Page 54 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 14 - 18

16954. (The Solicitor-General.) We will see if we can get any information, my Lord. (To the Witness.) Is it a question of wind or a question of current? - It is a question of current. 16955. (The Solicitor-General.) It is not wind, your Lordship sees. (To the Witness.) Whether there is a wind or no wind, the current will flow? - Yes, but invariably we find a strong easterly set there; very often we find that the Gulf Stream - 16956. (The Commissioner.) The current changes? - Yes. 16957. It is not constant? - No, it is not; we can tell that by the temperature of the water. 16958. (The Solicitor-General.) No doubt we can get the current chart and show you, but I should like to put to you this. You say you saw the “Caronia” message? - Yes. th 16959. The “Caronia” message was a message that said there was this ice in latitude 42 on 12 April. Do you realise that? - I do not remember the date of it. 16960. But it is important, is it not? - Yes. 16961. And you were going to pass about 10 miles south of that spot two days later? - Yes. The Commissioner: That does not convey much to me, unless I know how the ice would have moved in the meantime. 16962. (The Solicitor-General.) I cannot prove all that at once, of course (To the Witness.) But as you understood the matter and understand it now, does that ice tend to be moved by the current southerly? - No, it did not strike me that it would be moving southerly. I have never heard of ice so far south as that before, and I have invariably found that the Gulf Stream is much stronger there than the Labrador Stream is, as far south as that. 16963. Have you ever heard of ice as far south as 42 degrees before? - No, I cannot say that I recollect ice being down as far south as 42 degrees. 16964. (The Solicitor-General.) I want to put two or three questions to you, in order because I want you to follow what I am suggesting. You say you know of some reports of ice, and that you examined them. Is that right? - Yes, that is true. 16965. Now, did you or did you not gather from any of those reports that the ship would soon be in the region of the ice? - No, I cannot say that I had paid particular attention to the ship’s position that night; I had been too busy working it out, and I did not look it out on the chart; I did not realise the ship was so near the region of the ice. 16966. Up to the time of the accident had you seen several reports about ice? - I have seen the reports I have told you about. 16967. Had any of those reports that you had seen conveyed to your mind that your ship would soon be in the region of the ice? - Yes, they did convey that to my mind. 16968. Now, which of them? - The whole lot of them. 16969. Do you mean the message from “La Touraine” showing ice on the Bank of Newfoundland? - No, with the exception of “La Touraine.” She was too far north, of course. 16970. Then it was not the “La Touraine” message? - No. 16971. Then if it was not the “La Touraine” message that conveyed to your mind that the ship would soon be in the region of the ice, what was it? - It must have been the “Caronia’s” message. The Commissioner: It was the only one that I know of that he had which would indicate ice in that neighbourhood, because I do not know what this middle message was, the one that came after the “La Touraine.” 16972. (The Solicitor-General.) Then it was your view that the “Caronia” message did not show that there would be ice to the north of you, but that you would get to the region of that ice? - The positions from the “Caronia” message when I plotted them on the chart were all to the north of the track. The Commissioner: They were, but that is not the question. 16973. (The Solicitor-General.) Let me put it to you again. I do not want to treat you in any way but quite fairly. We will leave the “La Touraine” out? - Yes.