The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-05-02

That" said Franklin. lis perfectly
true, except that we had exactly the
same Information from the newspaper
reports. but we had no authentic In
formation. They were rumors."
q. You informed your Liverpool
office at 6:15 A. Nj. Monday that
newspaper wireless reports advised
Titanic sinking and that Virginian
would reach her position about 10
o'clock in the morning. How did you
get your Information about the Vir-
ginian2
A L called up Montreal about $50
Monday morning and had our agent
get into communication with the AL
Ian line. and he gave me that infor-
nation about the position of the Cali
(fornian.
ceived in Liverpool?
A. The difference is five hours in
| time-it's five hours earlier there.
Q. You got your information from
Montreal about $3.50 A. Nj. Why didn't
you advise Liverpool before 6:152
| n. Between the time 1 got informa-
ton from Montreal and before 1 ca
/ bled Liverpool L was ON the telephone
/ trying to get more information and
| getting down TO the office. Then as
soon as it could be done 1 sent the
| cable to Liverpool.
@. Did Liverpool cable TO you?
Delivery OF Cablegrams.
! A. The cable company would not
flee until A. Nj. Cablegrams are
coming in addressed TO our office
from all over the world at night. and
they are delivered when business
hours begin in the morning.
Q. Then they hold important ca
Diagrams to await the convenience OF
business men?
A would not say that. but if
are received we would be getting them
all night.
VThat rule operated to hold up i'm
portant cablegrams in this instance,
didn't it?" commented Senator Smith.
who continued without a reply:
Q. Are any of your officers con-
nected with the cable companies?
A. 1 think John L. Waterbury. for
merly president of the Manhattan
! Transportation Company, one of our
directors, may be Interested in the
cable company. 1 know of no others.
Q. Have you ever given any direc-
ton not to deliver cablegrams at your
office until in the morning?
That is a matter Of routine. We
have a man who attends to the cables.
1 called him up in this instance, on
Sunday. night, and found that he had
nothing.
Q. Why did you call up Mr.. Thorn
in Montreal on Monday morning?
A. Because the owners Of the Allan
Line live there. Thorn is our agent.
Having heard the rumor about the
Nirginian, i wanted to see II they had
any information.
q. But at that time had no infor-
nation about the Nirginian?
a. The first reports-which I got
from the newSpaperS-an connected
the Virginian with the rumor. r norm
had the same information in Mo- real.
He confirmed by fear. that vs. all.
He said that his information was that
the Nirginian was 10 miles from the
Titanic and that he understood she
was proceeding to the scene.
@. Was the /Nirginian in cOmmuni-
cation with the Carpathia?
a. 1 think she was, but the Car
pathia was obtu fifty miles away.
.. Did you or your company have
any responsibility for wireless opera
tors on your shipS2
y. In a general way / don't think
we have. but if a man was Ob1ec-
tionable 1 think he would be removed.
Q. DO YOU think it prudent to have
operators upon whom rests so much
responsibility in a crisis unofficial in
relationship to your company?
a. They are not unofficial in way?
Regarding messages about navigation
OF the steamer they are under con-
troll of the captain.
Witness said il might be unfortu-
, nate TO allow operators to tell re-
porters their stories for money, but
that il was human nature.
q. DO you think 1t wise to have on
a ship a man in an important position
not under your control?
A. If you had asked that question
before this disaster / would not have
. REGARDED il of importance. Now il
may be a different matter. Perhaps
the wireless operator after he leaves
the dock ought to have some instruc-
tions from the master of the vesesl.
Others Are Examined.
The impact of the Titanic striking
the berg suggested to Steward G.. +.
broken of. He said that other stew
ards made a joke of the accident at
first.
Edward Wheelton, steward. exam
ined by Senator Newlands, said he
was awakened out of bed by the shock
of the accident. He went Immediately
( to his station and there saw j. Bruce
Ismay. He was at No. 5 lifeboat. He
5 heard officer Lowe tell Ismay to 'get
the hell out of here" when Ismay at
tempted to tell Lowe TO be quick in
lowering away his boats.
He testified that there were no
drills on the Titanic after they left
Belfast.
Grove said that when he went back
to the scene of the wreck a second
f class passenger named Williams. the
f champion racquet player of England
: was recued.
Grove said at the time of the i'm.
: pact several hundred tons of ice fel
on the deck of the boat.
5 John Collins, assistant cook. saiC
that when he got on deck it was
} packed with ice on the starboard side
= He picked up a child, but wa:
washed into the sea from the boa
deck. He was rescued from an over.
1 turned collapsible, on which Their,
were thirty other men.
! John Hardy. a second class steward
g examined by Senator Fletcher. saiC
4 the stewards aided women and chill
I dren TO get into life preservers an,
. closed the water tight doors OF ''F
deck
- He told of the launching of tn,
n collapsible boat, saying that when tn,
boat was full Second officer Lightolle
t was in the boat. The chief office
?. asked IL the boat was full and h
e replied: yes" Lightoller said h
!; would step out to make room 70
n some one else, and as he stepped bacl
= on board ship he asked if Grove coult
II row.
a II told him I could" said the wit
ness, "and 1 went away in that boat
most of whose occupants were thirt
q class passengers"