Page 13 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 27 - 31

me to say that the evidence will be concluded today with reference to it. I must leave it there. I cannot do anything else. Sir Robert Finlay: We will give every help in our power, and we will make these investigations as soon as we get the materials, and we will go as far as we can if there is any difficulty in getting the logbooks. The Attorney-General: You have the letters; all the information that we have my friend has. He is probably not aware of the fact, but all the letters that are referred to from which that is collected, are in that bundle. Sir Robert Finlay: I did not know they were all there; I see there are some. The Attorney-General: All that I have are there. The Commissioner: There is really only one question: “Did you in consequence of ice reports slow down?” That is the only question. The Attorney-General: And that makes it necessary that I should formally put in the proces- verbaux of all the various vessels which were in the vicinity during these material days. It has been prepared in consequence of a request which was made by your Lordship earlier, but owing to what your Lordship said yesterday as to the “Baltic” message and the “Caronia” message affecting it I do not think it necessary to go further. The Commissioner: I did not intend to qualify in the least what I said yesterday. The Attorney-General: Therefore I do not proceed with it, but I do think we ought to have the proces-verbaux in, in case we have to refer - The Commissioner: To what was said in the messages. The Attorney-General: Yes, to what ice reports were received by a particular vessel. It may or may not become necessary, but we had better have it. The Commissioner: I should have thought not. Then I shall consider the evidence is not formally closed, but that it is closed subject to this question of the course adopted by other steamers in similar circumstances at the same time. The Attorney-General: Yes. Sir Robert Finlay: Yes. The Attorney-General: There are five Captains whose proofs we have, which have been supplied by the White Star Line, and whose evidence they have asked us to put before the Court. They are here today, and we shall call them. It is similar evidence to that which you have already had of four Captains, but I will call it as my friend thinks it right. The only reference I want to make further is this. Your Lordship asked for an analysis of the emigrants from Queenstown. That is being prepared, but it will be agreed so that your Lordship can have it on Friday as an agreed list. It will save discussion about it. You will not want it before that. The only other matter is with reference to the questions, which I would like to deal with at once. The Commissioner: Are you going to suggest other questions? The Attorney-General: There are two alterations that I want to make. One is in Question 21. This is a mere limitation. It is only because, as the question stands, it goes much further than the Enquiry should. Your Lordship will see in Question 21: “How many lost their lives?” There should be added: “Prior to the arrival of the ‘Carpathia’ in New York.” It is a mere limitation of time. There is no importance in it. The Commissioner: I will tell you at once I should not have attempted to answer it in any other way. The Attorney-General: I knew your Lordship would not, but I thought it was better to limit it in form. The Commissioner: Yes, quite right. The Attorney-General: The other question is Question 24: “What was the cause of the loss of the ‘Titanic’, and of the loss of life which thereby ensued or occurred?” To that I propose to add