Page 150 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

8862. (Mr. Dunlop.) The Second Officer. (To the Witness.) Did he give you any reason for thinking that they were not distress signals? - He said he thought they might have been replying to somebody else to the southward. 8863. Did you ask him what kind of rockets they were - whether they made any report or anything of that kind? - Yes, Sir. 8864. What did he say? - He said, No, they did not make any report, and they did not leave any trail in the sky, and they did not seem to go any higher than the masthead lights. 8865. And did he mention these matters as reasons for thinking that they were not distress signals? - Yes. 8866. But signals made by way of communication with some other vessel to the southward? - Yes. 8867. Did you ask, or not, what he thought this vessel had been firing rockets for? - Yes, Sir. 8868. Did he state any opinion to you? - He said he thought she was answering to somebody else. 8869. Supposing a vessel had been to the southward of your position and between you and the “Titanic”; and supposing she had seen the signals of the “Titanic,” would you be surprised if she had signaled in reply by means of rockets? - No, Sir. 8870. If this vessel had no wireless telegraphic apparatus, or did not understand, or did not use the Morse signals, was there any other means of acknowledging the “Titanic’s” signals than by these rockets? - I do not think so. 8871. Did you see the nature of the ice, between six o’clock and 8.30, the next morning? - Yes. 8872. While you were steaming in the direction of where you supposed the “Titanic” to be? - Yes. 8873. Do you remember what course you had to steer? - No. 8874. Were you able to proceed direct to the position of the “Titanic” given by the “Virginian,” or had you to skirt the edge of the ice-field? - We went along the edge of the ice-field, I remember that. 8875. Did you see what kind of ice there was to the south-west of the position where you were? - It was thick field ice. 8876. Supposing this vessel which was seen during the midnight watch had in fact been proceeding to the south-west in answer to signals from the “Titanic” - proceeding in that direction - could she have reached the “Titanic”? - I do not think so. 8877. Unless she skirted the ice in the same way that you were able to do at daylight? - Yes. 8878. May that be the explanation of why you had not been able to find out the name of this vessel and why she was not there when you reached the “Carpathia”? - Yes. 8879. Did the Second Officer say what the movements of the steamer had been which had fired the rockets? Did he report to you that at 4 o’clock? - He said she steamed away to the south- west. 8880. Did he say what happened to her lights, and what he saw of them? - He said he saw a stern light as she was going out of sight, and it got very faint, so faint that he had to use the binoculars to get the bearing of it. 8881. Was there any report made of the lights having disappeared in the sense of a vessel having foundered? - Not at 4 o’clock. 8882. Or anything of that kind? - No. 8883. Was that the impression which his report created on your mind? - No. 8884. When he reported that the vessel had steamed away, what did you gather from the way in which he made his report of what he told you that had happened to this steamer? - That he had gone down to the other ship. 8885. Gone down to the south-west? - Yes.