Page 50 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 14 - 18

16879. (The Commissioner.) Yes. “You mean a little piece of paper with ‘ice’ written on it? - (A.) A square chit of paper about 3 by 3. (Q.) On the chart room table? - (A.) On our chart room table. (Q.) What is that, ‘Our chart room table’? - (A.) The officers’ chart room table, and the word ‘ice’ was written on top and then a position underneath. (Q.) Can you remember what the position was? - (A.) I cannot.” What is this chart room table? - It consists of the top of a chest of drawers. In those drawers are all the charts, necessarily big drawers, to contain the charts fully laid out, and also drawers for navigational books, instruction books, and so on. 16880. Would that chit of paper be placed there by somebody with the position marked upon it so that a chart might be consulted for the purpose of finding out where that ice was? - A track chart is always lying on that chart room table. I quite understand what a chit of paper is. There are little pads, position pads, and deviation pads, and it is customary to tear off one of these chits and write on the back; and it would have been left on the chart room table, lying on the top of the chart. 16881. (The Solicitor-General.) Were you in Court here this morning when Mr. Bride gave evidence? - I was. 16882. Did you hear him say that the message heard from the “Californian” he wrote down on a bit of paper, but he did not put it in an envelope? - Yes. 16883. And if the message from the “Californian” came at half-past 7, then it would be on that watch of Mr. Lowe’s that he is referring to here, 6 to 8? - Yes. 16884. (The Commissioner.) You knew nothing of that. Are these messages which come from the Marconi room written on chits of paper? - No, my Lord. 16885. They are on forms? - On proper telegraph forms. My explanation of that chit of paper would be that an officer has copied from some wireless telegram; he has noticed that there has been an ice-position on, and he has just scribbled down on a piece of paper “ice,” and the position, and then has probably gone to the chart room, found the position, and marked it on the chart, and left the paper there, instead of crumpling it up and throwing it away; but I do not think that chit was of any importance, and I do not think it came from the Marconi room - except, I mean, as a copy of the wireless. 16886. (The Solicitor-General.) Do not say it is not of importance. When you say it had a position, you mean it stated probably the latitude and longitude? - Yes. Do you know what Mr. Lowe says he did about it. Just look at page 370. There is a question asked by Sir Robert Finlay: “(Q. 15984.) You saw this chit, the note about the ice on the table? - (A.) Yes. (Q.) Did you work it out? - (A.) I worked it out roughly. (Q.) You were on watch 6 to 8? - (A.) Yes. I ran this position through my mind, and worked it out mentally and found that the ship would not be within the ice region during my watch, that is from 6 to 8. (Q.) You do not recollect what the figures were? - (A.) I do not. (Q.) But that was the result you arrived at? - (A.) That was the result I arrived at.” Sir Robert Finlay: May I ask one question on that? Examined by Sir ROBERT FINLAY. 16887. You have been asked about the instructions you gave as to working out the time when you would get to the ice? - Yes. 16888. About what time was it you gave those instructions? - Soon after I came on deck. That is, soon after 6 o’clock. 16889. And when did you get the report? - It was some time later, because they were working stars; probably shortly before 7 o’clock. 16890. That, of course, was long before any “Mesaba” message could, by any possibility, have reached the “Titanic”? - Yes, I believe so.