MR. BOXHALL: That is easier described than explained.
Mr. Boxhall explained on a diagram the meaning of the term referred to.
SENATOR BURTON: How near was the wireless station to the bridge?
MR. BOXHALL: The wireless station was in the after part of the officers' quarters, between the second and third funnels.
SENATOR BURTON: And to whom did you give the longitude and the latitude?
MR. BOXHALL: I took it in on a piece of paper, and the wireless operator had the receivers on his ears. It is the usual thing, whenever I go into a Marconi office, and the operators are busy listening, not to interrupt them. Whatever I have to say I write down.
SENATOR BURTON: You wrote it down and handed it to him?
MR. BOXHALL: Yes.
SENATOR BURTON: And he sent it immediately, did he?
MR. BOXHALL: I judge so.
SENATOR BURTON: How much did the Titanic draw at that time?
MR. BOXHALL: I could not say what the draft was when we left Southampton; probably 33 feet.
SENATOR BURTON: You are very positive you saw that ship ahead on the port bow, are you?
MR. BOXHALL: Yes, sir; quite positive.
SENATOR BURTON: Did you see the green or red light?
MR. BOXHALL: Yes; I saw the side lights with my naked eye.
SENATOR BURTON: When did you see them?
MR. BOXHALL: From our ship, before I left the ship. I saw this steamer's stern light before I went into my boat, which indicated that the ship had turned around. I saw a white light, and I could not see any of the masthead lights that I had seen previously, and I took it for a stern light.
SENATOR BURTON: Which light did you see first?
MR. BOXHALL: I saw the masthead lights first, the two steaming lights; and then, as she drew up closer, I saw her side lights through my glasses, and eventually I saw the red light. I had seen the green, but I saw the red most of the time. I saw the red light with my naked eye.
SENATOR BURTON: Did she pull away from you?
MR. BOXHALL: I do not know when she turned; I can not say when I missed the lights, because I was leaving the bridge to go and fire off some more of those distress rockets and attend to other duties.
SENATOR BURTON: Then your idea is that she was coming toward you on the port side.
MR. BOXHALL: Yes.
SENATOR BURTON: Because you saw the red light and the masthead lights?
MR. BOXHALL: Yes, sir.
SENATOR BURTON: Afterward you saw the green light, which showed that she had turned?
MR. BOXHALL: I think I saw the green light before I saw the red light, as a matter of fact. But the ship was meeting us. I am covering the whole thing by saying the ship was meeting us.
SENATOR BURTON: Your impression is she turned away, or turned on a different course.
MR. BOXHALL: That is my impression.
SENATOR BURTON: At a later time, when you were in the boat after it had been lowered, what light did you see?
MR. BOXHALL: I saw this single light, which I took to be her stern light, just before I went away in the boat, as near as I can say.
SENATOR BURTON: How long did you see this stern light?
MR. BOXHALL: I saw it until I pulled around the ship's stern. I had laid off a little while on the port side, on which side I was lowered, and then I afterwards pulled around the ship's stern, and, of course, then I lost the light and never saw it anymore.
SENATOR BURTON: Her course, as she came on, would have been nearer to your course; that is, your course was ahead, there, and she was coming in toward your course?
MR. BOXHALL: Yes, sir; she was slightly crossing it, evidently. I suppose she was turning around slowly.
SENATOR BURTON: Is it your idea that she turned away?
MR. BOXHALL: That is my idea, sir.
SENATOR BURTON: She kept on a general course toward the east, and then bore away from you, or what?
MR. BOXHALL: I do not think she was doing much steaming. I do not think the ship was steaming very much, because after I first saw the masthead lights she must have been still steaming, but by the time I saw her red light with my naked eye she was not steaming very much. So she had probably gotten into the ice, and turned around.
SENATOR BURTON: What do you think happened after she turned around? Do you think she went away to avoid the ice?
MR. BOXHALL: I do not know whether she stayed there all night, or what she did. I lost the light. I did not see her after we pulled around to the starboard side of the Titanic.
SENATOR BURTON: Then you lost track of her?
MR. BOXHALL: Yes.
SENATOR BURTON: And you saw her no more after that?
MR. BOXHALL: No, sir. As a matter of fact, Capt. Smith was standing by my side, and we both came to the conclusion that she was close enough to be signaled by the Morse lamp. So I signaled to her. I called her up, and got no answer. The captain said, "Tell him to come at once, we are sinking." So I sent that signal out, "Come at once, we are sinking."
SENATOR BURTON: And you kept firing up those rockets?
MR. BOXHALL: Then leaving off and firing rockets. There was a lot of stewards and men standing around the bridge and around the boat deck. Of course, there were quite a lot of them quite interested in this ship, looking from the bridge, and some said she had show a light in reply, but I never saw it. I even got the quartermaster who was working around with me ­ I do not know who he was ­ to fire off the distress signal, and I got him to also signal with the Morse lamp ­ that is just a series of dots with short intervals of lightwhilst I watched with a pair of glasses to see whether this man did answer, as some people said he had replied.
SENATOR BURTON: You saw nothing of the hull of the boat?
MR. BOXHALL: Oh, no; it was too dark. I have already stated, in answer to a question, how far this ship was away from us, that I thought she was about 5 miles, and I arrived at it this way. The masthead lights of a steamer are required by the board of trade regulations to show for 5 miles, and the signals are required to show for 2 miles.
SENATOR BURTON: You could see that distance on such a night as this?
MR. BOXHALL: I could see quite clearly.
SENATOR BURTON: You are very sure you are not deceived about seeing these lights?
MR. BOXHALL: Not at all.
SENATOR BURTON: You saw not only the mast light but the side lights.
MR. BOXHALL: I saw the side lights. Whatever ship she was she had beautiful lights. I think we could see her lights more than the regulation distance, but I do not think we could see them 14 miles.
Thereupon, at 7:10 p.m., the subcommittee adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, April 30, 1912 at 10 o'clock a.m.
