New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-15
Third Officer of Californian So
Reported, but Commander OF
Vessels Experience Was
Different.
SAW ROCKETS; DID NOTHING
Captain Lord Equivocates as TO
Fact That White Lights Are
Used for Distress Signals,
Calling Forth Protest
from Lord Mersey.

Californian saw IoChetS iieu vi ''O
night when the Titanic went down was
really that vessel. 1t will continue the
Investigation on the same lines to-mo--
row.
Sir Rufus Isaacs Attorney General. tn
6,cated that there would be q material
differ. between the stories OF the cap
tain and his officers IN regard to the
steamer seen from the deck Of the Cali
fornian during the night Of the catas-
trophe.
Three officers Of the Californian. Stan
ley Lord, the captain; Gibson, an ap-
prentice. and Herbert Stone, the second
officer. who was on the bridge at the time
the rockets were fired, were examined IN
the order named. All Of them insisted
that the vessel could not have been the
Titanic, being not so large as that YES
sci, but they were unable TO answer the
questions put to them and suggest which
vessel It was as they did not hear Of any
such afterward.
Lord Mersey, the president, remarked
that the impression was on his mind
that the steamer was the Titanic. STAN
ley Lord, captain of the Californian.
however. said that he was sure the
steamer was not the Titanic, but vessel
OF about the size Of the Californian.
Witnesses Excluded from Court
The other officers OF the Californian
were sent out Of court during the exam
tnation Of Captain Lord ct the request Of
Sir Rufus Isaacs.
Asked whether the third officer Of the
Californian had not seen two masthead
lights during the night, Captain Lord
eaid the third officer told him so the next
day, but both he (the captain and the
second officer saw only one masthead
light.
Sir Rufus Isaacs explained that &C
cording TO his information the Titanic
was the only vessel in the vicinity on
that night showing two masthead lights.
Captain Lord continued that he had
not been told that the deck lights Of the
vessel had disappeared What the sec
ond officer of the Californian reported in
the morning was that the vessel whose
masthead light had been seen had
stopped during the night. but had started
again at about l o'clock and went off to
the southwestward her stern light being
seen at o'clock.
Lord Mersey: That was the time
when the Titanic went down, and moth
ing has been heard of the steamer you
saw since that time"
Captain Lord replied That's So" and
continued:
1t was reported in the morning that the
steamer which had been seen during the
night had fired several rockets but / saw
only one. 1 thought II might have been a
COMPANY signal or an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of
the Californan'S Morse signals, by which we
had been trying 10 communicate with the
steamer. If they had been distress sig
Eals should have heard the reports Of the
rockets, as the vessels were only five miles
apart l did not hear that the Titanic had
sunk until the morning. At the time
thought, as she was reported 10 be nineteen
miles away, We might have seen her sink
Ing .
Continuing his testimony Captain Lord
said that both the apprentice and the
Second officer who were on the bridge
during the night told him in the morn
ing that they had called him during the
night and had reported that vessel
near by had been firing rockets and that
ne had answered their calls. He him
self however could not remember doing
SO, and In the morning asked the second
officer why he had not been called. The
officer replied that he would have called
the captain himself IL he had thought
that the rockets were distress signals.
The second officer said emphatically that
- lights were not distress signals.
Must Have Been Half Asleep.
Captain Lord repeated his evidence
given at Washington in regard to warn
ing. the Titanic OF the presence of ice
and stopping his steamer on that ac-
count. Ita also recounted that the sec
ond Office and the apprentice both told
him the next day that they had called
him and informed him that vessel was
firing rockets and that he had replied
when he was called. He asserted, how
ever. that he must have been half asleep,
as he could not remember receiving the
messages.
Captain Lord would not admit that
the rockets fired were distress signals.
lie thought they might have been COM
peny's signalC. Counsel for the White
Scr Line pointed out. however, that the
firing Of rockets of any kind at night
was an indication OF distress.
Upon getting up the next morning and
hearing Of the rockets Captain Lord
said he had the wireless operator called
and then heard that the Titanic had
sunk. From the wreckage met by the
Californian afterward, he said his YES
sci must have been thirty-two miles
from the Titanic when she went down.
According tC the apprentice. Captain
Lord. when he was called. asked If thc
lights were white ones.
Sir Rufus Isaacs-Why would you ask
that question:
Captain Lord-Because the company
signals are made with cOlored lights.
Sir Rufus Isaacs-Then white lights are
distress signals
captain Lord-Some companies use
white lights.
Lord Mersey and Sir Rufus Isaacs pro-
tested that The captain was not doing
himself Justice.
Captain Lord in reply TO his owl coun-
sci said while It would be dangerous
20 go through ice. If / had known tho
Titanic was sinking / should certainly
have done so, although ! do not believe
j could have reached her In time"
Positive II Was Not Titanic.
Asked by Sir Rufus Isaacs whether he
felt quite comfortable In mind in refer
4. he hos I'd ba.