Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea Disasters Part 45

"Is there any signal for the operator if he is not at his post?'{'}

"I think there is none," said Marconi.

"Ought it not be inc.u.mbent upon s.h.i.+ps to have an operator always at the key?"

"Yes; but s.h.i.+p-owners don't like to carry two operators when they can get along with one. The smaller boat owners do not like the expense of two operators."

SECOND OFFICER TESTIFIES

Charles Herbert Lightoller, second officer of the t.i.tanic, followed Marconi on the stand. Mr. Lightoller said he understood the maximum speed of the t.i.tanic, as shown by its trial tests, to have been twenty-two and a half to twenty-three knots. Senator Smith asked if the rule requiring life-saving apparatus to be in each room for each pa.s.senger was complied with.

"Everything was complete," said Lightoller. "Sixteen life-boats, of which four were collapsible, were on the t.i.tanic," he added. During the tests, he said, Captain Clark, of the British Board of Trade, was aboard the t.i.tanic to inspect its life-saving equipment.

"How thorough are these captains of the Board of Trade in inspecting s.h.i.+ps?" asked Senator Smith.

"Captain Clark is so thorough that we called him a nuisance."

t.i.tANIC KILLED RAPIDLY

After testifying to the circ.u.mstances under which the life-boats were filled and lowered, Lightoller continued. "The boat's deck was only ten feet from the water when I lowered the sixth boat. When we lowered the first, the distance to the water was seventy feet."

"If the same course was pursued on the starboard side as you pursued on the port, in filling boats, how do you account for so many members of the crew being saved?" asked Chairman Smith.

"I have inquired especially and have found that for every six persons picked up, five were either firemen or stewards."

COTTAM TELLS HIS STORY

Thomas Cottam, of Liverpool, the Marconi operator on the Carpathia, was the next witness.

Cottam said that he was about ready to retire Sunday night, having partially removed his clothes, and was waiting for a reply to a message to the Parisian when he heard Cape Cod trying to call the t.i.tanic.

Cottam called the t.i.tanic operator to inform him of the fact, and received the reply. 'Come at once; this is a distress message. C. Q. D.'

"What did you do then?"

"I confirmed the distress message by asking the t.i.tanic if I should report the distress message to the captain of the Carpathia."

"How much time elapsed after you received the t.i.tanic's distress message before you reported it to Captain Rostron?"

"About a couple of minutes," Cottam answered.

COTTAM RECALLED

When the committee resumed the investigation on April 20th, Cottam was recalled to the stand.

Senator Smith asked the witness if he had received any messages from the time the Carpathia left the scene of the disaster until it reached New York. The purpose of this question was to discover whether any official had sought to keep back the news of the disaster.

"No, sir," answered Cottam. "I reported the entire matter myself to the steams.h.i.+p Baltic at 10.30 o'clock Monday morning. I told her we had been to the wreck and had picked up as many of the pa.s.sengers as we could."

Cottam denied that he had sent any message that all pa.s.sengers had been saved, or anything on which such a report could be based.

Cottam said he was at work Monday and until Wednesday. He repeated his testimony of the previous day and said he had been without sleep throughout Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and until late Wednesday afternoon when he had been relieved by Bride.

"Did you or Bride send any message declaring that the t.i.tanic was being towed into Halifax?"

"No, sir," said the witness, with emphasis.

MARCONI EXPLAINS

In an effort to determine whether the signal "C. Q. D." might not have been misunderstood by pa.s.sing s.h.i.+ps, Senator Smith called upon Mr.

Marconi.

"The 'C. Q.,'" said Marconi, "is an international signal which meant that all stations should cease sending except the one using the call.

The 'D.' was added to indicate danger. The call, however, now has been superseded by the universal call, 'S. O. S.'"

BRIDE ON THE STAND

Harold S. Bride, the sole surviving operator of the t.i.tanic, was then called.

Bride said he knew the Frankfurt was nearer than the Carpathia when he called for a.s.sistance, but that he ceased his efforts to communicate with the former because her operator persisted in asking, "What is the matter?" despite Bride's message that the s.h.i.+p was in distress.

Time after time Senator Smith asked in varying forms why the t.i.tanic did not explain its condition to the Frankfurt.

"Any operator receiving 'C. Q. D.' and the position of the s.h.i.+p, if he is on the job," said Bride, "would tell the captain at once."

Marconi again testified to the distress signals, and said that the Frankfurt was equipped with Marconi wireless. He said that the receipt of the signal "C. Q. D." by the Frankfurt's operator should have been all-sufficient to send the Frankfurt to the immediate rescue.

ALL APPEALS RECEIVED

Under questioning by Senator Smith, Bride said that undoubtedly the Frankfurt received all of the urgent appeals for help sent subsequently to the Carpathia.

INVESTIGATION CARRIED TO WAs.h.i.+NGTON

The first witness when the investigation was resumed in Was.h.i.+ngton on April 22d was P. A. S. Franklin, vice-president of the International Mercantile Marine Company.

Franklin testified that he had had no communication with Captain Smith during the t.i.tanic's voyage, nor with Ismay, except one cable from Southampton.

Senator Smith then showed Mr. Franklin the telegram received by Congressman Hughes, of West Virginia, from the White Star Line, dated New York, April 15th, and addressed to J. A. Hughes, Huntington, W. Va., as follows:

"t.i.tanic proceeding to Halifax. Pa.s.sengers probably land on Wednesday.

All safe.