Page 176 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 27 - 31

happened to be on the bridge in command yourself could you take it on your own responsibility to slacken speed, or would you require to communicate with the Captain? - (A.) Communicate with the Captain. (Q.) And the speed, therefore, could only be diminished by the Captain's orders? - (A.) No, I would not go so far as to say that the speed could only be diminished by that. Let me give you an instance. Suppose I had seen the smallest scrap of ice, supposing we had passed a little bit of the field ice that was knocking about on the other side of this pack ice, had I seen any indication of the vicinity, proof positive of the vicinity of ice, I should very probably have telegraphed myself at the same time that I sent word to the Commander." The Commissioner: "Telegraphed" means he would have slackened speed? Sir Robert Finlay: Yes. The Commissioner: Let us consider. "Had I seen any indication of the vicinity of ice," and then he qualifies it by "proof positive of the vicinity of ice." "Had I seen any indication of the vicinity of ice I should very probably have telegraphed." Sir Robert Finlay: I think one must take the earlier part of the sentence, my Lord: "Supposing I had seen the smallest scrap of ice, supposing we had passed a little bit of the field ice that was knocking about on the other side of this pack ice, had I seen any indication of the vicinity" - that is a little bit of the field ice that was knocking about - "I should very probably have telegraphed myself at the same time that I sent word to the Commander." The Commissioner: Did not he have the most distinct information that ice was in the vicinity? Sir Robert Finlay: But what Mr. Lightoller is referring to is ice of a totally different kind. He is talking about large bits of field ice knocking about. They would not be seen like an iceberg. He is talking of bits of field ice knocking about so that the vessel would come bumping up against them. The Commissioner: Yes, but he is being asked about ice generally. Sir Robert Finlay: His only qualification is, "Supposing we had passed a little bit of the field ice that was knocking about on the other side of this pack ice, had I seen any indication of the vicinity, proof positive of the vicinity of ice" - The Commissioner: If he gets a telegram telling him he is going through an ice region in which he will be in the vicinity of ice he will not slacken speed, but if he sees a bit of ice in the water he will? Sir Robert Finlay: No, my Lord, the two things are perfectly different. Where you have bits of ice in the water is one thing; icebergs is another. The bits of ice in the water cannot be seen as easily as an iceberg, and they are an indication that you are close to field ice. That is really dealing with a different thing, my Lord. The Commissioner: Well, I do not know. Take the earliest of the three telegrams that referred to field ice. Sir Robert Finlay: As well as to bergs. The Commissioner: Yes, the "Caronia" and the "Baltic" both. Sir Robert Finlay: Yes. The Commissioner: Now, the "Caronia" telegram or the "Baltic" telegram came at 1.50. Sir Robert Finlay: The "Baltic." The Commissioner: Yes; that was the telegram which, upon calculation, indicated that they would get into the region of ice at 9.30. Sir Robert Finlay: Get into the longitude where that was reported. The Commissioner: Well, the "Caronia" would indicate that they would get into field ice at 9.30. Sir Robert Finlay: No, my Lord, that they would get to the longitude where it had been reported, reported two days before. The Commissioner: Yes, I know that; but what I mean is this: If he knew that it had been there,