Page 191 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 23 - 26

The Commissioner: Will you read me the question and answer? Mr. Cotter: I asked him at Question 9174, “Did you have a chart at all? - (A.) No. (Q.) Have you seen a Marconi chart? - (A.) I should think so. (Q.) Had you none on the ‘Californian’? - (A.) I had got some. (Q.) When did you get it? - (A.) The other trip before. (Q.) The voyage you were on, I mean? - (A.) The trip before that.” He had none on the voyage he was on. The Commissioner: I am not at all sure about that; it does not at all follow. The voyage may be in the same month. Mr. Cotter: I will read the whole of the questions, my Lord. “The voyage you were on, I mean? - (A.) The trip before that. (Q.) You got none for the last trip? - (A.) No. (Q.) Is it not the fact that you get them every trip? - (A.) Yes, it was an oversight on my part.” The Commissioner: Then it would be an oversight of the boy. 24953. (Mr. Cotter.) Would it not be advantageous to see that these men got one of those charts every trip? - I think that is always done. 24954. This ship, the “Californian,” played an important part in this Enquiry, and the operator had not a chart? - You take it he had not a chart? 24955. It is admitted he had no chart. He took a trip down to New Orleans and he had one for the South Atlantic and not for the North Atlantic. 24956. (The Attorney-General.) That is right. The Witness: He certainly should have had a chart. The Commissioner: Do you want to ask anything, Sir Robert? Sir Robert Finlay: I only want to say we are very glad to have had the honour of seeing Mr. Marconi. (The Witness withdrew.) The Commissioner: Is there any other Witness? The Attorney-General: There is the Captain of the “Baltic”; I will call him at once - Captain Ranson. JOSEPH BARLOW RANSON, Sworn. Examined by the ATTORNEY-GENERAL. 24957. You are the Master of the “Baltic”? - Yes. 24958. She sailed from New York on 11th April for Liverpool? - Yes. 24959. And did you receive a report of ice on 14th April? - Yes. 24960. Had you received any report before? - From several ships. 24961. On Sunday, 14th April, did you receive more than one report? - No; I received one report from a steamer called the “Athinai.” 24962. Did you communicate with the “Titanic”? - Yes. 24963. The reason I am asking you in particular about this is that we have got the message which you sent to the “Titanic” in an affidavit which you made. I only want to know is that correct? - Yes. 24964. You said: “On Sunday, 14th April, reports were received by wireless from a number of steamships of having passed ice and bergs in positions varying from 49.9 W., to 50.20 W., on the outward Southern track”? - Yes. 24965. Was that right? - They were not sent to me officially. The operator gets those, and he transmits those to the different ships as they are passing along. I get just a list. They were not official; they were simply sent by the different steamers as we passed to the operator, and he