At 8 o'clock in the morning he hove in sight. This was at the wreck, and I left him when I returned to New York at 8:50, I think it was, when I put on full speed to come back. He was searching the vicinity of the wreckage, and I left for New York. The next day I got a message from the Californian saying: "Have searched position carefully up to noon and found nothing and seen no bodies."
SENATOR SMITH: Did your wireless work right up to the time you intended to use it last?
MR. ROSTRON: I do not follow your question, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did your wireless fail you at all?
MR. ROSTRON: Never. The only thing is that we were not fitted up with a long­distance installation. It is only a short­distance outfit, for what we call ship messages, and close to land stations.
SENATOR SMITH: How far can you communicate?
MR. ROSTRON: Under good conditions, 200 miles. We only reckon, under ordinary conditions, on 150 miles. Fog, mist, haze, snow, or any other unfavorable weather conditions make it so that we may not get more than 90 to 100 miles.
SENATOR SMITH: It was rather accidental, then, that you happened to be within the radius of your instrument when you got the Titanic?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes, we were only 58 miles away then.
SENATOR SMITH: It was providential?
MR. ROSTRON: The whole thing was absolutely providential. I will tell you this, that the wireless operator was in his cabin, at the time, not on official business at all, but just simply listening as he was undressing. He was unlacing his boots at the time. He had this apparatus on his ear, and the message came. That was the whole thing. In 10 minutes maybe he would have been in bed, and we would not have heard the message.
SENATOR SMITH: It was a very remarkable coincidence.
MR. ROSTRON: It was very remarkable, and, as I say, the whole thing was providential, as regards our being able to get there in time.
MR. UHLER: You could receive from a long distance, but you could not send a response?
MR. ROSTRON: We can always take from a long distance, yes.
MR. UHLER: You have a low­powered machine?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: From what you heard from the passengers or crew of the Titanic, do you know whether any of them saw the Titanic sink finally?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes; several of the passengers to whom I have spoken saw the ship sink.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you remember who they were?
MR. ROSTRON: I think Mrs. Thayer was one.
SENATOR SMITH: Mrs. J. B. Thayer?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes; and her son Jack; and Mrs. Wagner.
SENATOR SMITH: And Col. Gracie?
MR. ROSTRON: I do not remember. I do not know the names of any of the people who were saved. I never came across them.
SENATOR SMITH: You never talked with them?
MR. ROSTRON: I had no opportunity to do so.
SENATOR SMITH: You were kept very busy?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: Captain, how many more lifeboats could you accommodate on the Carpathia than you have now?
MR. ROSTRON: Under the present conditions, and of course if they were ordinary lifeboats, I do not believe we could take more than six, at the very outside. Of course, that is absolutely lumbering the deck up, as it is.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: It would be lumbering the deck up, and you would have only space for 26 in all?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: And that would lumber up the deck to some extent?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes. Not the passenger decks. It has nothing to do with the passenger decks. It would not lumber up the passenger decks. It would be deck space that is not utilized by passengers that would be lumbered up, not the promenade decks.
SENATOR NEWLANDS : I see. Would that additional number work much additional inconvenience upon that deck?
MR. ROSTRON: No; I do not think so.
SENATOR NEWLANDS : Take the case of the Titanic, whose tonnage was more than three times as great as that of the Carpathia, which had, I believe, the same number of lifeboats as the Carpathia?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes, sir.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: How many additional lifeboats could that vessel accommodate without inconvenience?
MR. ROSTRON: I have not the faintest idea, sir, what the Titanic was like. I believe she is a sister ship of the Olympic. I have seen the Olympic once, when she was at the end of our dock. I have no idea of her construction. That is all I have seen of her.
SENATOR NEWLANDS : You think she could accommodate considerably more, do you not?
MR. ROSTRON: If she could not accommodate them she could be made to accommodate them. If they build the ship knowing that she is only to carry 16 lifeboats, they will utilize the space otherwise.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: How do you account for the fact that the Board of Trade of England, as the size of these ships has increased, has not compelled an increase in the number of lifeboats? Your maximum, as I understand, is 20 boats, is it not?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes; I believe it is. But they have compelled a different construction of the ship itself. That is where the thing has come in.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: You regard each ship itself as a lifeboat?
MR. ROSTRON: Yes, sir.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: That expectation was not realized in the case of this ship?
MR. ROSTRON: It has been an abnormal experience as regards the Titanic?
SENATOR SMITH: Have you any kind of knowledge at all regarding the force of the impact which wrecked the Titanic?
MR. ROSTRON: I know nothing about it, sir. I have not asked any questions about this kind of business. I knew it was not my affair, and I had little desire to make any of the officers feel it any more than they did. Mind you, sir, there is only this: I know nothing, but I have heard rumors of different passengers; some will say one thing and some another. I would, therefore, rather say nothing. I do not know anything. From the officers I know nothing. I could give you silly rumors of passengers, but I know they are not reliable, from my own experience; so, if you will excuse me, I would prefer to say nothing.
SENATOR SMITH: I think that is all, Captain, and I want to thank you for your courtesy in appearing before the committee and giving us the information at your disposal.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: As to the equipment of these lifeboats, what are the requirements as to food and compass, and so on?
MR. ROSTRON: They are all supplied with compass, and with water breakers and with bread tanks.
MR. UHLER: And with mast and sail?
MR. ROSTRON: And with mast and sail.
MR. UHLER: And gear?
MR. ROSTRON: And all the necessary gear.
SENATOR NEWLANDS: Do you know whether those conditions were complied with with reference to these boats on the Titanic?
MR. ROSTRON: As far as I can see, yes. I can tell you this, that I saw myself both water and biscuits in the boats, not all, of course, but one or two where the men were working about, when we secured them. We put them on board our ship and we had to secure them and under certain conditions we had to come up against the boats and look into them, and there were two or three boats where I did see both water and bread in the boats; and all of the boats had the bread tanks. That I know for certain. And they also had water breakers.
SENATOR SMITH: We are very much obliged to you, Capt. Rostron.
MR. ROSTRON: You are quite welcome, sir. If there is anything further I can do, I shall be very glad.
SENATOR SMITH: After the recess, I should like to have Mr. Marconi appear before us for a few minutes.
MR. MARCONI: I shall be very glad to do so, Senator.
SENATOR SMITH: And the operator.
MR. GRIGGS: He will be here by 3 o'clock, Senator.
SENATOR SMITH: That is, the operator from the Carpathia. Also, the operator from the Titanic.
MR. GRIGGS: He is not able to come. I am afraid the committee will have to go to him.
MR. ROSTRON: Both his ankles and back are injured, although the last two days he was carried up into the Marconi operating room of the Carpathia to assist our operator all he could.
MR. A. J. HUGHES: Mr. Chairman, I want to make a brief statement. A statement has been made in the press with reference to myself, concerning which I wish to say this: I received a telegram:
Huntington, W.VA.
JAMES A HUGHES:
You are quoted in press reports declaring, following Mrs. Smith's story, that Ismay should be lynched. Please wire us, day press rate collect, 500 words, your view of Titanic disaster. THE ADVERTISER
To that I have sent this in reply:
HUNTINGTON ADVERTISER,
Huntington, W.VA.:
Press reports untrue. My daughter said nothing that would bring any such statement from me. I may have said, if investigation showed neglect of any officer, no punishment was too severe for him. Ismay was somewhat criticized by some for being among the men who were rescued. My daughter had no criticism of him. The press report will give full information as to details. Ismay gave what Senate committee considered a fair statement before the committee. He is subject to further call from the Senate committee. Captain of Carpathia before Senate committee testifying now. My daughter states all possible aid was given them by the captain on Carpathia and officers of Carpathia.
SENATOR SMITH: We will take a recess until 3 o'clock this afternoon.
Whereupon, at 1:20 o'clock p.m. a recess was taken until 3 o'clock p.m.
AFTERNOON SESSION
At the expiration of the recess the hearing was resumed.
SENATOR SMITH: The inquiry will now be resumed. I wish to ask Mr. Marconi a few questions.
STATEMENT OF MR. GUGLIELMO MARCONI.
SENATOR SMITH: Mr. Marconi, will you give the reporter your full name?
MR. MARCONI: Guglielmo Marconi.
SENATOR SMITH: State your place of residence, please.
MR. MARCONI: London, England.
SENATOR SMITH: Your vocation?
MR. MARCONI: Electrical engineer and chairman of the British Marconi Co.
SENATOR SMITH: As chairman of the British Marconi Co. have you men employed in wireless telegraphy?
MR. MARCONI: Yes; a great number.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you have one of your employees on the Carpathia?
MR. MARCONI: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: When she went to the rescue of the survivors of the Titanic?
MR. MARCONI: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What was his name?
MR. MARCONI: I believe it is Cottam. I only met this man last night. I do not know how his name is spelled exactly. Cottam, I think. He is here.
SENATOR SMITH: In the establishment of the wireless service on boats of that character, is it done under the direction of your company?
MR. MARCONI: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Is the operator responsible to your company?
MR. MARCONI: He is responsible in so far as the commercial work goes ­ as to accounting for messages and the general conducting of a commercial telegraphic service.
SENATOR SMITH: From whom does he receive instructions as to his hours of labor and his general work in that capacity aboard ship?
MR. MARCONI: From the captain, according to the exigencies of the service.
SENATOR SMITH: Have you any specific instructions that he is called upon to observe in the performance of his duty?
MR. MARCONI: Yes, there are numerous instructions which are general rules and regulations for expediting the traffic and for preventing interference with other ships.
SENATOR SMITH: Can you state briefly what those instructions are?
MR. MARCONI: They are, in the main, the same rules and regulations as are enacted by the International Convention on Wireless Telegraphy.
SENATOR SMITH: Known as the Berlin treaty?
MR. MARCONI: Known as the Berlin treaty, to which Great Britain is a party.
SENATOR SMITH: The United States is not yet a party?
MR. MARCONI: It is not yet effectively a party, I understand.
SENATOR SMITH: The regulations of the international convention are the basis of your regulations and instructions to your men?
MR. MARCONI: Yes; absolutely.
SENATOR SMITH: On shipboard must the operator take his instructions as to the hours of labor from the captain of the ship?
MR. MARCONI: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: Under these instructions are you required to have more than one operator on a ship making a voyage of this character?
MR. MARCONI: No ­ it depends. If the ship is a large one, usually two operators are supplied.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you mean the supplying of two operators depends upon the size of the ship or upon the character of the apparatus?
MR. MARCONI: I mean if it is a large ship like the Titanic, the Olympic, the Mauretania, or the Lusitania they always carry two operators, but the smaller ships of the class or size of the Carpathia carry one.
SENATOR SMITH: When you refer to large or small ships, do you refer to the matter of tonnage or to the matter of passenger room?
MR. MARCONI: I refer to the average number of passengers carried. The number carried or the number for whom accommodation is provided. We generally presume that a ship with large passenger accommodations will carry a great number of passengers.
SENATOR SMITH: Was any effort made, to your knowledge, to increase the number of operators on the Carpathia?
MR. MARCONI: It was not considered necessary, and the shipowners did not consider it necessary either so far as I am aware.
SENATOR SMITH: With what kind of wireless service or equipment is the Carpathia provided?
MR. MARCONI: The Carpathia is provided with an equipment which I should call a short­distance equipment; it is an apparatus which can transmit messages, under favorable circumstances, up to about 180 or 200 miles. On the average I should say the distance is about 100 miles.
SENATOR SMITH: Does this depend upon the weather or the sea?
MR. MARCONI: It depends on numerous circumstances. It depends on the state of space; not necessarily the apparent weather. It may be a very bad day and still the messages may go all right. It also depends to a large extent on the skill of the operator.
SENATOR SMITH: As to the distance within which communication may be effected?
MR. MARCONI: Yes. If he can adjust his transmitter to its best condition, approaching its greatest efficiency, he will effect communication at the greatest distance.
SENATOR SMITH: Referring to the equipment on the Carpathia, its maximum efficiency would be about 180 miles?
MR. MARCONI: I should say perhaps 200.
SENATOR SMITH: Two hundred miles?
MR. MARCONI: Sometimes perhaps more, but on very rare occasions.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know about the equipment of the Titanic?
MR. MARCONI: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: Was the Titanic equipped by your company?
MR. MARCONI: The Titanic was equipped by my company.
SENATOR SMITH: I wish you would describe the wireless equipment of the Titanic, stating the character of the apparatus and how modern and powerful it was.
