by Nic Compton
Mr Ismay was very positive, one might almost say dictatorial. He asked no questions. I did not hear the captain say anything; I saw him nod his head a few times in assent. Then Mr Ismay said, ‘Come on, Captain, we will get somebody and go down to the squash courts.’
Bruce Ismay – Managing Director, IMM
We have a mail contract for carrying the mails from Southampton to New York, for which we receive a lump-sum payment of £70,000 a year; $350,000 a year. We carry the mails from Southampton. We pick up the mails at Southampton, and then we go on to Queenstown and pick up any mails that are there, and land them in New York. We are supposed to use the fastest ships we have in our fleet for the conveyance of the mails. I think there is a minimum; or we are not allowed to put the mails into ships that will go less than 16 knots, or something like that. It must have done so; because, naturally, they would not give a contract to any ships which were slow ships.
It all helps, but I do not think that £70,000 a year would induce anybody to build big ships.
George Turnbull – Deputy Manager, Marconi International
Message sent by the Baltic on 14 April at 11.52am [1.42pm ship’s time]:
‘Captain Smith, Titanic. Have had moderate variable winds and clear fine weather since leaving. Greek steamer Athenai reports passing icebergs and large quantities of field ice today in lat. 41° 51’ N, long. 49° 52’ W. Last night we spoke German oil-tank steamer Deutschland, Stettin to Philadelphia, not under control, short of coal, lat. 40° 42’ N long. 55° 11’ W. Wishes to be reported to New York and other steamers. Wish you and Titanic all success. Commander.’
Message sent by the Titanic on 14 April at 12.55pm:
‘Commander, Baltic. Thanks for your message and good wishes; had fine weather since leaving. Smith.’
Bruce Ismay – Managing Director, IMM
Just before lunch on the Sunday, the captain handed me a Marconi message which he had received from the Baltic. It was a report of ice and this steamer being short of coal. I think he handed it to me simply as a matter of information, a matter of interest. He said not a word. I glanced at it very casually – I was on A deck talking to some passengers – and I put it in my pocket. I have crossed with Captain Smith before, and he has handed me messages which have been of no importance at all.
The lunch bugle went almost immediately, and I went down to lunch alone. In the afternoon, I spoke to Mrs Thayer and Mrs Ryerson. I cannot recollect what I said. I think I read part of the message to them about the ice and the steamer that was broken down; short of coal she was. I did not think it was of special importance at all.
The only conversation I had with Captain Smith was in the smoking room that night. As he walked out of the smoking room he asked me if I had the Marconi message, and I said, yes, I had, and I gave it to him. I think it was ten minutes or a quarter past seven. I had never been on the bridge during the whole trip. He said he wished to put it up in the officers’ chart room. I presume he put it up for the officers’ information. We had no further conversation at all.
Emily Ryerson – First Class Passenger
I was down in my cabin until quite late, and then I went on deck; it was the first time I had been on deck in the daytime. I went up and walked up and down with a friend, Mrs John Thayer, and then went and sat down by the companionway. It was around six o’clock, and the sky was quite pink. The weather was perfectly beautiful; it was very clear, and there was no wind – but it was very cold.
My husband went to have a talk and walk with Mr Thayer, and Mr Ismay came up and spoke to me. We had met before, and I knew him perfectly by sight. He was in a dark blue coat, and had no hat on. I think he asked if our staterooms were comfortable, and if we had everything we wanted. My husband had told me when we came on at Cherbourg that Mr Ismay had been very kind and had offered us an extra stateroom, which we had, and an extra steward who waited on us.
He produced from his pocket a telegram blank on which some words were written in typewriting, and he said that we were in among the icebergs. He said, as he held the telegram out in front of me, ‘We are in among the icebergs.’ I don’t remember what the telegram said; it had the word ‘Deutschland’.
Something was said about speed, whether I said it I don’t know, but he said, ‘We are not going very fast, 20 or 21 knots, but we are going to start up some extra boilers this evening.’ How many there were I don’t know, it was two or three. I know the fact of the extra boilers because I didn’t know what it meant except going faster.
I said, ‘What is the rest of the telegram?’ He said, ‘It is the Deutschland, wanting a tow, not under control,’ or something of that sort. I remember saying, ‘What are you going to do about that?’ and he said they weren’t going to do anything about it.
I can’t remember his exact words; the impression left on my mind was that: ‘We are going to get in and surprise everybody.’ I don’t know whether he used the word ‘record’, but it was left on my mind that we had no time to delay aiding other steamers. I wouldn’t say he said those words, but his attitude, or his language, assumed that we were trying to make a record.
There was some discussion about when we would arrive, and my impression was it would be very late Tuesday night, or early Wednesday morning, because I discussed it with my husband after I went downstairs and the question was what we would do if we got in so very late. But at the time the conversation had no importance to me; I was very much over-burdened with other things that were on my mind. I carried on the conversation merely to keep the ball going, and the words have faded from my mind.
He sat down beside us, and he talked about one or two other things I don’t remember. He was not a friend of mine, and I didn’t want to talk to him. He was talking to Mrs Thayer and me, and presently Mr Ryerson and Mr Thayer came up, and he stood up and went downstairs. He wasn’t talking to us over ten minutes. As we went down, he was at the foot of that first flight, near the restaurant.
Harold Bride – Assistant Telegraphist
Communication had been established with the Baltic on Sunday afternoon, and compliments were exchanged between the two commanders, and the state of the weather. I have no knowledge of a wireless message received from the Amerika regarding any iceberg. There may have been, received by Mr Phillips, but I did not see one myself.
The first and last message about ice I recollect on the fourteenth of April was from the Californian. It is the only one I recollect. The time was between five and half past in the afternoon, ship’s time. It stated that the Californian was passing close to large icebergs and gave the latitude and longitude.
The Californian had called me, with an ice report. I was rather busy just for the minute, writing up an abstract of all the telegrams sent the day before, and I did not take it. She did not call again. About half an hour later, she transmitted the ice report to the Baltic,g and as she was transmitting it to the Baltic, I took it down. I made it on a slip of paper, and delivered it to the officer on the bridge.
It was the only ice message, but it was not the only message for Captain Smith. There were messages coming through for Captain Smith all the time, but they did not affect the navigation of the ship. They were invariably delivered to the captain.
As to what Mr Phillips received, I cannot say.
Cyril Evans – Marconi Officer, SS Californian
It was a message reporting ice. ‘To Captain, Antillian, 6.30pm apparent ship’s timehi; latitude, 42° 3’ N; longitude, 49° 9’ W. Three large bergs 5 miles to southward of us. Regards. Lord.’ I was sending to the Antillian and the Titanic called me up and we exchanged signals, we exchanged an official TR [time rush]. We call it a TR when a ship gets in communication with another. I said, ‘Here is a message; an ice report.’ He said, ‘It’s all right, old man. I heard you send to the Antillian.’ He said, ‘Bi.’ That is an expression used among ourselves. It means to say ‘enough’ or ‘finished’. It does not mean goodbye.
‘In the event of meeting ice, there are man
y things we look for’
Frederick Fleet – Lookout
We had no glasses this time. We had nothing at all, only our own eyes, to look out. We asked them in Southampton, and they said there was none intended for us. We had a pair from Belfast to Southampton, but none from Southampton to New York. We do not know why. We only know we never got a pair.
George Symons – Lookout
After we left Southampton and got clear of the Nab Lightship, I went up to the officers’ mess room and asked for glasses. I asked Mr Lightoller, and he went into another officers’ room, which I presume was Mr Murdoch’s, and he came out and said, ‘Symons, there are none.’ With that I went back and told my mates.
It is always customary to have glasses in the crow’s nest. I served three years and five months on the Oceanic, and they had glasses all the time. As far as I have heard from other people, they have glasses in all the other ships.
George Hogg – Lookout
The idea of the glasses is that if you happen to see something on the horizon you can pick your ship out, if it is a ship, for instance. You would still strike the bell, but you would make sure, if you had the glasses, that it was a vessel and not a piece of cloud on the horizon.
I have always had night glasses in the White Star boats. I asked for the glasses, and I did not see why I should not have them. I had them from Belfast to Southampton; but from Southampton we never had them. I asked for the glasses several times. We never had night glasses; just the naked eye.
Bruce Ismay – Managing Director, IMM
I believe up to the year 1895 we used to supply lookout glasses to the lookout men, and since that date I think it has been left to the discretion of the commander whether he gives them lookout glasses or not. We certainly would if they are asked for.
Bertram Hayes – Captain, White Star Line
Glasses are a source of danger. They spoil the lookout. The lookout man when he sees a light if he has glasses is more liable to look at it and see what kind of a ship it is. That is the officer’s business. The lookout man’s business is to look out for other lights. It is the officer’s business to find out what kind of a light it is, what way it is going, and so on.
Charles Lightoller – Second Officer
We place no reliance on the lookouts. They are there to assist you, but, speaking personally, I never rely on them. I keep a lookout myself, and so does every other officer. Occasionally a man will see a light or a vessel first, particularly in daytime, when naturally we trust to them seeing. Then, they will report a steamer long before she is in sight, apparently, by her smoke. In night-time, particularly in channels where there are a great many lights, we may be watching one light, and there may be another light in our course, and the man in the crow’s nest will strike, say, one bell. That signifies something on the port bow, and calls our attention to it.
Speaking for myself, I always select old lookout men that I know. As a rule, the lookout men run perhaps a year in the crow’s nest in one ship. For instance, the men I had with me on the Titanic had been with me on the Oceanic for years, doing nothing but keeping a lookout. They are very smart at it, indeed. There is one man here who is the smartest man I know at it. Symons.
The White Star Company, I may say incidentally, is the only company in the world, so far as I know, that carries six lookout men. We carry men who do nothing else, night and day, from the commencement to the finish of the voyage, except keep a lookout. They are two hours on and four off.
Arthur Rostron – Captain, SS Carpathia
About 75 per cent of the objects that are seen at sea every day or night are picked up from the bridge first. Naturally, the officer will take more interest in these things than a lookout man. It does not necessarily say we shall pick them up quicker from the bridge, but naturally an officer is more on the qui vive; he is keener on his work than a man would be, and he knows what to look for. He is more intelligent than a sailor. I always trust to the bridge preferably to the men.
Frederick Fleet – Lookout
We are supposed to have our eyes examined every year, or every two years, by the Board of Trade. As to colour, and looking at a distance. My eyes were tested about a year ago, at Southampton. I had a certificate, but I lost it in the Titanic.
Reginald Lee – Lookout
I was examined by the Board of Trade doctor at Southampton, but not specially for eyesight. We were falling in on the lounge deck, and the doctor came and examined us all. I do not know that he particularly asked me anything. It was a casual kind of examination – not a test to get a certificate so that I can prove it.
I suppose he pleased himself. A medical man generally does, does not he?
Bruce Ismay – Managing Director, IMM
We follow the track which was agreed to by all the various steamship companies in 1895. It is absolutely laid down. They have a northern track which they use in the winter months, and during the summer months they use the southern route. The track was originally agreed to by all the steamship companies in conference. If the commander in his discretion thought that it was advisable to depart from the track, there would be no reason why he should not do so. It is a matter entirely in his hands.
I think on two occasions, when ice has been reported on the southern track, we have adopted a more southern route, and gone further south. I think it has been done on two occasions. That would be done by mutual consent of all the steamship companies interested in the tracks. If there was a small quantity of ice reported on the track, we certainly would not do it. If there was an abnormal quantity of ice reported on the track, then we probably would, in conjunction with the other steamship companies, agree to follow a more southern route.
When the captain left Liverpool or Southampton, he would know that he had to follow either the southern or the northern route. Our instructions to the commanders are that they are not to do anything which will in any way imperil the ships or the lives that are on the ship. Our instructions in regard to that matter are very clear, and I think they are already on the record.
Joseph Boxhall – Fourth Officer
The night order book was written out and there was an order for the course to be altered at 5.50. I saw it, and I remarked to the chief officer between four o’clock and six o’clock that I considered the course ought to have been altered some considerable time before 5.50 – that is, if the course was meant to be altered at the ‘corner’,j 42 N, 47 W. Whether we spoke to the captain about it or not I do not know. I just remarked that to the chief officer, and the course was altered at 5.50. I consider that the ship was away to the southward and to the westward of the ‘corner’ when the course was altered.
Herbert Pitman – Third Officer
I considered we went at least ten miles further south than was necessary. We had a certain distance to run to the ‘corner’, and we did not alter the course so early as I anticipated. Therefore we must have gone much further south.
The commander gave the order to alter course to the officer of the watch, Mr Wilde. He did not mention whether he had deviated to avoid the ice. Captain Smith gives the orders to alter the course at the time he thinks fit.
Harold Lowe – Fifth Officer
I was on duty on Sunday evening, from 6pm to 8pm. From six to eight, I was busy working out this slip table, and doing various odds and ends and working a dead-reckoning position for 8pm to hand in to the captain. That was to indicate the position of the ship at that time, eight o’clock.
I suppose it must have been shortly after six, when I saw the chit. It was a square chit of paper on our chart room table about three inches by three inches. It was stuck in the frame above the table. It had the word ‘ice’, and then a position underneath the word ‘ice’. That means to say a latitude and a longitude. I suppose I only looked at it casually. I worked it out mentally, and I found that we should not come to that position during my watch from six to eight.
I do not remember having heard of any other ice reports, and that is the only o
ne that I saw. They may have been on the notice board, and I may not have looked at it. I do not remember looking at the notice board, and that is the only paper or note that I saw referring to ice. There was nothing particular about it; there was no signature or anything.
I handed the captain the slip report, on his chart room table. We simply put the slip on the table, and put a paper weight or something on it, and he comes in and sees it. It is nothing of any great importance. It has always been done, so that the position of the ship might be filled in the night order book.
I got her position by the chronometer. We have a fair idea of what she is doing. Her speed from noon until we turned the corner was just a fraction under 21 knots. If the speed had been increased or reduced during the interval when I was off duty, I would have been informed of it. We are informed of all. Wherever there is an altering of the course, we say, ‘She is doing so and so, and so and so.’ ‘All right.’ Then you are relieved.