New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-16
He SAW
TITANIC CO DOWN
Lord Mersey Seems to Agree
with CaIifornian'S Third Officer
That Sinking Ship Was Near.
FELLOW SHIPMATES SAY mo-
Sudden Disappearance of Ships
Lights Accounted for by
Quick Changing of
Titanic's Course.

! London May lh-At least one officer Of
the I.eyland liner Californian firmly be-
/ lieves that that vessel was in the vicinity
OF the Titanic on the night she went down.
and, although he did not know It. actually
| saw her sink as the lights OF the vessel
| they were watching disappeared.
Charles Grove. the third officer OF the
! Californian. the man in question. so testi-
| fed in the course of to-day's Board OF
Trade inquiry. His fellow officers disagree
with him. but from the remarks Of Lord
Mersey, the president Of the inquiry, he
concurs in the belief OF Grove.
Evans, the wireless operator Of the Cali
| fcrnian. also testified to-day that he told
| the captain on the night OF the disaster
| that he believed the Titanic was near the
! Californian. Judging from the strength Of
! her signals.
The commission concluded the evidence
! Of the officers of the Californian. and then
! examined the captain and the wireless
! operator Of the Canadian Pacific Railway
! Company's steamer. the Mount Temple. The
! tclegrapher reconstructed the story OF the
! sinking OF the Titanic from the messages
he heard passing between the doomed YES
! sci and other steamers.
Mr.. Grove, who was on watch when the
vessel now called the ship Of mystery" was
| irst sighted on the night OF the catastro-
| pie. was the first witness to-day.
| lie testified that he told the captain Of
! the Californian that the vessel was a pas
senger steamer but the captain thought
otherwise He also said that at II 40 on
the fatal night-almost at the moment when
J M. nil bo ha lights
# steamer which he was watching from
! the bridge Of the Californian were shut out.
! He believed that the turning OF the steamer
two points TO port would account for this.
! 1t will be remembered that some OF the
. members Of the crew OF the Titanic in their
evidence said that when the vessel struck
| her helm was put hard a-starboard and that
the Titanic Immediately answered and
swung two points 10 port.
Sure II Was Passenger Boat.
! Grove also said that the steamer he saw
had two masthead lights. which gave fur
tier evidence that she was a passenger
steamer. When the steamer was sighted
/ he reported TO the captain. who came up
on 10 the bridge. The steamer undoubtedly
was a passenger steamer He tried to sig
I ldl il'l VIII Il Nl'lS' ldlIlI bAl idllrbs Inc
captain said that she did not look like a
passenger steamer. to which Grove replied
. ~ IS. sir but she has put out her
/ lights"
! The captain then said that the only pas
senger steamer in the vicinity was the IT.
J tanic
! Grove testified that he also told the sec
ond officer Herbert Stone who relieved
him. that the vessel was passenger
1 steamer and that she had shut off her
lights at ll:O. At the time his impression
was that the lights had been put out. as is
generally done about that time at night
/ After reflection he concluded that the lights
had been shut OF by the steamer changing
her course
! When he was called the next morning
and told that the Titanic had sunk he went
to Stones room. Stone told him that he
had seen rockets during his watch.
Lord Mersey-My impression IL that Stone
said that he believed the rockets were from
the Titanic. Do you believe the steamer
you saw was the Titanic?
Grove-After what l have heard since
am decidedly OF that opinion.
! To the attorney for the Leyland line wit
] ness Sdlu lndt IT Tue 4tutbut OF NNe NdlI-
fornan and OF the Titanic as given was
correct then his impression was wrong
Lord Mersey--And IL the latitude is wrong
his impressions may be right
Witness could not say what had come Of
the rough log book I'm which should be
entered the fact that rockets were seen On
the night Of April H.
First Officer Testifes.
G. F.. Stewart. the first officer Of the CALI
fornian, said ne did not believe the vessel
which was firing rockets was the Titanic
lie explained that the scrap log" written
on the bridge, was destroyed day by day rs
Il was entered IN the logbook by the in
structions OF the company
Lord Mersey asked II this was done on all
the steamers of the International Marine
COMPANY The attorney for the White Star
Line said that so far as the White Star
Line was concerned the scrap log" was
destroyed.
The attorney for the Board Of Trade was
questioning the witness in regard 10 the
-