Page 123 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

8173. (The Commissioner.) “Could you make anything out of her lights?” - Yes. 8174. “I said, ‘She is evidently a passenger steamer’”? - Yes, my Lord. 8175. You added something to that answer? - “Coming up on the starboard quarter.” 8176. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Did you say why you thought she was a passenger steamer? - Yes. I told him that I could see her deck lights and that made me pass the remark that she was evidently a passenger steamer. 8177. (The Commissioner.) “I said I could see her deck lights”; was that true? - Certainly, my Lord. 8178. (Mr. Rowlatt.) How many deck lights had she? Had she much light? - Yes, a lot of light. There was absolutely no doubt her being a passenger steamer, at least in my mind. 8179. Could you see much of her length? - No, not a great deal; because as I could judge she was coming up obliquely to us. 8180. She was foreshortened? - Supposing we were heading this way she would be coming up in this way, perhaps an angle of 45 degrees to us (demonstrating). 8181. So that her side would not be greatly extended? - No. 8182. Now is that all you said to the captain before he said something to you? - Yes. He said, “Call her up on the Morse lamp, and see if you can get any reply.” 8183. Did anything pass as to what passenger steamers you were speaking with the wireless? - Not at that moment. 8184. The first thing he said was, “Call her up on the Morse lamp”? - Yes. 8185. What did you say to that? - I went up on the bridge; I went away and went up on the bridge and I rigged the Morse lamp. 8186. (The Commissioner.) How long does it take to do that? - It is only a matter of taking a key out of a locker up there and just putting the plug in. 8187. A minute? - Yes, that is all. 8188. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Did you get any reply? - Not at first, no reply whatsoever. 8189. Did you afterwards? - Well, what I took to be a reply. I saw what I took to be a light answering, and then I sent the word “What?” meaning to ask what ship she was. When I sent “What?” his light was flickering. I took up the glasses again and I came to the conclusion it could not have been a Morse lamp. 8190. (The Commissioner.) Is the long and short of it this, that you did not get a reply, in your opinion? - In my opinion, no. 8191. You thought at first you had? - Yes, I thought at first I had. 8192. But you satisfied yourself that you were wrong? - That is so. 8193. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Did you go down again to the captain? - No, he came to the bridge. 8194. Was there anyone else there except you and he? - Not on the bridge. 8195. Did you tell the captain about the Morsing? - Yes. 8196. What did he say? - He saw a light flickering himself, and he passed the remark to me. He said, “She is answering you.” This was just before I sent the word “What?” 8197. After that was done, did you have any more conversation with the captain about the steamer? - When he came up on the bridge he said to me, “That does not look like a passenger steamer.” I said, “It is, Sir. When she stopped her lights seemed to go out, and I suppose they have been put out for the night.” 8198. (The Commissioner.) You said, “It is”? - Yes, my Lord. 8199. Now, what about putting out the lights? - I said she put out her lights as she stopped. 8200. (Mr. Rowlatt.) You have not told us about that yet, but before you come to that, was there anything said at that time about the passenger steamers that you were in communication with by wireless? - Nothing whatsoever. 8201. Was anything said at any time about the “Titanic”? - After the captain came on the