Page 243 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 14 - 18

19733. Is this the statement (Handing same to Witness.)? - Yes, we prepared that statement. 19734. The statement goes from 1901 to 1911? - Yes. 19735. Taking the result, apart from the loss of life that took place on the “Titanic” up to that time how many passengers during those 10 years had been carried, and what was the total loss of life? - The total number of passengers shown by these figures carried during those 10 years is 2,179,594; the loss of life is two. 19736. When did that happen? - That happened in the case of the “Republic,” which came into collision with the “Florida,” and those two people were injured in the collision. 19737. That was in January, 1909? - Yes, that is right. 19738. I think these were first class passengers? - They were. 19739. And is that the whole amount of loss of life which took place in that number of passengers carried? - Yes, it is. 19740. (The Commissioner.) How many passengers do you say you have carried in those 10 years? - The 10 years in question - 2,179,594. The Attorney-General: Is it not eleven years? 1901 to 1911 - both inclusive? The Witness: I expect it is inclusive, in fact it must be. You are right, it is eleven years inclusive. 19741. (Sir Robert Finlay.) Adding the figures of the “Titanic” to that, and taking the loss of life, what is the total number of passengers carried and the total loss of life, and what percentage does that yield? - Including the “Titanic,” the total becomes 2,180,910 passengers, and loss of life 822. The percentage is .038. 19742. I will hand that statement in. (The statement was handed in.) You referred, I think, in connection with questions put to you with regard to the davits, and Mr. Welin’s way of constructing the davits, to a correspondence which you said you had handed to the Board of Trade? - I did. 19743. Is that the correspondence? (Handing same to witness.) - Yes, that is a covering letter. 19744. And the other letters? - That is a memorandum. The Commissioner: Give the substance of it. Sir Robert Finlay: I do not think it is at all important. The Commissioner: Perhaps you had better tell us the substance. Sir Robert Finlay: It relates to some address given with reference to Mr. Welin’s plan for the construction of the davits, and your Lordship will see that it has no special reference to anything but to the construction of the davits. I will hand it up to your Lordship. The Commissioner: There is no importance attaching to it? The Attorney-General: I do not think it is important. 19745. (Sir Robert Finlay.) The Attorney-General agrees with me that it is not important. (To the Witness.) With regard to the routes, a question was put to you as to the unlikelihood of there being crossing ships. These lane routes, as they are called, are adopted by all the liners, are they not? - Yes. 19746. By a combination amongst the companies? - Principally passenger liners and a few cargo boats. 19747. These routes, of course, are not necessarily observed by sailing vessels; in fact, they could not do so? - No. 19748. You may have a sailing vessel come across the track at any time? - Yes. 19749. Are they observed by tramps? - A few may, but I do not think to any extent. 19750. So that there is always a possibility, as you have pointed out, of a crossing ship on the line? - Or even a vessel on either bow which would not be a crossing ship; they would not see her. 19751. Exactly. Now, you said something with regard to the deviations by the commanders of