Page 192 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 23 - 26

makes out a list of them and sends them to me. They are not signed at all by the Captains of the other ships; they were not official. 24966. They were messages received from other ships to him to transmit? - To transmit to me. He would send to me. They were from the operators, but they were not sent to me specially, except this “Athinai” - that was. That was an official message signed by the Commander. 24967. The message you are referring to is the one that has been mentioned a good many times, which is on page 2. That is the last one we gave his Lordship when we were giving the messages that were received before the disaster. That is the one “Have had moderate, variable winds and clear, fine weather since leaving. Greek steamer reports passing icebergs and large quantity of field ice today in latitude 41.51 N., longitude 49.52 W.. Last night we spoke German oiltank steamer ‘Deutschland,’ Stettin to Philadelphia, not under control, short of coal.” Then you give the latitude and longitude. “Which is to be reported to New York and other steamers. Wish you all success.” That is the one you sent to the “Titanic”? - Yes. 24968. Passing on the message which you had received from the Greek steamer? - Yes. 24969. And that is the one which was acknowledged by the “Titanic,” signed by Captain Smith? - Yes, that is the one. The Attorney-General: Your Lordship will remember that is the one which was given to Mr. Ismay; that is the one in question. The Commissioner: Yes. 24970. (The Attorney-General.) That message had been received by you, and was addressed to you personally as the Captain of the “Baltic”? - Yes. 24971. That is the one which you transmitted to the “Titanic”? - Yes. 24972. Does that mean you did not transmit any of the others? - The operator sends all of them; he makes a list of all the different ships, and that was the only one I received that day, on the 14th. I had had several from other ships. The Commissioner: This has all been proved. 24973. (The Attorney-General.) Yes, this has. There is one question I want to ask him. (To the Witness.) Did you receive a message from the “President Lincoln” on that day? - No, I do not remember it; not addressed to me. You are quite right. I do not think we have heard of this one. I have only just heard of it myself. I think that is on the 13th. 24974-5. (Sir Robert Finlay.) He says he does not remember. The Witness: I do not remember. The Commissioner: What are you trying at present to establish? The Attorney-General: I want to find out about another message of which hitherto we have heard nothing. The Commissioner: I will tell you what occurs to me - perhaps I ought not at this stage to mention it. It appears to me that the Captain of the “Titanic” received undisputed evidence of quite a sufficient kind to communicate to him the fact that there were icebergs in this region. The Attorney-General: Yes. The Commissioner: And I do not think the matter is carried any further by showing that he received other messages as well. The Attorney-General: If I may say so, I agree; but it was because we have said hitherto there was no other message. I do not say I can prove it, because I have only just heard it, but it looked as if there was another message; but I will not bother about it. I quite agree with your Lordship’s view, if I may say so. The Commissioner: I do not want to say anything that may prejudice Sir Robert Finlay’s position at present, but that is my feeling, Sir Robert, at present. Sir Robert Finlay: There is no dispute as to the two messages, one from the “Baltic” and the