Page 130 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 14 - 18

revolutions, you were aware, I think, that it was not quite her full speed? - 78 I believe was her full speed. 18377. Seventy-eight was her full speed, and she had got to 75? - Yes, that is right. 18378. Your intention was, was it not, before you reached New York, to get the maximum speed of 78? - The intention was that if the weather should be found suitable on the Monday or the Tuesday that the ship would then have been driven at full speed. 18379. Which would be 78? - Yes, 78. 18380. So that your intention was to increase the speed at which she was travelling already on the Sunday of 75 revolutions, if the weather was satisfactory, to 78 on the Monday or the Tuesday? - Yes, to increase the speed to 78 if the conditions were all satisfactory. 18381. When she was proceeding at 75 revolutions were all her boilers on? - I believe not. I have no knowledge of that myself. 18382. Were the single-ended boilers on? - I have no knowledge of it myself. I was told they were not - at least, I have heard they were not. 18383. That none of the single-ended ones were on? - That is as far as I know. 18384. Then I will just refer you to what you said in America with regard to this? - As far as I know the single-ended boilers were not on on the Sunday. 18385. “The full speed of ship is 78 revolutions?” - Yes. 18386. “She worked up to 80. As far as I am aware she never exceeded 75 revolutions. She had not all her boilers on, none of the single-ended boilers were on. It was our intention if we had fine weather on Monday afternoon or Tuesday to drive the ship at full speed.” Is that correct? - Yes, quite. 18387. With whom would you discuss this question of driving her at full speed on the Monday or Tuesday? - The only man I spoke to in regard to it was the Chief Engineer in my room when the ship was in Queenstown. 18388. Is that Mr. Bell? - Yes. 18389. The Chief Engineer? - Yes. 18390. Can you tell me on what day it was that she first made the 75 revolutions on this voyage? - I think it would be on the Saturday. 18391. And when was it that you discussed the question of putting her at full speed on the Monday or the Tuesday? - On the Thursday when the ship was at anchor in Queenstown Harbour. 18392. Will you explain that. It is not quite clear why you should discuss the question in Queenstown? - The reason why we discussed it at Queenstown was this, that Mr. Bell came into my room; I wanted to know how much coal we had on board the ship, because the ship left after the coal strike was on, and he told me. I then spoke to him about the ship and I said it is not possible for the ship to arrive in New York on Tuesday. Therefore there is no object in pushing her. We will arrive there at 5 o’clock on Wednesday morning, and it will be good landing for the passengers in New York, and we shall also be able to economise our coal. We did not want to burn any more coal than we needed. 18393. Never mind about that, that does not answer the question I was putting to you. I understand what you mean by that, that you did not want to get there till the Wednesday morning at 5 o’clock, and that therefore it was not necessary to drive her at full speed all the time? - No. 18394. But the question I am putting to you is this, when was it that you discussed putting her at full speed on the Monday or the Tuesday? - At the same time. 18395. You have not told us about that? - That was when Mr. Bell was in my room on Thursday afternoon, when the ship was at anchor at Queenstown. 18396. But what was said about putting her at full speed? - I said to him then, we may have an opportunity of driving her at full speed on Monday or Tuesday if the weather is entirely suitable.