Page 127 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 14 - 18
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but this is the one I am referring to now - I will read it. It is sent at 11.52 a.m. to Captain Smith, “Titanic”: “Have had moderate, variable winds and clear, fine weather since leaving. Greek steamer ‘Athenai’ reports passing icebergs and large quantity of field ice today in latitude 41.51 N., longitude 49.52 W.” If your Lordship will take this list you will see how convenient it is (Handing up a copy). We will have some more printed to hand up to the Assessors. The Commissioner: Yes, it would be very convenient for all my colleagues to have a copy of this before them. The Attorney-General: Yes; we have got them printed. Strictly speaking, of course, we shall have to prove these, and they will be proved. If your Lordship will look at page 2, or, perhaps, it would be better if you will look at page 1 first to see how this is compiled. First of all, you have the copies of messages received by the “Titanic” between midnight of the 11th April, 1912, up to the 14th of April, 10.25 New York time, when her distress signals were first received. That is what I said we would have done before we adjourned. If your Lordship will look at page 2 you will see the message of the “Baltic” in the middle. It is referred to as the message book No. 77. You see it is to “Captain Smith, ‘Titanic.’“ You have it, no doubt. The Commissioner: Yes. The Attorney-General: That is the one which contains a further reference after the figure which I just gave you, “Greek steamer ‘Athenai’ reports passing icebergs and large quantity of field ice today in latitude 41.51 N., longitude 49.52 W. Last night we spoke German oiltank ‘Deutschland,’ Stettin to Philadelphia. Not under control. Short of coal, latitude 40.42 N., longitude 55.11.” Now if your Lordship would like to complete this whilst you have got it before you, you will find, if you turn to the bottom of page 4 of the same document, the answer, “Time received 12.55 p.m. To Commander of ‘Baltic.’ Thanks for your message and good wishes. Had fine weather since leaving - Smith.” Your Lordship will recollect that both these messages are said to be New York time. According to the description we have got here of the message sent and the message received, that is according to the evidence you have already got from the Marconi Company, New York time. The Commissioner: I have got it marked in my own note that the message was sent out by the “Baltic” at 3.19. The Attorney-General: I think that is too late. You say, sent out by the “Baltic.” The Commissioner: Yes. The Attorney-General: That would be too late; it must be rather before two, anything from one to before two. The Commissioner: Two o’clock. Your opening was not quite in accordance with what we know today. The Attorney-General: The statement in the affidavit, I agree, is not quite the same as we have now got it. The Commissioner: There is a substantial difference. The Attorney-General: Yes, we know the facts now. The Commissioner: I rather gathered from the Solicitor-General’s examination that the difference was of no consequence, but it seems to me to make a substantial difference. There was only one message from the “Baltic.” The Attorney-General: That is all as far as we know, and we have been examining into it because of what was said originally by the Captain of the “Baltic” upon affidavit, upon which the statement was made if your Lordship remembers. The Commissioner: However, this is the printed message in this document. 18327. (The Attorney-General.) Yes, that is quite right. I rather think my learned friend did say something with regard to it. He agreed that it made a difference, of course, because it did not agree with the statement in the affidavit, and we mentioned that we would enquire into it, and we
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