11880. But I was talking at this moment about the passengers. You could have cared for the passengers, first class and second class?
- No; we had no first class, sir.
11881. What are the 160?
- That is, 166 we had permanent accommodations for. We call that the permanent steerage.
11882. In addition to that, you had your steerage accommodations?
- Below decks.
11883. And your crew?
- And the crew, sir.
11884. How many compose the crew?
- About 130, sir.
11885. What will the steerage accommodate?
- We expected to have 2,200 steerage passengers, but instead of that we had only 1,461; but we were fitted up for 2,200.
11886. And you had 20 lifeboats?
- Yes, sir; we had 22 lifeboats when we left London. So we would have two extra boats on board, sir.
11887. You have given the capacity of your boats for passengers, steerage and crew, and that would include carrying the immigrants?
- Yes, sir.
11888. Do you wish to be understood as saying that you did not see, on Sunday night or Monday morning, any signal lights from the Titanic?
- I can solemnly swear that I saw no signal lights, nor did my officers on the bridge see any signal lights.
11889. What kind of wireless equipment has the Mount Temple?
- Marconi, sir.
11890. How many operators?
- Only one, sir.
11891. What are his hours?
- He has no special hours.
11892. How did he happen to be on duty at 12:30 midnight, Sunday night?
- I don't know, sir. I think it was just about the time he was turning in. He just picked up the instrument just to see if there was anything coming along. It was just purely and simply an accident that he got the ship's message.
11893. It was an accident that he got it at all?
- Simply an accident.
11894. I would like to know whether you were in communication with any other vessel, by wireless, after you got the C.Q.D. call from the Titanic?
- Yes, sir.
11895. What other vessel?
- I think, but I am not certain, we were in communication with the Birma. In any case, we heard those three messages, sir.
11896. Are you now reading from the log?
- No; this is from the Marconi man's report to me.
11897. This is from the operator's minutes?
- I have my own notes, sir, that he sent up occasionally to me. Would you like to have me read them, sir?
11898. I would.
- This is the second message that he received - that he picked up, I should say.
He was sending these messages to me. He says:
Has got Carpathia, and tells him position 41º 48' longitude, 50º 14'.
If you will observe, this latitude and longitude is different from the one we first received.
11899. Yes.
- But this message came almost immediately after the first one.
11900. He is giving you the Titanic's position?
- Yes, sir.
11901. And what was it, again, please?
- "Has got the Carpathia." That means to say that the Titanic has got the Carpathia.
11902. Exactly.
- Position, 41º 46' north; 50º 14' west. You see that that is 10 miles more to the eastward than the first position he gave, but this message came immediately after the first one.
11903. How long a time after; immediately?
- Almost immediately after, sir.
We have struck iceberg. Come to our assistance at once.
That is the message he gives the Carpathia.
11904. Where did you get it?
- Almost immediately upon turning back. That is the position I worked, sir.
11905. Did you get it from the Titanic or through the Carpathia?
- It was a message passing between them, and I caught it.
11906. You got the message that was intended for the Carpathia?
- Yes, sir.
11907. You caught that?
- Yes.
11908. And you have read it in the record?
- Yes, sir.
We have struck Iceberg. Come to our assistance at once.
11909. Who signs that?
- It is not signed at all. These were just sent up to me as the operator received them.
This is another message received. I can not say as to the order in which they were received. I do not think that will make very much difference, however, sir.
11910. If you can give the time, I wish you would do so. - (reading)
Olympic sends this message to Titanic: "4.14 a. m. G. M. T. Position 40� 22' N., 61� 18' W. Are you steering southerly to meet us? Haddock." Titanic says, "We are putting the women off in the boats."
You see that would be just 11º to the westward of our position when we got the message, the C. Q. D.
Position 40º 22' N., 61º 18' W. Are you steering southerly to meet us?
HADDOCK.
You see he did not realize that the ship was in such a bad plight.
11911. And he asked the Titanic if he was steering southerly to meet him?
- Yes, sir. The Titanic says:
We are putting the women off in the boats.
11912. That is signed Haddock?
- Signed Haddock; yes; and the Titanic says:
We are putting the women off in the boats.
11913. Have you read all of that message?
- Yes, sir.
11914. Then, what did you pick up, or what did you send next?
- I did not send anything at all, sir. This is a message that we caught.
Titanic says engine room flooded. Olympic sends, "Am lighting up all possible boilers as fast as can."
But he was a day's sail away from him, sir.
11915. The Olympic was a day's sail away from the Titanic's position?
- Yes, sir. I dare say a little more than that.
Then, there is another message that the Marconi man sends to him:
Still calling distress.
11916. That is your operator?
- Yes, sir.
11917. He sends a message to you at the bridge that he is still calling distress?
- Still calling distress, sir.
Carpathia asks if he wants any special boat to wait on him. Titanic says, "We want all we can get."
I do not think anybody realized at the time that it was so bad, sir.
11918. Is there any date on this last memorandum?
- No date. He sends these up to me as he receives them, sir.
11919. After you went on the bridge?
- Yes, sir: These were all received when I was on the bridge, sir.
11920. And between the hours of 12.30 a. m.
- Up to the time we received the message from the Carpathia saying that nothing more could be done; that we need not stand by.
11921. What further message did you receive from any other vessel?
- Well, I can not say whether we were in direct communication, because our operator did not want to block the other messages, because they were going around, and because we were simply picking up these messages. (Referring to memorandum):
He tells Olympic, "Captain says get your boats ready; we are going down fast by the head."
11922. This was from the Titanic?
- From the Titanic.
11923. You are giving these messages in the order in which you received them?
- I do not know; I can not say, because as I received them I put them in my pocket.
11924. Evidently that was later than the one that preceded it in your reading, because she was going down by the head then, he says.
- Yes, sir. He seems to have got hold of the Olympic and kept on with him, sir.
11925. His communications were running with the Olympic at that time?
- Yes, sir; and we picked them up.
11926. Go ahead.
- (Referring to memorandum):
S. S. Frankfurt (German) gives Titanic his position at 12 p. m, 39� 47' N., 52� 10' W. Titanic asks "Are you coming to our assistance." Frankfurt asks "What is the matter?" Titanic replies "We have struck iceberg and sinking. Please tell captain to come." Titanic still calling distress.
Frankfurt seems nearest to him, according to strength of signals.
11927. What are you reading from?
- This is what my operator sent up to me. These are the messages he sent up to me, the original messages.
11928. Received by your wireless operator on the Mount Temple?
- Yes, sir.
11929. And taken to you at the bridge?
- Yes, sir.
11930. Is that signed?
- This is signed "J. Durrant." He was my operator.
11931. Did you know of the Frankfurt's position?
- He gives his position there, sir.
11932. He does not give us his position, does he?
- Yes, sir.
11933. Not the Frankfurt?
- The Frankfurt says that at 12 o'clock his position is 39º 47', sir.
11934. But this wireless message says that he judges by the strength of his signals or messages that the Frankfurt is nearest.
- But he gives his position, sir.
11935. That is the position at the time this last message was sent, which you have handed over; at the time that was delivered?
- The Frankfurt gives his position as 39º 47' N., 52º 10' W., sir.
11936. You must excuse me for being so minute about it, but I want to find out whether the Frankfurt made any effort at all to reach the Titanic's position.
- Of course, this is by the operator, his personal statement, that he seems to be the nearest on account of the strength of the message. As a matter of fact, you see he was one degree to the westward of my position, or pretty near it when I first turned around.
11937. The testimony shows that from the strength of the wireless impact, if it may be called that, he judged that the Frankfurt was nearest?
- Yes, sir.
11938. But the testimony also shows that the Titanic operator, when the Frankfurt asked what was the matter 20 minutes after receiving the C. Q. D., replied "You are a fool; keep out." Now, I am asking you in detail about the Frankfurt because I desire, if possible, to get some authentic information regarding her conduct after receiving that C. Q. D. call.
- Yes, sir.
11939. Now, proceed.
- This is another message (indicating.) - This is a note to me from the Marconi man:
Olympic sent that message at 1.30. this ship's time.
That means the time of my ship.
Titanic acknowledged it, but has not spoken since, although Olympic, Baltic, and Frankfurt calling him.
That is one hour after I received my first message that we caught the C. Q. D., "He has not spoken since."
11940. Let us see what other vessels -
- Perhaps I had better read it through.
11941. I think that is best.
- (reading.)
Olympic sent that message at 1.30 this ship's time. Titanic acknowledged it but has not spoken since, although Olympic, Baltic, and Frankfurt calling him. American ship -
Which proved to be a Russian ship, sir -
Name unknown, tells Frankfurt he is 70 miles off Titanic.
11942. This Russian ship is that distance?
- It says here American ship, but it turned out to be a Russian ship named the Birma, 70 miles off, a much faster ship than our vessel.
11943. Proceed.
- That is all that I have.
11944. You hold in your hand the minutes of the wireless operator?
- Yes, sir.
11945. Do those minutes disclose any facts or circumstances more complete than the memoranda you have just filed regarding the position of the Titanic and the position of other ships on Sunday or Monday?
- I think those cover it; but if you like, I will read these out.
11946. I think we had better have them.
- This is a copy of the operator's book; a copy he puts in his book:
Time remarks, p. m., Sunday evening, April, 1912.
This is New York time, sir:
9.55. Signals with M.P.A. nil.
Titanic sending C. Q. D. Answer him, but be replies "Can not read you, old man, but here is my position - 41º 46' N., 50º 14' W. Come at once. Have struck berg." Informed captain.
11947. "Come at once, have struck berg?" - "Have struck berg. Informed captain." That is my operator who informed me, sir.
10.35. Carpathia answers "M. G. Y."
Which is the Titanic, I understand, says:
Struck iceberg. Come to our assistance at once.
Sends position.
10.40. M. G. Y. -
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