Page 126 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

13696. That brought you up to the end of your watch at 10 o’clock. Was the speed of the ship maintained up to that time? - As far as I know. 13697. I mean you gave no orders to stop it? - None whatever. 13698. Did the night continue clear and calm? - Perfectly calm, up to 10 o’clock, and clear. 13699. And so far as those conditions are concerned, was there any change up to the time you handed over the ship? - None whatever. If I might say one fact I have just remembered? 13700. Do? - Speaking about the Commander, with reference to ice, of course, there was a footnote on the night order book with regard to ice. The actual wording I cannot remember, but it is always customary. Naturally, every commander, in the night order book, issues his orders for the night, and the footnote had reference to keeping a sharp look out for ice. That is initialed by every officer. 13701. Who was it that took the ship over from you at 10 o’clock? - Mr. Murdoch. 13702. Mr. Murdoch, the First Officer: Just one further thing - You have spoken about the change in the temperature, and you have brought the change in the temperature down to 33 degrees at about 9 o’clock. Then you had another hour. Did you notice whether it went colder? - I did; 1 degree. 13703. That would be getting down to freezing point? - That was exactly freezing. 13704. 32 degrees. Do you remember what time you noticed it had got down to 32 degrees? - No, I could not say. Most probably it was about 10 minutes to 10, when the quartermaster took the temperature of the air and the water by thermometer. 13705. Is that the duty, in the ordinary course, of the Quartermaster at 10 minutes to 10? - Yes, every hour it is registered. 13706. At 10 minutes to the hour? - Yes - every two hours I should say. 13707. When you handed over the ship at the end of your watch to Mr. Murdoch, just tell us, as carefully and fully as you can, what was the report you made to Mr. Murdoch? What was it you passed along to him? - I should give him the course the ship was steering by standard compass. I mentioned the temperature - I think he mentioned the temperature first; he came on deck in his overcoat, and said, “It is pretty cold.” I said, “Yes it is freezing.” I said something about we might be up around the ice any time now, as far as I remember. I cannot remember the exact words, but suggested that we should be naturally round the ice. I passed the word on to him. Of course, I knew we were up to the 49 degrees by, roughly, half-past 9; that ice had been reported. He would know what I meant by that, you know - the Marconigram. 13708. I will tell you what I want to know. Did you say anything to him at 10 o’clock about a calculation having been made by the junior officer or anything of that sort? - I may have done; I really cannot recollect it now, I may have told him that Moody worked it out 11, or I may have told him half-past 9. The Commissioner: You yourself knew the boat was already in the ice region at this time? - Yes. 13709. Did you tell Murdoch so? - Yes, my Lord, as I say when he came on deck. 13710. What did you say to him? - That we were up around the ice, or something to that effect; that we were within the region of where the ice had been reported. The actual words I cannot remember; but I gave him to understand that we were within the region where ice had been reported. 13711. (The Solicitor-General.) During your watch and while Mr. Murdoch had been off duty you had caused this calculation to be made and Mr. Moody had given you 11 o’clock? - Yes. 13712. You thought half-past nine? - Yes. 13713. And here you had sent a message up to the crow’s-nest asking them to keep a sharp look-out for ice, especially small ice and growlers? - Yes. 13714. You are handing the ship over at 10 o’clock to Mr. Murdoch who was on the bridge at