Page 134 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

The Commissioner: If his judgment on the matter is true it shows that those figures, latitudes and longitudes that you are referring to are not accurate. That is all it shows. Mr. Robertson Dunlop: The accuracy we will deal with, my Lord. The Commissioner: I mean to say, if what he says is right, it follows that the figures must be wrong. 8445. (Mr. Robertson Dunlop.) You will appreciate, Mr. Groves, that if the latitudes are right it follows that your opinion must be wrong? - If the latitudes are right, then of course I am wrong. 8446. If the latitude of your ship and that of the “Titanic” are anything approximately right, it follows that the vessel which you saw could not have been the “Titanic”? - Certainly not. 8447. Were the two masthead lights which you saw wide apart indicating a long ship? - They did not look particularly wide apart. 8448. Did they indicate to you a long ship? - Well, I can form no judgment as to her length. She was coming up obliquely to us. 8449. And at that distance at which you saw her, it would be difficult to estimate the height of those lights? - Oh, quite difficult. 8450. Then what was there in the appearance of those two masthead lights to indicate that this vessel was the “Titanic”? - Nothing in the appearance of the masthead lights at all. 8451. What, apart from the masthead lights, was there to indicate to you that this was a large passenger steamer? - The number of deck lights she was showing. 8452. When you saw these deck lights, was the vessel approaching you obliquely? - Obliquely, yes. 8453. So that the deck lights would not indicate to you the probable length of the steamer showing them? - Well, no. 8454. They would be all bunched up? - They would be bunched up together. 8455. That being so, how did those deck lights communicate to you that this was a large passenger steamer? - Well, as I said before, by the number of her lights; there was such a glare from them. 8456. You mean from the brilliance of the lights? - Yes, from the brilliance of the lights. 8457. But I suppose a small passenger steamer might have brilliant light? - She would have brilliant light, but they would not show the light I saw from this steamer. The Commissioner: Has any small passenger steamer been heard of in this locality at this time? 8458. (Mr. Robertson Dunlop.) You have told us that you did see on the following morning a steamer whose name you do not know? - A small steamer, yes. 8459. Was she a passenger steamer? - That I could not say. 8460. Have you tried to find out her name? - No, I have not; I took no further interest in her. 8461. (The Commissioner.) What size boat was she? - I never saw her broadside; I only saw her end-on. 8462. You told me it was a very small boat? - It was a small boat. I judged that from her end- on view. 8463. Was it much smaller than the boat the lights of which you had seen the night before? - I should judge so. 8464. (Mr. Robertson Dunlop.) Was she a vessel about your own size? - No, in my opinion she was considerably smaller. 8465. Before the vessel which you saw stopped, on what course did she seem to you to be steering? - Do you mean the steamer I had seen at 11.40? 8466. Yes, before she stopped at 11.40 you had had her under observation for some time, noticing her movements? - Yes, but I took no notice of the course she was making except that she was coming up obliquely to us. 8467. Was she making to the westward or to the eastward? - She would be bound to be going