Page 88 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 32 - 36

Mr. Dunlop: Yes. The “Paula” is a three masted oil tank steamer of 2,748 tons gross with a black funnel and a red R. I have got her funnel here. It is a black funnel with yellow and a red R on the yellow, and she belongs to the Deutscher-Americana Petroleum Company of Hamburg. The Commissioner: What size was she? Mr. Dunlop: She is 2,748 tons. She gives her position. The Commissioner: She is a petroleum ship. Mr. Dunlop: Yes. The Commissioner: She is not likely to look like a passenger boat? Mr. Dunlop: No, she would look more like what the Master and Second Officer and Gibson say, a medium-sized vessel, apparently a tramp, not having the appearance of a passenger steamer. The Commissioner: Would she have her funnel aft? Mr. Dunlop: That I do not know, my Lord; I think not. The Commissioner: I am told a tank steamer always has its machinery and funnel aft? Mr. Dunlop: Well, your Lordship is informed about that. It may not have been. I do not wish to take up time going through the position she gives, but your Lordship will see on the number of the Index that I have handed up. The Commissioner: I see where you have marked her on the chart. Mr. Dunlop: That is transferring to the chart the latitude and longitude which she gives. Again, my Lord, we are not told the times; we only know those were the positions which she reported as having been in at some time on the 14th of April. There, again, your Lordship will see a steamer going to the Westward and then apparently steaming a South-Westerly direction in order to avoid the ice-field. In addition to these vessels there are some others, the “Memphian,” the “Campanillo,” and the “President Lincoln.” I have put their positions on the chart. The Commissioner: Is the “Memphian” on the chart. Mr. Dunlop: Yes, I think so. I do not know anything about the “Memphian.” She is not in Lloyd’s Register. I am told the “Paula,” and the “Trautenfels,” are both in Lloyd’s Register, but the “Memphian” is not. I ought to say that the “Campanillo” and the “President Lincoln” both had Marconi apparatus. The Attorney-General: I have some information about the “Paula,” if it is of any use. Enquiries have been made of a very extensive character for the purpose of dealing with this point. This has gone through the Board of Trade to the Foreign Office to America to make enquiries. This is the answer on May 27th, from the Treasury Department of the United States Customs Service, Port of Arthur, Texas: “I have the honour to reply to your letter 62052-N of May 21st, 1912, relative to a vessel in the vicinity of the “Titanic” disaster, and to say that I am unable to find any vessel with a black funnel and white band that has entered here since the disaster that would have been in the vicinity at or about the time of the disaster. The German steamer “Paula” (oil tank), Rieke, Master, and owned by the Deutscher-Americana Petroleum Gesellschaft, of Hamburg, W. T. Worden, 26, Broadway, New York, American agent, arrived at the Port of Sabine, this district, on April 29th, and the Master stated that he passed through the ice-field on Sunday a few hours before the “Titanic,” and that, finding the ice getting worse, he changed course directly to the South for 25 or more miles. It may be possible that Captain Rieke may have seen the vessel of which you request information. The “Paula” cleared hence for Ozelosund, Sweden,” I do not think it helps very much. Mr. Dunlop: What I submit is that the evidence before your Lordship on this part of the case is so imperfect, so incomplete, that it would be wrong to infer that the vessel which was seen was the “Californian,” because your Lordship is not able to put a name to the other vessels which the witnesses have described. That is the reason why I have mentioned these other vessels. Then there is the question: Why did the steamer which the “Californian” saw exhibit rockets?