MR. FRANKLIN: That particular telegram was read in evidence the first day in Washington, and is in your possession. It was yesterday a week ago here in Washington, and the telegram is in your possession, with the telegraph company's stamp on it, with the date.
SENATOR SMITH: It will not take long, and I think I would like to have you read them, inasmuch as they came from you.
MR. ISMAY: Yes, sir; I will do so. This is a message I sent on April 15:
Deeply regret advise you Titanic sank this morning after collision with iceberg, resulting serious loss life. Full particulars later.
That message was signed "Bruce Ismay." The next one I sent, but I do not know the date of it, but presumably it was received by Mr. Franklin on the 17th of April at 9 a.m. I wired:
Very important you should hold Cedric daylight Friday for Titanic's crew. Answer. YAMSI.
This is a message sent by Mr. Franklin to me on April 17, 1912, at 3:30 p.m.:
So thankful you are saved, but grieving with you over terrible calamity. Shall sail Saturday to return with you. Florence.
That was from my wife and was forwarded to me by Mr. Franklin, who said:
Accept my deepest sympathy horrible catastrophe. Will meet you aboard Carpathia after docking. Is Widener aboard?
SENATOR SMITH: Who signed that?
MR. ISMAY: That was signed "Franklin." This is a message I sent. I have not the date of it, but it was received by Mr. Franklin on April 17, 1912, at 5:20 p.m.:
Most desirable Titanic crew aboard Carpathia should be returned home earliest moment possible. Suggest you hold Cedric, sailing her daylight Friday, unless you see any reason contrary. Propose returning in her myself. Please send outfit of clothes, including shoes, for me to Cedric. Have nothing of my own. Please reply. YAMSI.
This is a message I received from Mr. Franklin, which was dispatched by wire on the 17th of April, 1912, at 8 p.m.:
Have arranged forward crew Lapland, sailing Saturday, calling Plymouth. We all consider most unwise delay Cedric, considering all circumstances. Franklin.
This is a message I sent­­
SENATOR SMITH: [interposing]. What time was that message?
MR. ISMAY: Mr. Franklin sent that at 8 p.m., April 17th. I have no record of the time I received them.
SENATOR SMITH: That was Wednesday evening?
MR. ISMAY: Wednesday.
SENATOR SMITH: At 8 p.m.?
MR. ISMAY: Yes, sir. I sent a message which was received by Mr. Franklin on the 18th of April, at 5:35 a.m., as follows:
Send responsible ship officer and 14 White Star sailors in two tugboats to take charge of 13 Titanic boats at quarantine. YAMSI.
That message I sent at the request of the captain of the Carpathia, who told him it would be impossible to dock the ship with these lifeboats on deck. He was all hampered up, and would not be able to handle his ropes and what not. I drew up that message and showed it to the captain and asked if that would answer the purpose, and he said "Yes," and I gave it to him, and he sent it, I presume. I telegraphed Mr. Franklin, or marconied him, and he received it on the 18th of April, 1912, at 5:35 a.m.:
Please join Carpathia quarantine if possible.
I sent a further message, which was received by Mr. Franklin on April 18, 1912, at 8:00 a.m., as follows:
Very important you should hold Cedric daylight Friday for Titanic crew. Reply. YAMSI.
I sent a further message, which was received by Mr. Franklin on April 18, 1912, at 8:23 a.m.:
Think most unwise keep Titanic crew until Saturday. Strongly urge detain Cedric sailing her midnight, if desirable.
I sent another message, which was received by Mr. Franklin on April 18, 1912, at 8:44 a.m.:
Unless you have good and substantial reason for not holding Cedric, please arrange do so. Most undesirable have crew New York so long.
This is a message which Mr. Franklin dispatched to me on the 18th of April 1912, at 4:45 p.m., and which I received when the Carpathia got alongside the dock in New York, which was handed to me in the room:
Concise marconigram account of actual accident greatly needed for enlightenment public and ourselves. This most important. FRANKLIN.
SENATOR SMITH: What time was that?
MR. ISMAY: It was sent by Mr. Franklin on the 18th of April, at 4:45 p.m.
SENATOR SMITH: That was the day you reached New York?
MR. ISMAY: I received it, I presume, about 9 o'clock that night, when we were alongside the dock.
Then I sent this message to Mr. Franklin, which he received on April 18, 1912, at 5:38 p.m.:
Widener not aboard. Hope to see you quarantine. Please cable wife am returning Cedric. YAMSI.
That is a copy of every message I sent and every message I received and I had absolutely no communication with any other ship or any shore station, or with anyone.
SENATOR SMITH: Judging from the messages, it was your intention to return the night you landed, if possible, to Liverpool?
MR. ISMAY: Yes, sir. At that time, you understand, I had not the slightest idea there was going to be any investigation of this sort.
SENATOR SMITH: When did you first learn of the investigation?
MR. ISMAY: Five minutes before I saw you, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Who informed you?
MR. ISMAY: Mr. Franklin. I think you came on board the ship with him, did you not, or about the same time?
SENATOR SMITH: I followed very shortly.
MR. ISMAY: That is the first information I had that there was going to be any investigation.
SENATOR SMITH: The committee has before it a special number of The Shipbuilder, volume 6, midsummer, 1911. This, presumably, has been examined by your engineer. Do you know whether the committee can accept this article as a correct general description of the Titanic?
MR. ISMAY: I can not say, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: You are not yourself personally familiar with it?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir. We will be pleased to give you any drawings which you may wish to have of any part of the ship. Any information you want is absolutely at your disposal, if you will simply give us an indication of what you want ­ all drawings and plans, and in every incidental and detail.
SENATOR SMITH: Some little confusion has arisen over your statement in your testimony as to the number of revolutions made by the Titanic. I understood you to say that at certain times she made 70 revolutions, at another time 75, and, finally, 80. Am I incorrect?
MR. ISMAY: Yes, sir; I do not think I said that. If I did, I had no intention of doing so.
SENATOR SMITH: How would you wish to be understood on that matter?
MR. ISMAY: My recollection is that between Southampton and Cherbourg we ran at 60 revolutions, from Cherbourg to Queenstown at 70 revolutions, and when we left Queenstown we were running at 72 revolutions, and I believe that the ship was worked up to 75 revolutions, but I really have no accurate knowledge of that.
SENATOR SMITH: How many knots per hour would that indicate at her maximum speed?
MR. ISMAY: I could not tell you that, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: How many knots per hour?
MR. ISMAY: The whole thing has been absolutely worked out.
SENATOR SMITH: But your yourself are unable to answer?
MR. ISMAY: Yes; that has all been worked out, the speed of the ship has been worked out at a certain number of revolutions. Her speed would depend absolutely on the slip, as I understand.
SENATOR SMITH: Was she running at her maximum speed at the time she was making 75 revolutions?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir. My understanding is, or I am told ­ because I really have no technical knowledge ­ that the engines were balanced, and would run their best, at 78 revolutions. They were built for 78 revolutions.
SENATOR SMITH: How many knots per hour would that indicate her speed to be?
MR. ISMAY: I heard one gentleman here on the stand say that he expected the ship to go 25 knots, sir. All that we expected the Titanic to do was to have the same speed as the Olympic.
SENATOR SMITH: You were not looking for any greater speed, and were not crowding her for that purpose?
MR. ISMAY: We did not expect the ship to make any better speed than the Olympic; no sir.
SENATOR SMITH: And you wish to be understood as saying that she was not going at her maximum speed at the time this accident occurred?
MR. ISMAY: To the best of my knowledge, the ship was not going at full speed. I think if you will refer to my testimony which I gave to you on Friday, you will find I then stated that, assuming all the conditions were absolutely favorable, the intention was to have a run­out of the ship on either Monday or Tuesday, at full speed, assuming that everything was satisfactory.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you have any talk with the captain with reference to the speed of the ship?
MR. ISMAY: Never, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you, at any time, urge him to greater speed?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know of any one who urged him to greater speed than he was making when the ship was making 70 revolutions?
MR. ISMAY: It is really impossible to imagine such a thing on board ship.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you, in your position of general manager of this company, undertake in any way to influence or direct the management of that ship, from the time she left Southampton until the time of the accident?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir; I did not. The matter would be entirely out of my province.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know, of your own knowledge, whether the usual stability investigations were completed and curves of stability furnished the White Star Line?
MR. ISMAY: Yes; I believe that the ship was tested when she was in Southampton; I forget the proper word for it ­ inclined.
SENATOR SMITH: She was inclined?
MR. ISMAY: She was inclined.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know who made those tests?
MR. ISMAY: Harland and Wolff's representatives; I do not know who. I believe Mr. Andrews himself was there.
SENATOR SMITH: That is not a part of the tests that are made by the British Board of Trade?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: I believe you stated, in your testimony given the other day, a conversation with Mr. Charles M. Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Railway.
MR. ISMAY: I very often talked to Mr. Hays on board the ship.
SENATOR SMITH: From whom did Mr. Hays receive the assurance, after the accident, that the Titanic was good for 10 hours, in any event?
MR. ISMAY: I have no idea, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: He did not receive any such assurance from you?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Nor did not receive any such assurance from the captain?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you hear any reports made to the captain regarding the extent of the damage?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir; I did not.
SENATOR SMITH: Or the water that had entered the vessel?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir; I did not.
SENATOR SMITH: And the captain made no report to you?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: When you were on the bridge with the captain, after the accident, did he say anything to you abut her condition at that time?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir; as I told you on Friday, when I went up to ask him what had happened, he told me we had struck an iceberg, and I asked him whether he thought the matter was serious, and he said he thought it was.
SENATOR SMITH: That was the first intimation you had?
MR. ISMAY: That was the first intimation I had.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you hear any order given to call the passengers?
MR. ISMAY: I did not, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Or any other alarm?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Did the chief engineer of the Titanic state to you the extent of the damage?
MR. ISMAY: He said that he thought the damage was serious; that he hoped the pumps would be able to control the water.
SENATOR SMITH: How long was that after the impact?
MR. ISMAY: I should think it would be perhaps a half an hour afterwards; 35 or 40 minutes.
SENATOR SMITH: Did you give any instructions to either the captain or the chief engineer of the Titanic, either before or after the catastrophe?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know in what manner the officers of the Titanic were selected?
MR. ISMAY: The officers of the Titanic would be appointed by our marine superintendent.
SENATOR SMITH: Does that include all of the officers? Does that include the captain?
MR. ISMAY: No; not the captain.
SENATOR SMITH: Was he the first commander of the Olympic?
MR. ISMAY: Yes.
SENATOR SMITH: It was rather a custom, was it not, that had grown up among the officers of your company to put Capt. Smith in command of your new vessels as they appeared from time to time?
MR. ISMAY: I think Capt. Smith had brought out a great number of our new ships. I think he brought out the Adriatic. I am not sure that he did not bring out the Baltic. He was looked upon as our senior commander.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know whether he had any serious trouble in the management of your ships previous to this calamity?
MR. ISMAY: Do you mean to say serious accident?
SENATOR SMITH: Yes.
MR. ISMAY: Capt. Smith was a man who had a very, very clear record. I should think very few commanders crossing the Atlantic have as good a record as Capt. Smith had, until he had the unfortunate collision with the Hawk.
SENATOR SMITH: With the Hawk?
MR. ISMAY: The collision between the Olympic and the Hawk.
SENATOR SMITH: When did that occur?
MR. ISMAY: It was in either August or September of last year.
SENATOR SMITH: And where?
MR. ISMAY: In the Solent.
SENATOR SMITH: Where?
MR. ISMAY: In the Solent; down by the Isle of Wight.
SENATOR SMITH: Do you know whether he at any time had had any accidents to his ships in the North Atlantic?
MR. ISMAY: Not that I remember, sir. I think he had an exceptionally clear record.
SENATOR SMITH: Did the collision which occurred between the Olympic and the Hawk in any way shake your confidence in Capt. Smith?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir.
SENATOR SMITH: If it had, he would probably not have been appointed as commander of the Titanic?
MR. ISMAY: Quite true.
SENATOR SMITH: Who was the chief engineer of the Titanic?
MR. ISMAY: Mr. Bell.
SENATOR SMITH: Did he survive?
MR. ISMAY: No, sir; he did not.
SENATOR SMITH: Did any of the engineers survive?
MR. ISMAY: I do not think a single engineer officer survived.
SENATOR SMITH: What was Mr. Bell's experience; I mean, what experience had he had as chief engineer?
MR. ISMAY: He had had a very long experience, and he was an extremely good man. He was with the Olympic practically during the whole term of her construction.
