Page 166 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

14363. Were not you on this occasion taking as much speed as you could get out of the “Titanic”? - Oh, no, not at all; I am under the impression she was under a very reduced speed compared with what she was capable of doing. 14364. What maximum speed do you think you could have attained? - Well, just as a matter of hearsay, or rather, what we estimated roughly, for instance myself, I judged that the ship would eventually do about 24 knots. 14365. Did you say yesterday that you were going at as high a speed as you could in view of the coal you had on board? - Did I say so yesterday? 14366. Yes? - I was not on the stand yesterday. The Solicitor-General: Yes, you were. 14367. (Mr. Scanlan.) You were being examined yesterday? - Oh, yes; I beg your pardon. Not only with regard to shortage of coal, but I understand several boilers were off. 14368. Do you know any reason for those boilers being off? - Merely that there was no wish for the ship to travel at any great speed. 14369. There was no reason, I take it, why you should not go fast; but, in view of the abnormal conditions and of the fact that you were nearing ice at ten o’clock, was there not a very obvious reason for going slower? - Well, I can only quote you my experience throughout the last 24 years, that I have been crossing the Atlantic most of the time, that I have never seen the speed reduced. 14370. You were asked by my Lord this forenoon how an unfortunate accident like this could have been prevented in what you describe as abnormal circumstances? - Yes. 14371. Is it not quite clear that the most obvious way to avoid it is by slackening speed? - Not necessarily the most obvious. 14372. Well, is it one way? - It is one way. Naturally, if you stop the ship you will not collide with anything. 14373. There was no reason why you might not slacken speed on this voyage, you were not running to any scheduled time? - No. 14374. If you happened to be on the bridge in command yourself could you take it on your own responsibility to slacken speed, or would you require to communicate with the Captain? - Communicate with the Captain. 14375. And the speed, therefore, could only be diminished by the Captain’s orders? - No, I would not go so far to say that the speed could only be diminished by that. Let me give you an instance. Suppose I had seen the smallest scrap of ice, supposing we had passed a little bit of the field ice that was knocking about on the other side of this pack ice, had I seen any indication of the vicinity; proof positive of the vicinity of ice, I should very probably have telegraphed myself at the same time that I sent word to the Commander. 14376. At the same time, as a matter of propriety and etiquette between officers and master; the proper thing, I take it, is to go to the master and make your suggestion to him and then let him decide? - Well, I want you to fully understand me. In the ordinary course of events, hazy weather, weather coming in hazy - I am not speaking particularly of ice now - or nearing land, or anything for which you think it is desirable to slacken speed, or will be shortly desirable to slacken speed, you would communicate that to the Commander; but our instructions from the White Star do away with the necessity of notifying the Commander in any immediate danger; we immediately act, as I believe Mr. Murdoch did. 14377. Just tell me what your instructions are from the White Star? - Well, I cannot quote you them word for word. They are in the Regulation Book, which I have no doubt you will be able to get. 14378. Is there anything mentioned in those instructions about what you should do when you are in a region in which ice has been reported? - There is nothing that refers particularly to ice.