Loss Of The Steamship 'Titanic' Part 11

Male children 13 out of 48, or 27.08 per cent.

Female children 14 out of 31, or 45.16 per cent.

----- 178 out of 706, or 25.21 per cent.

Total 499 out of 1,316, or 37.94 per cent.

Crew saved: Deck department 43 out of 66, or 65.15 per cent.

Engine-room department 72 out of 325, or 22.15 per cent.

Victualing department (including 20 women out of 23) 97 out of 494, or 19.63 per cent.

---- Total 212 out of 885, or 23.95 per cent.

Total on board saved 711 out of 2,201, or 32.30 per cent.

Pa.s.sengers and crew: Adult males 338 out of 1,667, or 20.27 per cent.

Adult females 316 out of 425, or 74.35 per cent.

Children 57 out of 109, or 52.29 per cent.

---- Total 711 out of 2,201, or 32.30 per cent.

V.--THE CIRc.u.mSTANCES IN CONNECTION WITH THE STEAMs.h.i.+P "CALIFORNIAN."

It is here necessary to consider the circ.u.mstances relating to the steams.h.i.+p _Californian_.

On the 14th of April the steams.h.i.+p _Californian_, of the Leyland Line, Mr. Stanley Lord, master, was on her pa.s.sage from London, which port she left on April 5, to Boston, United States, where she subsequently arrived on April 19. She was a vessel of 6,223 tons gross and 4,038 net.

Her full speed was 12-1/2 to 13 knots. She had a pa.s.senger certificate, but was not carrying any pa.s.sengers at the time. She belonged to the International Mercantile Marine Co., the owners of the _t.i.tanic_.

At 7.30 p.m., s.h.i.+p's time, on April 14, a wireless message was sent from this s.h.i.+p to the _Antillian_:

To CAPTAIN, _Antillian_:

Six thirty p.m., apparent s.h.i.+p's time, lat.i.tude 42 3' N., longitude 49 9' W. Three large bergs, 5 miles to southward of us. Regards.

LORD.

The message was intercepted by the _t.i.tanic_, and when the Marconi operator (Evans) of the _Californian_ offered this ice report to the Marconi operator of the _t.i.tanic_, shortly after 7.30 p. m., the latter replied:

It is all right. I heard you sending it to the _Antillian_, and I have got it.

The _Californian_ proceeded on her course S. 89 W. true until 10.20 p.

m., s.h.i.+p's time, when she was obliged to stop and reverse engines because she was running into field ice, which stretched as far as could then be seen to the northward and southward.

The master told the court that he made her position at that time to be 42 5' N., 57 7' W. This position is recorded in the log book, which was written up from the sc.r.a.p log book by the chief officer. The sc.r.a.p log is destroyed. It is a position about 19 miles N. by E. of the position of the _t.i.tanic_ when she foundered, and is said to have been fixed by dead reckoning and verified by observations. I am satisfied that this position is not accurate. The master "twisted her head" to E.

N. E. by the compa.s.s and she remained approximately stationary until 5.15 a. m. on the following morning. The s.h.i.+p was slowly swinging around to starboard during the night.

At about 11 p. m. a steamer's light was seen approaching from the eastward. The master went to Evans's room and asked what s.h.i.+ps he had.

The latter replied: "I think the _t.i.tanic_ is near us. I have got her."

The master said: "You had better advise the _t.i.tanic_ we are stopped and surrounded with ice." This Evans did, calling up the _t.i.tanic_ and sending: "We are stopped and surrounded by ice." The _t.i.tanic_ replied: "Keep out." The _t.i.tanic_ was in communication with Cape Race, which station was then sending messages to her. The reason why the _t.i.tanic_ answered "keep out" was that her Marconi operator could not hear what Cape Race was saying, as from her proximity the message from the _Californian_ was much stronger than any message being taken in by the _t.i.tanic_ from Cape Race, which was much farther off. Evans heard the _t.i.tanic_ continuing to communicate with Cape Race up to the time he turned in at 11.30 p. m.

The master of the _Californian_ states that when observing the approaching steamer as she got nearer he saw more lights, a few deck lights, and also her green side light. He considered that at 11 o'clock she was approximately 6 or 7 miles away, and at some time between 11 and 11.30 he first saw her green light; she was then about 5 miles off. He noticed that about 11.30 she stopped. In his opinion this steamer was of about the same size as the _Californian_--a medium-sized steamer, "something like ourselves."

From the evidence of Mr. Groves, third officer of the _Californian_, who was the officer of the first watch, it would appear that the master was not actually on the bridge when the steamer was sighted.

Mr. Groves made out two masthead lights; the steamer was changing her bearing slowly as she got closer, and as she approached he went to the chart room and reported this to the master; he added, "She is evidently a pa.s.senger steamer." In fact, Mr. Groves never appears to have had any doubt on this subject. In answer to a question during his examination, "Had she much light?" he said, "Yes, a lot of light. There was absolutely no doubt of her being a pa.s.senger steamer, at least in my mind."

Gill, the a.s.sistant donkey man of the _Californian_, who was on deck at midnight, said, referring to this steamer: "It could not have been anything but a pa.s.senger boat, she was too large."

By the evidence of Mr. Groves, the master, in reply to his report, said: "Call her up on the Morse lamp, and see if you can get any answer." This he proceeded to do. The master came up and joined him on the bridge and remarked: "That does not look like a pa.s.senger steamer." Mr. Groves replied: "It is, sir. When she stopped her lights seemed to go out, and I suppose they have been put out for the night." Mr. Groves states that these lights went out at 11.40, and remembers that time because "one bell was struck to call the middle watch." The master did not join him on the bridge until shortly afterwards, and consequently after the steamer had stopped.

In his examination Mr. Groves admitted that if this steamer's head was turning to port after she stopped, it might account for the diminution of lights, by many of them being shut out. Her steaming lights were still visible and also her port side light.

The captain only remained upon the bridge for a few minutes. In his evidence he stated that Mr. Groves had made no observations to him about the steamer's deck lights going out. Mr. Groves's Morse signaling appears to have been ineffectual (although at one moment he thought he was being answered), and he gave it up. He remained on the bridge until relieved by Mr. Stone, the second officer, just after midnight. In turning the _Californian_ over to him, he pointed out the steamer and said: "she has been stopped since 11.40; she is a pa.s.senger steamer. At about the moment she stopped she put her lights out." When Mr. Groves was in the witness box the following questions were put to him by me:

Speaking as an experienced seaman and knowing what you do know now, do you think that steamer that you know was throwing up rockets, and that you say was a pa.s.senger steamer, was the _t.i.tanic_?--Do I think it? Yes. From what I have heard subsequently? Yes. Most decidedly I do, but I do not put myself as being an experienced man. But that is your opinion as far as your experience goes?--Yes, it is, my lord.

Mr. Stone states that the master, who was also up (but apparently not on the bridge), pointed out the steamer to him with instructions to tell him if her bearings altered or if she got any closer; he also stated that Mr. Groves had called her up on the Morse lamp and had received no reply.

Mr. Stone had with him during the middle watch an apprentice named Gibson, whose attention was first drawn to the steamer's lights at about 12.20 a. m. He could see a masthead light, her red light (with gla.s.ses), and a "glare of white lights on her afterdeck." He first thought her masthead light was flickering and next thought it was a Morse light, "calling us up." He replied, but could not get into communication, and finally came to the conclusion that it was, as he had first supposed, the masthead light flickering. Sometime after 12.30 a. m., Gill, the donkey man, states that he saw two rockets fired from the s.h.i.+p which he had been observing, and about 1.10 a. m., Mr. Stone reported to the captain by voice pipe, that he had seen five white rockets from the direction of the steamer. He states that the master answered, "Are they company's signals?" and that he replied, "I do not know, but they appear to me to be white rockets." The master told him to "go on Morsing," and, when he received any information, to send the apprentice down to him with it. Gibson states that Mr. Stone informed him that he had reported to the master, and that the master had said the steamer was to be called up by Morse light. This witness thinks the time was 12.55; he at once proceeded again to call the steamer up by Morse. He got no reply, but the vessel fired three more white rockets; these rockets were also seen by Mr. Stone.

Both Mr. Stone and the apprentice kept the steamer under observation, looking at her from time to time with their gla.s.ses. Between 1 o'clock and 1.40 some conversation pa.s.sed between them. Mr. Stone remarked to Gibson: "Look at her now, she looks very queer out of water, her lights look queer." He also is said by Gibson to have remarked, "A s.h.i.+p is not going to fire rockets at sea for nothing;" and admits himself that he may possibly have used that expression.

Mr. Stone states that he saw the last of the rockets fired at about 1.40, and after watching the steamer for some 20 minutes more he sent Gibson down to the master.

I told Gibson to go down to the master, and be sure and wake him, and tell him that altogether we had seen eight of these white lights like white rockets in the direction of this other steamer; that this steamer was disappearing in the southwest, that we had called her up repeatedly on the Morse lamp and received no information whatsoever.

Gibson states that he went down to the chart room and told the master; that the master asked him if all the rockets were white, and also asked him the time. Gibson stated that at this time the master was awake. It was five minutes past two, and Gibson returned to the bridge to Mr.

Stone and reported. They both continued to keep the s.h.i.+p under observation until she disappeared. Mr. Stone describes this as "A gradual disappearing of all her lights, which would be perfectly natural with a s.h.i.+p steaming away from us."

At about 2.40 a. m. Mr. Stone again called up the master by voice pipe and told him that the s.h.i.+p from which he had seen the rockets come had disappeared bearing SW. 1/2 W., the last he had seen of the light; and the master again asked him if he was certain there was no color in the lights. "I again a.s.sured him they were all white, just white rockets."

There is considerable discrepancy between the evidence of Mr. Stone and that of the master. The latter states that he went to the voice pipe at about 1.15, but was told then of a white rocket (not five white rockets). Moreover, between 1.30 and 4.30, when he was called by the chief officer (Mr. Stewart), he had no recollection of anything being reported to him at all, although he remembered Gibson opening and closing the chart-room door.

Mr. Stewart relieved Mr. Stone at 4 a. m. The latter told him he had seen a s.h.i.+p 4 or 5 miles off when he went on deck at 12 o'clock, and at 1 o'clock he had seen some white rockets, and that the moment the s.h.i.+p started firing them she started to steam away. Just at this time (about 4 a. m.) a steamer came in sight with two white masthead lights and a few lights amids.h.i.+ps. He asked Mr. Stone whether he thought this was the steamer which had fired rockets, and Mr. Stone said he did not think it was. At 4.30 he called the master and informed him that Mr. Stone had told him he had seen rockets in the middle watch. The master said, "Yes, I know; he has been telling me." The master came at once on to the bridge, and apparently took the fresh steamer for the one which had fired rockets, and said, "She looks all right; she is not making any signals now." This mistake was not corrected. He, however, had the wireless operator called.

At about 6 a. m. Capt. Lord heard from the _Virginian_ that the "_t.i.tanic_ had struck a berg, pa.s.sengers in boats, s.h.i.+p sinking;" and he at once started through the field ice at full speed for the position given.

Capt. Lord stated that about 7.30 a. m. he pa.s.sed the _Mount Temple_, stopped, and that she was in the vicinity of the position given him as where the _t.i.tanic_ had collided (lat. 41 46' N.; long. 50 14' W.). He saw no wreckage there, but did later on near the _Carpathia_, which s.h.i.+p he closed soon afterwards, and he stated that the position where he subsequently left this wreckage was 41 33' N.; 50 1' W. It is said in the evidence of Mr. Stewart that the position of the _Californian_ was verified by stellar observations at 7.30 p. m. on the Sunday evening, and that he verified the captain's position given when the s.h.i.+p stopped (42 5' N.; 50 7' W.) as accurate on the next day. The position in which the wreckage was said to have been seen on the Monday morning was verified by sights taken on that morning.

All the officers are stated to have taken sights, and Mr. Stewart in his evidence remarks that they all agreed. If it is admitted that these positions were correct, then it follows that the _t.i.tanic_'s position as given by that s.h.i.+p when making the CQD. signal was approximately S.

16 W. (true), 19 miles from the _Californian_; and further that the position in which the _Californian_ was stopped during the night, was 30 miles away from where the wreckage was seen by her in the morning, or that the wreckage had drifted 11 miles in a little more than five hours.

There are contradictions and inconsistencies in the story as told by the different witnesses. But the truth of the matter is plain. The _t.i.tanic_ collided with the berg at 11.40. The vessel seen by the _Californian_ stopped at this time. The rockets sent up from the _t.i.tanic_ were distress signals. The _Californian_ saw distress signals. The number sent up by the _t.i.tanic_ was about eight. The _Californian_ saw eight.

The time over which the rockets from the _t.i.tanic_ were sent up was from about 12.45 to 1.45 o'clock. It was about this time that the _Californian_ saw the rockets. At 2.40 Mr. Stone called to the master that the s.h.i.+p from which he had seen the rockets had disappeared. At 2.20 a. m. the _t.i.tanic_ had foundered. It was suggested that the rockets seen by the _Californian_ were from some other s.h.i.+p, not the _t.i.tanic_. But no other s.h.i.+p to fit this theory has ever been heard of.

These circ.u.mstances convince me that the s.h.i.+p seen by the _Californian_ was the _t.i.tanic_, and if so, according to Capt. Lord, the two vessels were about 5 miles apart at the time of the disaster. The evidence from the _t.i.tanic_ corroborates this estimate, but I am advised that the distance was probably greater, though not more than 8 to 10 miles. The ice by which the _Californian_ was surrounded was loose ice extending for a distance of not more than 2 or 3 miles in the direction of the _t.i.tanic_. The night was clear and the sea was smooth. When she first saw the rockets, the _Californian_ could have pushed through the ice to the open water without any serious risk and so have come to the a.s.sistance of the _t.i.tanic_. Had she done so she might have saved many if not all of the lives that were lost.