea what steamer that was?
- Not the faintest. At daylight we saw a yellow-funnel steamer on the southwest of us, beyond where this man had left, about 8 miles away.
11328. (Senator Fletcher.) Do you suppose that was the same one?
- I should not like to say. I don't think so, because this one had only one masthead light that we saw at half-past 11.
11329. (Senator Smith.) From the log which you hold in your hand, and from your own knowledge, is there anything you can say further which will assist the committee in its inquiry as to the causes of this disaster?
- No, sir, there is nothing; only that it was a very deceiving night. That is all I can say about that. I only saw that ice a mile and a half off.