Page 90 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

all about this since, but I have not the slightest recollection that anything happened that way. 7309. He has told you of this - what he reported to you that night? - Yes. 7310. And you have no reason to doubt it? - If he is telling the truth I have not. 7311. Do you doubt it at all? - I do not know. 7312. This is what he says: “I assured him that they were white lights, and he” - that is you - “said ‘All ‘right.’” Have you no recollection of that conversation? - I have no recollection of any conversation between half-past one and half-past four that I had with the second officer. 7313. There is only one thing further I want to ask you, who is Mr. Stewart? - The Chief Officer. 7314. Was it he who called you at half-past four? - Yes. 7315. And was it he who told you that the second mate had seen rockets? - Yes. 7316. And did you reply “Yes, I know.”? - I said, Yes, they certainly had told me something about a rocket. 7317. Do you observe the difference in the question I put to you and your answer? - You mentioned rockets; I mentioned rocket. 7318. That the second mate had said he had seen rockets, and you replied, “Yes, I know.” Very well. Now I want to ask you something further. When you were not satisfied that the rocket which you had seen was a company’s signal, there was no difficulty in your calling your Marconi operator, was there? - None whatever. 7319. If you had called him you would have been in communication with the “Titanic,” as I understand it? - Yes, I believe she was sending out signals. 7320. And you would have received the “Titanic’s” messages? - Yes. 7321. If the Marconi operator had been called up then, and he had put the receiver on he would have heard the “Titanic’s” messages? - Yes. 7322. Do you understand Marconi telegraphy at all? - I know the idea of it. I cannot use it. 7323. Do you know the C.Q.D. signal? - I know it. 7324. And the S.O.S.? - Yes. 7325. Can you receive that signal? - They go too quickly for me. The Commissioner: What does C.Q.D. mean? 7326. (The Attorney-General.) C.Q.D. means “Come quick, danger.” They are danger signals; and S.O.S. - I am not sure I am quite right about this - is the same signal which has been adopted by a Telegraphic Convention, which means “Save our Souls.” The object of the S.O.S. is that it is a very short signal by the Morse code. That is, I understand, the reason why it is given in that way. (To the Witness.) So that anybody on your ship who had put the receiver to his ears would have then heard the “Titanic’s” message, the C.Q.D. or the S.O.S.? - They would have heard the buzzing, yes. 7327. They would have been able to distinguish the signal as long as she was giving it? - The operator would. I do not think anyone else on the ship would. 7328. The operator would if you had called him? - Yes. The Commissioner: He has produced apparently the log of this vessel. Have you examined it? The Attorney-General: I have not. 7329. (The Commissioner.) I think you should. (To the Witness.) Is there any reference in the log to your steamer having seen these rockets? - No, Sir. 7330. Or this mysterious ship which was not the “Titanic”? - No, Sir. 7331. Is it not usual to record these things in the log? - We never realised what these rockets were, my Lord. If they had been distress rockets they would have been mentioned in the log. 7332. But the next morning you knew the “Titanic” had gone down? - Yes. 7333. Did you make no record then in your log of the signals that you had seen? - No. 7334. Why not? - We never took them to be distress rockets. The second officer’s explanation