Page 130 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

her first. 8344. Before you changed your course? - Before we headed for the “Carpathia.” 8345. How far off was she, do you think? - Well, when I noticed her first - I had been paying particular attention to this other steamer - I should think she would be perhaps a mile and a half away from us. 8346. Nearer than the “Carpathia.” - Much nearer than the “Carpathia.” 8347. Was she stopped? - Stopped. 8348. In the ice? - In the ice. 8349. Did you see any other vessel? - I saw another vessel a little on our port bow; she was coming down almost end on. 8350. (The Commissioner.) You do not know her name? - I do not, but as far as I remember she had a black funnel. She was a small steamer. 8351. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Did you reach the “Carpathia”? - We did. 8352. What time did you reach the “Carpathia”? - I think it would be about 7.45. 8353. Did she signal to you first? - Yes. 8354. That the “Titanic” had struck an iceberg? - Not at first. The first signal shown was fixed on the jumper stay. That is a signal that she wanted to semaphore. 8355. Did she signal to you by semaphore? - Yes. 8356. What did she tell you? - I think the first question she asked was had we any survivors on board, survivors or people, I do not know which she said. 8357. Did you answer by semaphore? - We did. 8358. You said, No? - We said, No. 8359. Did she say anything more? - Yes; I think the next thing which happened was, I fancy, we asked him if we could be of any assistance, and he said, No. 8360. Were you personally signaling? - No, I was not, but I was reading it. 8361. Anything more - any more messages? - That passed between us? - Yes. 8362. (The Commissioner.) Tell us shortly? - He told us the “Titanic” had struck an iceberg at 12 o’clock and had sunk at 3, and they had 800 or 700 - I am not sure which - people on board, including Mr. Bruce Ismay. When we asked him if we could be of any assistance they said, no. And then Captain Lord suggested that we should search down to leeward. 8363. Your captain? - Yes. 8364. Did you search to leeward? - Yes. 8365. Did you find anything? - Only boats and wreckage. 8366. Empty boats? - Boats with no people in. 8367. At about 9 a.m. did the “Carpathia” steam off? - Yes, almost exactly at 9 a.m., because I heard her bell strike. 8368. Did you search longer? - Yes, we searched longer. 8369. Till about 10.40? - Ten-forty exactly. That is when we resumed our course. 8370. After that did you see much more ice? - After 10.40? 8371. Yes? - Yes, we saw a lot of ice; we passed a big field; we passed through a particularly long field about half a mile wide, and we had to absolutely force our way through it. 8372. Was that further south than the wreckage you had seen from the “Titanic”? - I think it was about the same latitude, roughly, within a mile or so. But I never said we saw the “Titanic”; I said we saw the wreckage. 8373. Yes, and we assume the wreckage which you saw was the “Titanic” wreckage - that is what I meant? - Yes. 8374. Do you know whether you carry rockets on your ship? - Yes. 8375. What rockets do you carry? - Distress rockets. 8376. What are they? - Well, I have never seen one fired, so I could not say definitely.