Page 128 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

8280. “Sparks”? - Yes. 8281. Is that his name? - No, it is the name he gets on the ship. The Commissioner: Seeing he is the operator, you know why he is called “Sparks.” 8282. (Mr. Rowlatt.) You asked him what ships he had got. What did he say? - Only the “Titanic.” 8283. Did you take his instruments and put them to your ears? - Yes. 8284. Could you read a message if you heard one? - If it is sent slowly - yes. 8285. Did you hear anything? - Nothing at all. 8286. How long did you listen? - I do not suppose it would be more than 15 seconds at the outside - well, 15 to 30 seconds. I did it almost mechanically. 8287. Did you do anything more before you turned in? - I may have said a few more words to him, but I have no recollection, but when I left his house I went straight to my cabin. 8288. And went to bed? - And went to bed. 8289. (The Commissioner.) What time was it you were talking to this man whom you call Sparks? - As near as I can judge it would be between 12.15 and 12.20. 8290. (Mr. Rowlatt.) What time did you turn out again in the morning? - About 6.40; I did not notice the time particularly. 8291. Were you woke up by the chief officer? - Yes. 8292. Who is that? - Mr. Stewart. 8293. Did he come to your room? - Yes. 8294. Did he tell you you were wanted on the bridge? - He did. 8295. (The Commissioner.) 6.40, was it? - About it. 8296. “Stewart, the chief officer, told me to come on the bridge”? - Yes. 8297. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Did he say why? - Yes. He said, “The ‘Titanic’ has sunk, and the passengers are all in the lifeboats in the water ahead of us,” or words to that effect. 8298. (The Commissioner.) The passengers were in the lifeboats ahead of you? - Yes. 8299. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Did you see Mr. Stone? - I saw Mr. Stone almost immediately after the chief officer left my room. 8300. Where was he? - He was in his room. 8301. Is that close to yours? - Yes, two or three yards away, that is all; diagonally opposite. 8302. Do you mean you went out of your room before you dressed and saw him? - Yes, I jumped straight out of my bunk and I went to his room. 8303. Had he been on the watch from 12 to 4? - From 12 to 4. 8304. Now, did he tell you anything had happened in his watch? - Yes, he told me he had seen rockets. 8305. Did he say where the rockets were, or what sort of rockets, or anything of that sort? - As far as my recollection goes all he said was he had seen rockets in his watch, but at that time I did not pay particular attention to what he said, except that he had mentioned rockets. 8306. You do not remember more than that he mentioned rockets? - No, nothing more. 8307. You do not remember anything more passing with him at that time? - Well, I went to his room for the purpose of asking him if he was right about the “Titanic,” and he said, “Yes, old chap, I saw rockets in my watch,” and I went straight back to my cabin. 8308. (The Commissioner.) This conversation is important. (To the Witness.) When you went from your own cabin, before you dressed, to his cabin you naturally went to ask more about the “Titanic”? - Yes. 8309. You had just heard that she had gone down? - Yes. 8310. Now try to recollect what the conversation you had with Stone was? - I went only to his door; he was just getting dressed himself then, and I said, “Is this right, Mr. Stone, about the ‘Titanic’?” I told him what the chief officer had said. He said, “Yes, that is right; hurry up and