MR. BRIDE: It was in the vicinity of 5 o'clock. It may have been before or it may have been after that time.
SENATOR SMITH: And at that time you were figuring up your accounts?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And did not reply to the Californian for 30 minutes?
MR. BRIDE: I should not say it was 30 minutes. It was nearer 20 minutes.
SENATOR SMITH: And when you did reply, what information did you get?
MR. BRIDE: The Californian transmitted the ice report to the Baltic, and when the Baltic had acknowledged the Californian the receipt of the ice report I did the same.
SENATOR SMITH: Then the Californian, that had been trying to get you about 5 o'clock to give you these ice reports, was unable to give you directly a warning about the ice?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You got it through the Baltic?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir; I read it as it was being sent to the Baltic.
SENATOR SMITH: I understand; but I think the record shows that the message was sent out by the Californian on Sunday about 5 o'clock to the Titanic, or communication was undertaken with the Titanic about that time, to warn you of ice. Am I right?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: They were unable to do so because you did not respond promptly to their message?
MR. BRIDE: To the first call.
SENATOR SMITH: Whereupon the Californian got into communication with the Baltic?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And you picked up the message from the Californian to the Baltic?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: At what hour?
MR. BRIDE: I should say it would be about 20 minutes after the Californian had called me with the report.
SENATOR SMITH: What did that message say?
MR. BRIDE: It stated, as far as I can recollect it, that the Californian had just passed three large icebergs, and he gave the latitude and longitude.
SENATOR SMITH: Of his ship?
MR. BRIDE: Of the Californian, when she passed the icebergs.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you recollect the position of the Californian?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: When you received that message did you take it to the bridge?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: To whom did you deliver it?
MR. BRIDE: To the officer on watch, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know who that officer was?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Was it Mr. Murdock?
MR. BRIDE: I could not say who it was.
SENATOR SMITH: Was it the captain?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You are positive you delivered it?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: In person?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Who took it, Phillips or yourself?
MR. BRIDE: I took it myself, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you receive any other messages on Sunday warning the Titanic of ice?
MR. BRIDE: Not to my knowledge, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: I believe you do not recollect having received anything from the Amerika?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know whether the captain was on the bridge when you delivered that message?
MR. BRIDE: I did not see him on the bridge when I delivered that message.
SENATOR SMITH: Now let us fix exactly the first message you received after you sent out your first C.Q.D. call. What was the first reply you received?
MR. BRIDE: The first reply we received was from the Frankfurt.
SENATOR SMITH: Of the North German Lloyd Line?
MR. BRIDE: I could not say what company she belonged to.
SENATOR SMITH: Was that an immediate reply?
MR. BRIDE: I should think so, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did the Frankfurt give her position?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You are positive of that?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you or did Mr. Phillips take the Frankfurt message?
MR. BRIDE: Mr. Phillips.
SENATOR SMITH: Were you present at the time?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What was the reply?
MR. BRIDE: Mr. Phillips told me to write in the log the result of the replies as he told me, and the reply was "O.K. Stand by." That was the reply the Frankfurt gave to our C.Q.D. and position.
SENATOR SMITH: What is the meaning of "Stand by"?
MR. BRIDE: It tells you that he has not finished corresponding with you.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you infer from that that he had not enough information?
MR. BRIDE: You infer from "Stand by" that he is going to report, or he is getting something for you, and he will call you again in a minute or so.
SENATOR SMITH: Does that mean, "Hold on; I will talk with you later"?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he talk with you later?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What did he say?
MR. BRIDE: He said: "What is the matter?"
SENATOR SMITH: And that is all. I do not think I shall ask you to repeat what you said to him. You do not wish to change it, as I understand. You did not hear from him again. What ship did you next hear from?
MR. BRIDE: The Carpathia, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How long after this last message from the Frankfurt?
MR. BRIDE: Mr. Phillips just called "C.Q.D.," and gave our position and the Carpathia responded immediately.
SENATOR SMITH: At that time you did not know, and you do not know now, how far the Frankfurt was from you?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did the Carpathia give her position?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: With the first response to the C.Q.D.?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir; we waited about two minutes for the Carpathia's position.
SENATOR SMITH: What did the Carpathia say in response to the C.Q.D. call?
MR. BRIDE: Mr. Phillips told her we were sinking fast, and to report it.
SENATOR SMITH: When the Carpathia replied to this, what did she do? Did she give you her position?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Anything further?
MR. BRIDE: She said she was coming to our assistance full speed, or words to that effect.
SENATOR SMITH: After that did you have any communication with any other ship?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Except the Carpathia?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir; with the Olympic and the Baltic.
SENATOR SMITH: I believe you said they gave you their positions?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: I have forgotten whether you recalled them or not.
MR. BRIDE: I do not recall them.
SENATOR SMITH: At that time did you know, or did you have any means of knowing, or were you advised by the captain or anyone else, which one of these ships was in closest proximity to the Titanic?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir. We were told that the Carpathia was the nearer; but the captain did not express any opinion on the Frankfurt, because he had not got their position. It was Mr. Phillips who expressed the opinion that the Frankfurt was nearer, and he was judging by the relative strength of the signals.
SENATOR SMITH: How do you account for the fact that the Titanic was not in communication with the Californian after about 5 o'clock Sunday afternoon?
MR. BRIDE: The Titanic had not been in communication with the Californian because there was no necessity for it.
SENATOR SMITH: How do you account for the fact that the Californian did not receive the C.Q.D. call?
MR. BRIDE: The operator might not have been on watch.
SENATOR SMITH: If the operator had been on watch on the Californian, and the Californian was only 19 miles away, and your C.Q.D. call had been received, the entire situation might have been different?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Mr. Bride, did you receive or did Mr. Phillips to your knowledge receive, a wireless message from the Californian at 11:15, ship's time, or about 10 o'clock New York time, Sunday evening, saying "Engines stopped. We are surrounded by ice"? Now, think hard on that, because I want to know whether you took that message.
MR. BRIDE: Mr. Phillips was on watch at the time.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know whether he received a message of that kind?
MR. BRIDE: He did not say so, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And you have no means of knowing?
The witness did not answer.
SENATOR FLETCHER: What do you mean by saying there was no necessity for keeping in communication with the Californian?
MR. BRIDE: If the Californian had anything for us he would call us, or if we had anything for the Californian we would call him; and there was no necessity for us to call the Californian unless we had business with him, or vice versa, because it would then interrupt other traffic.
SENATOR FLETCHER: The Californian said he was endeavoring to communicate with you and you stopped him and said he was jamming. Do you know about that?
MR. BRIDE: No; the chances are he might have been jamming during the evening, when the senior operator was working Cape Race.
SENATOR FLETCHER: But you can not say that you on the Titanic knew of all that he was endeavoring to communicate?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know whether when this message or communication was attempted at 10 o'clock New York time, Sunday night, saying that the engines had stopped and they were surrounded by ice, the Californian operator was told "Keep out; am working Cape Race."
MR. BRIDE: I heard nothing about it at all, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Would Mr. Phillips have made a memorandum of such a message if he had received it?
MR. BRIDE: He would have if the Californian had persisted in sending it.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you ever see any record of that kind?
MR. BRIDE: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: The records of the Titanic are all lost?
MR. BRIDE: I had a glance at the log for that evening as I was writing it up at the time of the disaster.
SENATOR SMITH: At the time of the disaster?
MR. BRIDE: But I can not recollect any communication with the Californian having been noted down.
SENATOR SMITH: After 5 o'clock?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: The Californian's log shows that they sent that message to the Titanic at 11:15 ship's time, or 10 o'clock New York time.
MR. BRIDE: I may have overlooked it.
SENATOR SMITH: If you had heard such a message as that you would have regarded it as important, would you not?
MR. BRIDE: I should have taken it myself; yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Were you working Cape Race, or was Phillips, to your knowledge, just before the collision with the iceberg?
MR. BRIDE: As far as I recollect Phillips had finished working with Cape Race 10 minutes before the collision with the iceberg. He made mention of the fact when I turned out.
SENATOR SMITH: I think you told me the other day in New York the time that elapsed after the collision or impact before you sent the C.Q.D. call out. I want to be sure I have it, so I am asking it again.
MR. BRIDE: I could not call it to mind, now, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: What is your best recollection?
MR. BRIDE: My best recollection would be somewhere in the vicinity of 10 minutes, sir, because Mr. Phillips and I were discussing one or two things before the captain came and told us to call for assistance.
SENATOR SMITH: What were you discussing?
MR. BRIDE: We were discussing what Mr. Phillips thought had happened to the ship and the working of Cape Race.
SENATOR SMITH: Did the captain come personally?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: To the operating room?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And he told you or told Phillips to send this call out?
MR. BRIDE: He told Phillips to send the call out.
SENATOR SMITH: And he came frequently to your operating room after that and urged you to send out the C.Q.D. again?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you recollect the captain of the Carpathia testifying the other day that he got your C.Q.D. call at 10:45, New York time?
MR. BRIDE: I did not hear that, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Assuming that you got into immediate communication with the Carpathia when you sent out your C.Q.D. call, the message would have been completed in an instant, would it not?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: If this collision occurred at 9:50 New York time, and the Carpathia received your C.Q.D. call at 10:25, New York time, considerable time had elapsed between the time you sent out your call and the time it was received?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How do you account for that?
MR. BRIDE: Maybe it was a difference between the clocks of the two ships.
SENATOR SMITH: You mean that the time may have been set back on one and not on the other?
MR. BRIDE: That is New York time you are talking about?
SENATOR SMITH: I am talking about New York time.
MR. BRIDE: You see, on these ships each operator has a clock for the purpose of keeping New York time and Greenwich time on the way across.
SENATOR SMITH: I will read what the captain says, and see if we can work this out: Capt. Rostron said:
At 12:35 a.m. on Monday I was informed of the urgent distress signal from the Titanic.
Question: By whom?
CAPT. ROSTRON: By our wireless operator, and also by the first officer.
The wireless operator had taken the message and run with it up to the bridge, and gave it to the first officer who was in charge, with a junior officer with him, and both ran down the ladder to my door and called me. I had only just turned in. It was an urgent distress signal from the Titanic, requiring immediate assistance, and giving me his position.
The position of the Titanic at the time was 41-degrees 46-minutes north, 50-degrees 14-minutes west. I can not give you our correct position.
Question: Did you give the hour?
CAPT. ROSTRON: Yes, 12:35; that was our apparent time. I can give you the New York time if you would rather have it?
Question: Yes, please do so.
CAPT. ROSTRON: The New York time at 12:35 was 10:45 p.m. Sunday night.
Immediately on getting the message, I gave the order to turn the ship around and immediately I had given that order I asked the operator if he was absolutely sure it was a distress signal from the Titanic. I asked him twice.
Assuming that the message was received a few moments before it was handed to the captain ­ and they seem to have responded very promptly ­ they did not get your message until 10:45 New York time, or 12:35 ship's time. Fifty­five minutes elapsed between the time you say you gave the signal and the time Capt. Rostron says he received it.
MR. BRIDE: There must be a mistake in the time somewhere.
SENATOR SMITH: I wish you would think hard and see if you can straighten that out in some way. I do not like to leave that discrepancy.
MR. BRIDE: I have no recollection of the times these various incidents took place, but I can give you a fairly good estimate of the times between the incidents.
SENATOR SMITH: No; but you have fixed as best you could the interval between the time of the collision and the time the captain came to your room and told you to send out the C.Q.D. call?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You have fixed that, to the best of your recollection, as 10 minutes?
MR. BRIDE: Yes, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: But there is a wide discrepancy. We are all agreed as to the hour when the collision took place, but there is a discrepancy of 55 minutes between the time of the collision and the time the wireless message was received on the Carpathia.
