Page 189 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 23 - 26

be kept that way. 24944. Just before I ask you some general questions as to the future there is one point to which I should like to refer. My Lord, there is one question upon which, I think, you have had no evidence so far - so far as I know there has been none given; and I want to ask Mr. Marconi about it. It refers to part of Question 18, which I will read to you: “Were any vessels prevented from going to the assistance of the ‘Titanic’ or her boats owing to messages received from the ‘Titanic,’ or owing to any erroneous messages being sent or received”? So far as you know was any vessel prevented by any such message from going to the assistance of the “Titanic”? - As far as I know, none. The Attorney-General: I have a chart here, my Lord, which I should like to explain to you. (The chart was handed to his Lordship.) This is a chart of the scale of three to one of the North Atlantic chart which we have been using. On it you will see marked the places and references to the vessels from which ice reports were received. The spots that you see marked are the places indicated by the message at which the ice was seen. Will you look, first of all, at No. 1? Does your Lordship see No. 1 on the pink rectangle there? No. 1 is the “Titanic.” That is according to all the evidence which has been given here; I think it is 41.46 and 50.14. Then the next, No. 2, is of no importance in this case. Then there is the “Caronia,” which gave the message on the 12th, and that is marked No. 3. You see that continues between 51 and 49 West. The Commissioner: This plan shows where the ice was indicated by the telegrams. The Attorney-General: That is right, where the telegrams said the ice was. Then No. 4 is the “Amerika.” I do not dwell on that. Your Lordship will remember that was the message that was sent to the Hydrographic Office at Washington. Then No. 5 is an important one; it is the “Baltic.” That is marked with a cross. That is the spot at which, according to the message from the “Baltic,” the ice was when the “Baltic” sent it. Just above that there is a new one, of which we have not heard anything yet - I do not think it is a very important matter - the “Nordal.” It is referred to in a document I am going to hand up, or have handed up. Then there is the “Californian,” which is No. 7, to the right of the rectangle. That is the one, according to the “Californian’s” message. Then No. 8 is the “Mesaba,” which is the one your Lordship will remember that has been shown to have reached the “Titanic,” but has not been shown to have reached the bridge. That is how it stands. Those take in all the messages which can be of any importance, and the plan brings in one or two which I agree are of no importance. The Commissioner: The only difference, so far as I understand, is that this contains the “Nordal.” The Attorney-General: That is right; and it is on a larger scale. It fixes the places, I think, very accurately, but it is all, of course, subject to any corrections which my friend may make. But I think it is right. Sir Robert Finlay: It really depends on the messages themselves and the messages which were received; it depends on what the messages themselves were and which of them were passed on to the bridge. The Commissioner: That is the really important point. Sir Robert Finlay: It does not, of course mean that the whole of that oblong was filled with ice, I suppose, and icebergs. It merely suggests the limits. The Attorney-General: Nobody has ever suggested that I thought it was perfectly clear. It is only a rectangle which marks the limits. That is all it is intended to do, as we have done before. The Commissioner: The limits that the telegrams refer to. The Attorney-General: Yes. (After a short adjournment.)