Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-23

mo sir"
Said German Steamer Was Nearest.
Then a half hour later on, about 8
hours before the disaster you took the
message when it was intended for an.
other vessel, the Baltic?
Eyes sir"
In an effort to determine whether the
signal &C. G. D." might not have been
misunderstood by passing ships SEN
ator Smith called upon Mr.. Marconi.
"The &C.. o." said Mr.. Marconi lis
an international signal which meant
that all stations should cetse sending
except the one using the call. The
D. was added to indicate danger. The
call, however has been superseded by
the universal call s. o. S."
Bride then said the North German
Lloyd steamer Frankfurt was the first
to answer the Titanic's distress signal.
Have you heard it said that the
Frankfurt was the ship nearest to the
Titanic!" .... y.
Eyes sir, Mr.. Philips told me that"
How did he know?" -.
6 ''By the strength of the signals,
said the witness, who added that the
Carpathia answered shortly after.
Frankfurt Man Told He Was Fool.
The witness said that twenty min
utes later the Frankfurt operator IN
terrupted to ask what was the mat
ter" 4
What did you reply" the senator
inquired.
"Mr. Philips said he was fool and
told him to keep OUT
There was no further effort to get
the Frankfurt's position. Time after
time Senator Smith asked in very1ng
forms why the Titanic did not explain
in detail it's condition to the Frank
furt.
"Any operator receiving C. @. D.
and the position Of the ship, II ne IS
on the Job, would tell the captain at
once,"s said Bride.
= "Ask him ii it would have taken
longer to have sent you are TOOL
keep out. than we are sinking, sug'
gested Senator Reed.
.'Was your, object in Diminishing the
somewhat tardy inquiry Of the Frank
frlrt due to your desire to hang on to
a certainty, the Carpathia" inquired
Senator Smith.
eyes"
'Under the circumstances could you
not with propriety send detailed
message to the Frankfurt?' Senator
Smith insisted.
II did not think we could under the
circumstances"
"Would you still make the same
reply If you were told that the FRANK
furt was twenty miles nearer to you
than the Carnathia?" ..
Bride replied that the Carpathia was
then on it's way with it's life boats
ready. \ -..
Mr.. Marconi again testified to the
distress signals and said that the
Frankfurt was equipped with Mar.
conf wireless. He said the receipts OF
the signal &C. @. D." by the Frank.
furt's operator should have been all
sufficient to send the Frankfurt to the
Immediate rescue.
Bride said that undoubtedly the
Frankfurt received all of the urgent
appeals for help sent subsequently TO
the Carpathia. L..
"Why did you not send the mes
sages to the Frankfurt as we'll az to
the Carpathia?" asked Senator Smith.
HE would not have understood
The witness said that before leaving
the cabin ten minutes before the ship
went down Philips sent out final G.
@. D. There was no response, Bride
saying the spark was then so weak
that it probably did not carry.
Operators Caught Raft at Sea.
When Bride and Philips stepped
out on the deck he said they found
persons rushing around in confusion.
They were seeking life belts.
"There were no big life boats
aboard at that time" said Bride.
There was life raft over the Off.
GERS quarters which later was lost
over the side"
The witness then told of his expe-
rience In fighting with a small boat
beneath which he nearly was drowned
before he could extricate himself.
With a number Of other survivors he
clambored on the overturned boat.
zone of these was Philips" said the
witness. s'He died on the way to the
Carpathia and was buried at sea"
When Bride gained the bottom OF
the boat he found between thirty-five
and forty men already there.
II was the last man invited aboard"
said Bride.
Ibid any others seek to get on?"
Eyes, sir, dozens We could not
take them"
The witness said he did not see j.
Bruce Ismay and that the last he saw
of Captain Smith he was in the act of
jumping from the bridge just as the
ship went down. He said he was
swimming within $50 feet of the ship
when it went down and that he felt
no suction.
Marconi Is a Witness.
William Marconi, the wireless inven.
tor, was a witness at the late after
noon session. He entered the room
with Mr.. Ismay who took his seat
near the witness stand Mr.. Ismay
was even more nervous than at the
forenoon session, constantly pulling
his mustache, pinching his throat or
rubbing his head.
Mr.. Marconi said the maximum efn-
cheney Of the Carpathia wirless Wa