Page 85 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 32 - 36

made it necessary for the steamer to run in a S.W. direction for 25 miles to clear it. In the field ice 30 bergs were counted, some very large. In the Northward no clear water was seen, so that the Captain estimated that the ice in that direction must have extended fully 30 miles long.” The Attorney-General: What is it you are reading from? Mr. Dunlop: From Lloyd’s Weekly Shipping Index under date 2nd May, 1912. The Commissioner: What time? Mr. Dunlop: We have not got that. The Commissioner: Then why have you marked her down on this chart? Mr. Dunlop: That is the latitude in which she is reported on the 14th April. I have not got the time. I can only mark there the latitude which she has given. It may have been any time. It may not have been the vessel which we saw. I cannot put it as high as that, because we do not know at what time she was in this latitude. All we do know is she was there at some time on the 14th April, and she did what the witnesses from the “Californian” described the vessel which they saw did. They saw a vessel encounter ice and then run in a S.W. direction until she went out of sight. The Commissioner: What light of this vessel did you see, a green light, or a red light? Mr. Dunlop: She would be showing her green light. The Commissioner: Yes, but what is your evidence of the light that you saw? One of the witnesses said the green light. Mr. Dunlop: The Master saw a green light. The Commissioner: Two of the witnesses saw a red light. Mr. Dunlop: Three. The others all saw a red light. The Commissioner: Then you know this cannot be the ship if the red light is the right thing - this cannot be the one you saw. Mr. Dunlop: I am quite content if it is not. If your Lordship takes it as the red light we saw of a steamer, then it is clearly not the “Titanic.” That throws the “Titanic” out. The Commissioner: I quite appreciate that. Mr. Dunlop: I am assuming for this purpose a vessel showing a green light, and the only significance of this is the extraordinary coincidence that what this vessel describes as having done on the 14th April is what the witnesses from the “Californian” say the steamer which they saw did. The Commissioner: Where did you first come across the “Lloyd’s Weekly Shipping Index” of the 2nd of May? Mr. Dunlop: Well, I asked for it, my Lord, because I knew that reports were received, and I asked Messrs. Cooper, who instruct me, to get for me some copies of “Lloyd’s Weekly Index” for about this period. The Commissioner: It is very nearly two months ago. Where is the “Trautenfels” now? Mr. Dunlop: I do not know, my Lord. The Commissioner: Have you found out her owners? Mr. Dunlop: She appears to belong to the Hansa Line. The Commissioner: Have you communicated with the Hansa Line? Mr. Dunlop: No. The Commissioner: Was that because you did not want to know what they would say? Mr. Dunlop: No, my Lord. The Commissioner: Then, why did you not communicate with them? Mr. Dunlop: Because it is no part of our purpose; it is no part of the object with which we are here to say the “Trautenfels” did anything wrong, and I do not want to suggest that “Trautenfels” failed to render assistance or had any opportunity of rendering assistance. The Commissioner: She would not be likely, I agree, to assist you if that was your object.