Page 142 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

8643. It comes out for the first time in the last minute? - I thought all the time that that ship had something to do with it or knew something about it. 8644. But you never told anybody so until now? - No. 8645. (The Solicitor-General.) On that day you thought she might have drifted back? - Or go back. 8646. Did you say drifted? - Yes, but I did not mean it in that sense of the word. 8647. You did not mean drifted back? - No. 8648. (The Commissioner.) What did you mean? - That she had come back. 8649. She had steamed back? - Yes. 8650. (The Solicitor-General.) Anyhow, you and the Captain at half-past four in the morning were talking about this steamer as though it was this steamer which had thrown up the signals, although the officer of the watch who had seen the signals told you it was not? - Yes. 8651. And you never told the Captain of that mistake? - No. 8652. (The Commissioner.) Did you ever say to Stone afterwards, “Why, that is the steamer of last night, and it has drifted back”? - No. 8653. (The Solicitor-General.) It was a little later than that that your wireless people heard that the “Titanic” had sunk? - Yes. 8654. When you heard that did it occur to you that the steamer that had been sending up distress rockets might have been the “Titanic”? - Not the steamer we saw. 8655. That is not what I asked you. I will put the question again, if I may. When you heard that the “Titanic” had sunk that night, did it occur to you that that steamer which you had heard had been sending up rockets, might have been the “Titanic”? 8656. (The Commissioner.) Now, come; answer that question? - No, I did not think it could have been the “Titanic.” 8657. (The Solicitor-General.) Have you ever ascertained what the steamer was which was sending up rockets, if it was not the “Titanic”? - No. 8658. It is your business to write up the logbook from the scrap log? - Yes. 8659. Who keeps the scrap logbook, and where is it kept? - It is just kept for the day, that is all. 8660. I am not sure that I understand. You do not mean there is a new scrap logbook for every day? - It is all bits that are torn out and destroyed. The logbook is written up every day and the officer signs it. 8661. Do you mean that at the end of the day when you have written up your log from the scrap logbook, you tear out the page of the scrap logbook and destroy it? - Yes. 8662. (The Commissioner.) Day by day? - Yes. 8663. (The Solicitor-General.) Are you quite sure of that? - Yes. 8664. That was the practice, was it, on this ship? - Yes. 8665. Now let me tell you at once why I press you about this. While you have been out of this room we have had in that box the Third Officer, and I have been asking the Third Officer why he did not turn back in the scrap logbook and read what was written for the previous day. He did not suggest to me that it would probably be torn out you know. Now do you suggest it is torn out day by day? - Yes. 8666. Always? - Always. 8667. (The Commissioner.) Is it a book with a back to it? - No, it is only a small book with a paper back. 8668. Never mind; it is a book with a back to it. Is it the size of a penny memorandum book? - It is about that wide and that long.(demonstrating.) 8669. It is a sort of diary - something like a diary? - Yes. 8670. And it is bound in a paper cover? - Yes. 8671. So that if you wanted to do so you would have to tear out each page and throw it away? -