Page 238 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

icebergs were on the southern track which you were close to, would the news come to you or would it go to the Captain first? - To the Captain. 15726. And then what would he do about it? - I should think he would take it to the Senior Officer, or probably the Captain would put it on the chart himself. 15727. At any rate, you know nothing about this message at 1 o’clock? - No, and I was not on deck at 1 o’clock either. 15728. The next one in order of time is from the “Californian,” and your Lordship will find that at page 201 of the shorthand notes the questions running from 8939 down to 8947. The actual message is 8943, and the “Titanic” when it was offered the message said that it had overheard it. (To the Witness.) Perhaps you will kindly plot it for me? - Yes. 15729. The message was, they said they were in latitude 42º 3’ N. and in longitude 49º 9’ W., and there were three large bergs five miles to the southward of them. What change will you have to make in 42º 3’ N. to get five miles to the south? - I should think 42º N. would be near enough. 15730. Let us take it? - It is near enough for this small scale chart. 15731. Take it, if you will, latitude 42º N. and longitude 49º 9’ W. I am going to ask the Court to look at your calculation to see if it is what they understand. You have been good enough to mark on that chart the place of ice as indicated by the “Caronia,” the “Amerika,” the “Baltic,” and the “Californian”? - I have got the “Amerika,” the “Californian” and the “Baltic.” I did not put down the “Caronia.” 15732. The “Caronia,” as we know, is 49º to 51º? - Yes, and 42º N. 15733. Now have you any recollection of the “Californian” message reaching you or being plotted? - No, I have not. 15734. That message, as we see from the evidence, was sent at 7.30 “Californian” ship’s time, and the “Californian” on any view was not very far from you. You were on duty from eight till twelve. As far as you know until I called your attention to it, had you ever plotted that message on any chart? - No. 15735. Now that is not the last. I came to another which the Court has not heard of yet. It is a message that was sent from the “Mesaba” to the “Titanic” and all east-bound ships. The Commissioner: East-bound ships? The Solicitor-General: It was sent to the “Titanic,” and it was sent to east-bound ships, and according to the information we have from the Marconi people it was acknowledged by the “Titanic.” Of course, that I shall have to prove. This is the message: “Ice report. In lat. 42 N. to 41.25 N. long. 49 W. to long. 50.30 W. Saw much heavy pack ice, and great number large icebergs, also field ice. Weather good, clear.” The Commissioner: When is that? The Solicitor-General: That is sent at 7.50 p.m., New York time, and if one allows for the difference of two hours - one hour and fifty-five minutes, we were told - that would bring it practically to a quarter to ten that night, about two hours before the accident. 15736. Would you like to have some parallels? - Yes. (The same are handed to the Witness.) 15737. The message gives you an oblong, a parallelogram, does it not? I want you to make the parallelogram? - From 42 north and 49 west to 41.25 and 50.30. The Commissioner: Am I right in supposing - I have not heard of this message at all - that she was running to a place which was bounded by icebergs on the north and the south. Is that so? 15738. (The Solicitor-General.) According to this message it is. I do not know if I might show you and ask your Lordship’s Assessors to see it, but I have marked the oblong on that plan and hatched it in pencil. (Showing to his Lordship.) (To the Witness.) Have you got the mark there? - I have only the two positions from the “Mesaba,” the one position 42 north and 49 west, and the other position, “Mesaba,” 41.27 north and 50.30 west.