MR. ROSTRON: (interposing). No, sir: it has nothing to do with that. What it has to do with is the ship itself. The ships are built nowadays to be practically unsinkable, and each ship is supposed to be a lifeboat in itself. The boats are merely supposed to be put on as a standby. The ships are supposed to be built, and the naval architects say they are, unsinkable under certain conditions. What the exact conditions are, I do not know, as to whether it is with alternate compartments full, or what it may be. That is why in our ship we carry more lifeboats, for the simple reason that we are built differently from the Titanic; differently constructed.
SENATOR SMITH: Approximately how many passengers are provided for on the Carpathia? I do not ask you to be accurate about it, but approximately how many?
MR. ROSTRON: How many did we approximately provide for on the voyage from New York?
MR. UHLER: What is your British allowance?
MR. ROSTRON: Two thousand two hundred third, and about 250 first and second combined.
SENATOR SMITH: That makes 2,450. Give us your crew complement.
MR. ROSTRON: That, of course, varies. We have about 300 aboard now.
SENATOR SMITH: How many officers?
MR. ROSTRON: Six officers.
SENATOR SMITH: You say the captain of a ship is vested ordinarily with absolute control and discretion over the movements of his vessel?
MR. ROSTRON: Absolutely. I wish to qualify that, however. By law, the captain of the vessel has absolute control, but suppose we get orders from the owners of the vessel to do a certain thing and we do not carry it out. The only thing is then that we are liable to dismissal.
I shall give you an illustration of what I mean by that, as regards receiving orders, and so on. When I turned back to New York, I sent my message to the Cunard Co., telling them that I was proceeding to New York unless otherwise ordered. You see what I mean there? I said, "For many considerations, consider New York most advisable."
SENATOR SMITH: And you immediately reversed your course?
MR. ROSTRON: I came right around for New York immediately, and returned to New York. Would you like to know my reasons for coming back to New York?
SENATOR SMITH: Yes.
MR. ROSTRON: The first and principal reason was that we had all these women aboard, and I knew they were hysterical and in a bad state. I knew very well, also, that you would want all the news possible. I knew very well, further, that if I went to Halifax, we could get them there all right, but I did not know how many of these people were half dead, how many were injured, or how many were really sick, or anything like that. I knew, also, that if we went to Halifax, we would have the possibility of coming across more ice, and I knew very well what the effect of that would be on people who had had the experience these people had. I knew what that would be the whole time we were in the vicinity of ice. I took that into consideration. I knew very well that if we went to Halifax it would be a case of a railway journey for these passengers, as I knew they would have to go to New York, and there would be all the miseries of that.
Furthermore, I did not know what the condition of the weather might be, or what accommodation I could give them in Halifax, and that was a great consideration ­ one of the greatest considerations that made me turn back.
MR. UHLER: And the chances for fine weather were better coming to New York than going to Halifax?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Your message to your company was practically notice that you had done this?
MR. ROSTRON: I had done it; but that message did not get off until Monday evening.
SENATOR SMITH: You were then­­
MR. ROSTRON: (interrupting). When I sent that message we had been on our way 12 hours.
SENATOR SMITH: Captain, is it customary to take orders from a director or a general officer of the company aboard?
MR. ROSTRON: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: From whom do you take orders?
MR. ROSTRON: From no one.
SENATOR SMITH: Aboard ship?
MR. ROSTRON: At sea, immediately I leave port until I arrive at port, the captain is in absolute control and takes orders from no one. I have never known it in our company or any other big company when a director or a managing owner would issue orders on that ship. It matters not who comes on board that ship they are either passengers or crew. There is no official status and no authority whatever with them.
SENATOR SMITH: You say, Captain, that you ran under a full head of steam?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: Toward the Titanic?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Would you have done so in the nighttime?
MR. ROSTRON: It was in the nighttime. I can confess this much, that if I had known at the time there was so much ice about, I should not; but I was right in it then. I could see the ice. I knew I was perfectly clear.
There is one other consideration: Although I was running a risk with my own ship and my own passengers, I also had to consider what I was going for.
SENATOR SMITH: To save the lives of others?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes; I had to consider the lives of the others.
SENATOR SMITH: You were prompted by your interest in humanity?
MR. ROSTRON: Absolutely.
SENATOR SMITH: And you took the chance?
MR. ROSTRON: It was hardly a chance. Of course it was a chance, but at the same time I knew quite what I was doing. I considered that I was perfectly free and that I was doing perfectly right in what I did.
SENATOR SMITH: I suppose no criticism has been passed upon you for it?
MR. ROSTRON: No.
SENATOR SMITH: In fact, I think I may say, for my associates, that your conduct deserves the highest praise.
MR. ROSTRON: I thank you, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And we are very grateful to you, Captain, for coming here. I understand it is your purpose to leave this afternoon?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes; I think we sail at 4 o'clock.
SENATOR SMITH: If we should desire to get into communication again, what are your plans for the future? Are you headed for the south of Europe?
MR. ROSTRON: We go to Gibraltar. I am just going by the same old route as before ­ Gibraltar, Genoa, Naples, Trieste, Fiume­­
MR. UHLER: Fifty days back to New York?
MR. ROSTRON: A little less than that. About 43 days back. We sail about every seven weeks.
SENATOR SMITH: Did I ask you about the number of passengers that died aboard ship on your way to New York?
MR. ROSTRON: No, sir. None died on the ship, so far as I am aware. We took three bodies from the boats, already dead, and the third man who died on board from exposure, who was taken on board from the lifeboat, was a seaman. I am almost sure of my statement that he was a seaman.
SENATOR SMITH: In the first lifeboat, you say there was only one man?
MR. ROSTRON: No; only one seaman. I think there were one or two more men. To tell the truth, I am not quite sure how many men there were.
SENATOR SMITH: Were there any officers?
MR. ROSTRON: One officer.
SENATOR SMITH: One officer and one seaman?
MR. ROSTRON: And one seaman, yes.
SENATOR SMITH: How many men?
MR. ROSTRON: I can not tell you. I can not give you the number of any men or seamen in any of the boats, even approximately, now.
SENATOR SMITH: These lifeboats, of course, were being propelled by oars?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Were there any women using these oars?
MR. ROSTRON: There were.
SENATOR SMITH: In how many boats?
MR. ROSTRON: I saw women, I think, in at least two boats rowing.
SENATOR SMITH: How many women using the oars?
MR. ROSTRON: In one I saw two. It is very had to give the exact number, because one or two of the boats were rather crowded, especially one boat that had got damaged and was foundering. That boat was very crowded. I could not say how many women were pulling. I saw certainly two or three women pulling at the very least. I know, as a matter of fact, in one boat there were two or three women pulling.
SENATOR SMITH: In what boat did Mr. Ismay come?
MR. ROSTRON: I have not the faintest idea. The first I knew that Mr. Ismay was aboard was when we got the last boat alongside and were getting the last passengers aboard.
SENATOR SMITH: You do not remember the number of seamen in that boat?
MR. ROSTRON: I have not the faintest idea.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you remember the number of men in the other boats?
MR. ROSTRON: I can give you no details of the seamen or anything else. Remember one thing: Unless the sailors were dressed in some distinctive uniform, I could not tell the seamen, firemen, stewards, or passengers.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: When your ship arrived in New York, were any of the passengers dangerously ill?
MR. ROSTRON: Not to my knowledge.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: How many died after you rescued them?
MR. ROSTRON: None. No passengers died. Only the one seaman.
SENATOR SMITH: You do not know who took the lifeboats from the Carpathia?
MR. ROSTRON: No
SENATOR SMITH: It was probably done by the owners?
MR. ROSTRON: No; I had previously to this sent a wireless to the White Star Line asking them to send a couple of tugboats down to quarantine to take these boats away, as I would not be able to come into dock with those boats up in the davits or on the forecastle head. There were none there, and so I was worrying about these. It was a dirty night, coming up the river last night, and I was worrying about what I was going to do with the boats. I had the boats lowered half way to the water, to avoid any waste of time. When we got right off the dock, I asked them to send some tugboats out to take the boats away, as I could not dock until they were gotten out of the way. After that, I do not know anything about them.
SENATOR SMITH: Some complaint has been made because the message of the President of the United States, which was sent the Carpathia, was not answered. Do you know anything about that?
MR. ROSTRON: I heard last night that there was a message about a Maj. Butt. I asked my purser this morning if he remembers any message coming about Maj. Butt, and he said yes, the Olympic sent a message asking if Maj. Butt was on board, and it was answered: "Not on board." That is the only thing I know about that message of that name. I do not remember anything else.
SENATOR SMITH: Was there any attempt to communicate with the Carpathia from any Government vessel?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes; from the Chester. I got a message from the Chester. The exact words of it I quite forget now; but there was something in it about the President; something, as far as I remember, about his being anxious about the passengers, if I remember right. I was rather worried at the time, as it was foggy, and these messages came up to me on the bridge. I had my hands full. He gave me his position and told me he was coming to take the names of the passengers and wanted my position. So I answered him with my position and asked him if he could take the passengers' names.
I told him the names of the first and second cabin passengers and crew had already gone. I said: "Can you take third­class names now?" I got a reply back: "Yes, yes."
SENATOR SMITH: From the Chester?
MR. ROSTRON: From the Chester. Those are the two messages I got from the Chester.
SENATOR SMITH: Was there any attempt made by anyone to influence you in sending or receiving wireless messages?
MR. ROSTRON: From the very commencement I took charge of the whole thing and issued orders that every message sent would be sent under my authority, and no message was to be sent unless authorized by me. My orders were: First of all, the two official messages. The two official messages were to the Cunard Co. and the White Star Co., as regards the accident, telling them that I had got an approximate number of passengers aboard and was returning to New York. That was to the White Star Co., and the other one was to our company, of course, telling them that I was proceeding to New York unless otherwise ordered, and considered New York the best, for many considerations.
After those two messages were sent, I sent a press message to the Associated Press, practically in the same words as I had sent to the companies, over my signature.
Those were the three first messages that were sent. After these messages were sent, we began sending in the names of the first­class passengers. This was by the Olympic on Monday evening. We got the first, and I think all the second off by the Olympic. Then we lost touch.
SENATOR SMITH: You lost touch?
MR. ROSTRON: We lost touch, yes.
SENATOR SMITH: When was that?
MR. ROSTRON: The hour I could not tell you. It was Tuesday morning some time, very early in the morning, between 1 and 2 I think.
SENATOR SMITH: How many operators did you have on the Carpathia?
MR. ROSTRON: One.
SENATOR SMITH: Was he in constant service from the time you received this first message from the Titanic?
MR. ROSTRON: He was constantly at his instrument, the whole time.
SENATOR SMITH: How old a man is he?
MR. ROSTRON: He is a young man. I should think he is about 25 years old.
SENATOR SMITH: Under whose employ?
MR. ROSTRON: The Marconi Co.
SENATOR SMITH: What is his name?
MR. ROSTRON: I can not tell you. I do not know his name.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you know, of your own knowledge, of the attempt of the President of the United States to communicate directly with your ship?
MR. ROSTRON: Absolutely not; nothing whatever of that.
SENATOR SMITH: I gather that there was no intention whatever of either ignoring his message­­
MR. ROSTRON: (interposing). My word, I hope not, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: (continuing). Or neglecting it?
MR. ROSTRON: Absolutely no intention of any such thing, sir. It never entered the minds of anyone.
SENATOR SMITH: And no one attempted in any way to put a censorship over the wireless service on your ship?
MR. ROSTRON: Absolutely no censorship whatever. I controlled the whole thing, through my orders. I said I placed official messages first. After they had gone, and the first press message, then the names of the passengers. After the names of the passengers and crew had been sent my orders were to send all private messages from the Titanic's passengers first in the order in which they were given in to the purser; no preference to any message.
SENATOR SMITH: You picked up a message from the Californian, did you not?
MR. ROSTRON: No; we did not pick up a message. Wait a minute. We knew the Californian was about, because the operator had told me he had heard the Californian reply to these signals. That is all.
