Page 111 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

7916. Yes. Has anyone ever suggested before you have suggested it today in the witness-box? - Yes, the captain and I had a talk over about it. 7917. Now when did you first say that the Captain and you had made this suggestion? Have you said it before this morning? - No, not that I know of, to anyone official. 7918. Never mind about “official” - to any one at all? - Conversations between myself and the other officers on the ship; we talked about this ship the remainder of the passage. 7919. Did you ever say to any officer that you and the Captain had talked about these rockets and had expressed an opinion that they might have come from some other ship? Have you ever said that to anybody till now? You have said it to me, you know? - Yes. 7920. Have you ever said it before to anybody else? - Yes. I think I have said it both to the Chief Officer and to the Third Officer in conversation. 7921. Tell me what you said to the Chief Officer? - I have remarked at different times that these rockets did not appear to go very high; they were very low lying; they were only about half the height of the steamer’s masthead light and I thought rockets would go higher than that. 7922. Well, anything else? - But that I could not understand why if the rockets came from a steamer beyond this one, when the steamer altered her bearing the rockets should also alter their bearings. 7923. That pointed to this, that the rockets did come from this steamer? - It does, although I saw no actual evidence of their being fired from the deck of the steamer except in one case. 7924. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) Which is the one case? - One rocket that I saw that appeared to be much brighter than the others. 7925. Was that one of the five or one of the three? - One of the three. 7926. That, you felt confident, came from the vessel that was showing you these navigation lights? - I am sure of it. 7927. That you were sure of? - Yes. 7928. And you had further confirmation in the fact as you have told my Lord, that when the navigation lights altered their bearing, the rockets altered their bearings in a corresponding manner? - Yes. 7929. That would tell you as a sailor that it was almost certain that those rockets were being fired from that steamer which was showing you those navigation lights? - Almost certain, yes. 7930. I suppose, at any rate, now you have not any doubt but that that ship which was showing you the navigation lights was the ship which was showing you these series of rockets? - Except, as I say, that they were very low; they did not appear to go high enough to me. 7931. After you had seen the three rockets was Gibson sent anywhere by you? - He was sent by me previous to that. 7932. Where was he sent? - He was sent down to get ready some gear for streaming a fresh patent log. 7933. I do not think that is material. Did you at any time send down Gibson to make a report to the Captain? - Yes. 7934. When was that? - At two o’clock. 7935. How long after you had seen the three rockets? - I saw the last of the rockets as near as I can say about 1.40. 7936. That would be twenty minutes between seeing the last rocket and the sending of Gibson to the Captain? - Yes. 7937. During that time were you talking this matter over with Gibson? - No. I was watching the steamer by the compass with my binoculars. 7938. Was the steamer altering her bearing to your vessel during that period of time? - Yes, from the time I saw the first rocket. 7939. The first of the eight that you have told us of? - The second - excepting the first flash,