Page 156 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

Race? - Certainly, my Lord. 9006. (The Solicitor-General.) I notice, Mr. Evans, in the evidence you gave in America, you said your message would come to him with a bang? - Yes. 9007. And the other message would be faint. Is that right? - Yes. 9008. We shall hear a good deal about this later on. Now will you tell me this? You spoke about speaking to him and his hearing you. Is it spelt out with a code or with an alphabet? - Spelt out with an alphabet. 9009. Is it the ticking of a needle? - No, Sir, the clicks in the ‘phone. You read off them. 9010. Long clicks and short clicks? - Yes. 9011. How is it that he would know when he got your message coming to him with a bang that it came from you? - By my call signal. 9012. You begin with that, do you? - First of all. 9013. You say who you are? - First of all you give his call signal, and then yours afterwards. 9014. And then you gave him this message, spelt it out, that you were stopped in ice; and then he replies to you, “Keep out.” How do you know he was talking to Cape Race? - I heard him beforehand. 9015. You could hear him? - Beforehand, and directly after that. 9016. (The Commissioner.) What was it you heard? - Before that, my Lord? 9017. No. What was it that you heard which conveyed to you that he was in communication with Cape Race? - Directly afterwards he called up Cape Race - a few seconds after. 9018. After he had said to you “Keep out”? - Yes, my Lord. 9019. (The Solicitor-General.) Could you overhear what he was saying to Cape Race? - Yes. 9020. What was it he said? - He said, “Sorry, please repeat, jammed.” 9021. That means that somebody else had interrupted? - Yes. 9022. After that did you hear him continuing to send messages? - Right up till I turned in. 9023. It was not your business, and I have no doubt you did not listen in detail to what they were, but could you tell, as a matter of fact, whether they were private messages? - Yes, all private messages. You can tell by the prefix. The Commissioner: That means messages from passengers. 9024. (The Solicitor-General.) Yes, business and private messages for the passengers. (To the Witness.) You can tell that by what you call the prefix, the sound that is sent first of all? - Yes. 9025. And that continued, you say, till you turned in? - Yes. 9026. When was it that you turned in? - Eleven-thirty p.m., ship’s time. 9027. You had been at work since 7 o’clock in the morning, except intervals for meals? - Yes. 9028. Was it your regular course to turn in about that time? - As a rule. It all depends where we are. 9029. And when you turn in you put down I suppose the receivers, or whatever they are? - I hung the ‘phones up. The detector was also stopped. 9030. What is the detector? - The detector is the arrangement for detecting the signals - making the signals audible in the ‘phones which has to be wound up. 9031. And that would stop would it? - Yes. 9032. So that after you had turned in, supposing the “Titanic” sent out the signals C.Q.D., or whatever they might be, you would not hear them? - No, Sir, not unless I got the ‘phones. 9033. And your instrument would not repeat them? - No. 9034. You turned in. Do you recollect the second officer, Mr. Groves, coming into your room a little later? - Yes, I have a faint recollection of it. 9035. Can you give me any idea as to what sort of time it was? - About a quarter-past 12, I think. 9036. Mr. Groves’ watch ended at midnight, you know? - Yes.