Page 196 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 23 - 26

on the height of the iceberg. Take an iceberg of about 80 feet high, and the ordinary type of iceberg that has not turned over, you could see that in clear weather about ten to twelve miles. 25016. At night? - Not at night, no. I would say, providing it was an ordinary berg, about five miles on a clear night. 25017. (The Commissioner.) At night? - Yes, at night. 25018. (The Attorney-General.) You said provided it was an ordinary berg? - Yes. 25019. Are there bergs which present a different appearance in colour? - There are many bergs I have seen that appear to be black, due to the construction of the berg itself, and also due to the earthy matter and rocks that are in all bergs. In fact, in the South many of these so-called islands, and charted as islands, must have been big bergs with earthy matter on them. Again, after a berg has capsized, if it is not of close construction it is more porous and taking up the water does not reflect light in any way. 25020. Have you had large experience of this particular track? - Not much, only four or five times I have seen ice in the North Atlantic. 25021. Have you ever seen ice of this particular dark character to which you have referred in the North Atlantic? - Yes, twice. 25022. (The Commissioner.) In the North Atlantic? - Yes. 25023. (The Attorney-General.) Was that on the outward route to the States? - On the outward route, yes - once outward and once homeward. 25024. Do you remember about what time it was of the year? - In about April, I think, 1897, and again in May, 1903, and again in June, 1910, but that was further North. 25025. Is this right that you have seen altogether on the North Atlantic track ice on four or five occasions? - Yes. 25026. That is four or five voyages? - Yes. 25027. Extending evidently over a very considerable period of time? - That is so. 25028. Beginning in 1897? - Yes. 25029. Out of those four or five times is it right that you twice saw these dark-coloured icebergs? - I would not like to say on the last two occasions. My memory will not serve me more than that. I have noticed on one occasion at least more than one berg that did not reflect light. 25030. What I meant was - I want to follow your evidence - that of the four or five occasions of which you have spoken, two of them were occasions on which, as I understood you, you have seen ice of this dark colour? - Yes, but I would like to add that I have seen at the same time other ice - ice of a different colour. 25031. Yes, I see what you mean - there would be other ice of a different colour, but amongst it you saw twice icebergs of this dark colour? - Of darker colour, yes. Sir Robert Finlay: I understood him to say that once he was sure of only. The Attorney-General: No, he gave dates, one in 1897 and the other in 1903. Sir Robert Finlay: I thought he qualified that. 25032. (The Attorney-General.) We will get it right. (To the Witness.) My friend thinks that you qualified what you said about the twice suggesting that you were certain of one, but not certain of the other occasion? - I was certain of the “other occasion,” but I qualified it only inasmuch as that on the same occasion I saw different coloured ice. 25033. (The Commissioner.) Am I to understand that you saw several bergs on these five voyages that you have spoken of? - Yes, my Lord. 25034. On only one berg on each occasion? - No, on one occasion there were several bergs. On the first occasion, I remember it was a low lying berg which was evidently a capsized berg. 25035. You only saw one berg? - That is all I remember. 25036. Then on the second occasion you saw several bergs? - Yes. 25037. Did you see several on the other three occasions? - No, my Lord; some of them were