by Nic Compton
The lifeboat requirements are based on the tonnage of the ship. The Titanic had more boats than were necessary by the Board of Trade regulations.
The design for lifeboats would be submitted to us by the shipbuilders. I never saw any design which showed the Titanic fitted up for forty boats, and I do not know that anybody connected with the White Star Line saw such a design. I have no recollection of seeing any such design.
The position was taken up that the ship was looked upon as practically unsinkable; she was looked upon as being a lifeboat in herself. This was due to the bulkheads and the power of flotation she had in case of accident. We carried lifeboats because we might have to use them to pick up a crew from another ship. Or landing passengers, in the case of the ship going ashore. Or if the passengers had to leave the ship on account of fire.
Alfred Young – Professional Member, Board of Trade
It occurred to me that it is manifestly impracticable to provide boats sufficient in number and capacity to accommodate the entire number of passengers and crew that the modern large liner can carry. What avail would a large number of boats be if there were not enough deckhands to properly tend them when launched in an emergency? Taking it for granted that a considerable number of persons must be excluded from the boats under any circumstances, what we have to do apparently is to seek for a number of boats which will afford an assurance of safety to the travelling public.
‘The weather was very pleasant. There was very little wind’
Arthur Peuchen – First Class Passenger
The day was fine. Shortly after leaving our pier, our wash or suction caused some trouble at the head of the pier that we were going around, at which there were two or three boats of the same company as ours. There was excitement on the wharves when the larger ship commenced to snap one or two of her moorings. But I do not think there was any accident.
The smaller boat, I think, was the New York. She drifted away, not being under steam and having no control of herself. The result was that she was helpless. At first she drifted to our stern, and then afterwards she drifted along and got very near our bows. I think we stopped our boat and we were simply standing still. They got a tug or two to take hold of the New York and they moved her out of harm’s way. I should think we were delayed probably three-quarters of an hour by this trouble. Then we moved out of the harbour.
The weather up to the time of Sunday was pleasant. There was very little wind; it was quite calm. Everything seemed to be running very smoothly on the steamer, and there was nothing that occurred. In fact, it was a very pleasant voyage up to Sunday evening. We were all pleased with the way the new steamer was progressing and we had hopes of arriving in New York quite early on Wednesday morning.
Bruce Ismay – Managing Director, IMM
The Titanic left Southampton at 12 o’clock on Wednesday the tenth of April. She arrived in Cherbourg that evening, having run over at 68 revolutions. We left Cherbourg and proceeded to Queenstown. We arrived there, I think, about midday on Thursday. We ran from Cherbourg to Queenstown at 70 revolutions. After embarking the mails and passengers, we proceeded at 70 revolutions. I am not absolutely clear what the first day’s run was, whether it was 464 miles or 484 miles.
The second day the number of revolutions was increased. I think the number of revolutions on the second day was about 72, and I think we ran 519 miles. The third day the revolutions were increased to 75, and I think we ran 546 or 549 miles. The weather during this time was absolutely fine, with the exception, I think, of about ten minutes’ fog one evening.
Harold Lowe – Fifth Officer
The service of the junior officers was pretty well general; to do anything we were told to do. We worked out things; worked out the odds and ends, and then submitted them to the senior officer. We are there to do the navigating part so the senior officer can be and shall be in full charge of the bridge and have nothing to worry his head about. We have all that, the junior officers; there are four of us. The three senior officers are in absolute charge of the boat. They simply have to walk backward and forward and look after the ship, and we do all the figuring and all that sort of thing in our chart room. They have nothing to worry themselves about.
We have the log every two hours, and we are all the time navigating. We do not take observations once a day; we perhaps take 25 or 30 observations a day. The quartermaster takes the log. We ring him up, and we see how she is doing with the revolutions, whether she is going faster or going slower; and you will find a corresponding difference in the log. You send it in with the chit.c
We were working out a slip table, to see how many turns of the engine it would require to do so many knots. It is a table based upon so many revolutions of engines and so much per cent slip; and you work that out, and that gives you so many miles per hour. This table extended from the rate of 30 revolutions a minute to the rate of 85 and from a percentage of 10 to 40 per cent slip; that is, minus.
I was told that Mr Ismay was on board, and two or three more, but I do not know who they were; and some of Messrs Harland & Wolff’s people. I would not know them if I did see them, because I am a stranger in this part. You must remember this is my first voyage across here, and I do not know.
Bruce Ismay – Managing Director, IMM
I had no business to bring me to New York at all. I simply came in the natural course of events, as one is apt to in the case of a new ship, to see how she works, and with the idea of seeing how we could improve on her for the next ship which we are building in Belfast. I was there to inspect the ship and see if there were any defects in her, with the idea of not repeating them in the other ship. And to observe the ship.
My quarters were on B deck, just aft of the main companionway. The sun deck is the upper deck of all. Then we have what we call the A deck, which is the next deck, and then the B deck. I was never outside the First Class passenger accommodations on board the ship. I never went in any part of that ship that any other First Class passenger had not a perfect right to go to. I intended to go around the ship before we arrived at New York.
The only time the captain dined with me was on Friday night. He left us immediately after dinner. I went into my own room with the people who were dining with me, and we sat in my room and played bridge. But I never saw the captain after we left the restaurant. He never came near my room.
So far as the navigation of the ship was concerned, I looked upon myself simply as an ordinary passenger. I did not pay my fare. But I think if I had crossed on any other ship going across the Atlantic, I should have travelled exactly on the same terms.
‘You could smell the ice’
George Turnbull – Deputy Manager, Marconi International
Message sent by La Caronia on 14 April at 7.10am [9am ship’s time]:
‘Captain, Titanic. West-bound steamers report bergs, growlers, and field ice in 42° N, from 49° to 51° W. April 12. Compliments. Barr.’
Message sent by Titanic on 14 April at 1.26pm:
‘Captain, Caronia. Thanks for message and information. Have had variable weather throughout. Smith.’
Harold Bride – Assistant Telegraphist
On Sunday, Mr Phillips and myself had had a deal of trouble, owing to the leads from the secondary of the transformers having burnt through inside the casing and made contact with certain iron bolts holding the woodwork and frame together, thereby earthing the power to a great extent. After binding these leads with rubber tape, we once more had the apparatus in perfect working order, but not before we had put in nearly six hours’ work.
Owing to this trouble, I had promised to relieve Mr Phillips on the following night at midnight instead of the usual time, two o’clock, as he seemed very tired. Usually Mr Phillips started the watch at eight o’clock at night, and he remained on watch until two o’clock in the morning. I kept the watch from two o’clock to eight o’clock in the morning. During the day, we relieved each other to suit each other’s convenience, but a constant watch was kept.
There may be messages from passengers on other ships, there may be master’s service messages, or there may be franked messages from the office, or from the captain of another ship to our captain. Master’s service messages deal with the navigation of the ship, and anything relating to the shipping company. They are free between ship and ship. If Captain Smith was sending a message to a passenger it would go free of charge, because the Marconi Company allow the captain and the officers of the ship a grant of so many words free of charge.
To send a message, the passenger goes to the purser’s office, is handed a form, and writes down his telegram. The purser charges him for it, and, incidentally, it works back to the Marconi Company. The money is paid to the purser on the majority of ships. In the case of the Titanic, the message was sent up by a pneumatic tube to our office.
A message to the captain is written on a piece of paper and enclosed in an envelope. We are close to the captain on the Titanic. It is our duty to ascertain, somehow or other, that the message is delivered to the captain; to give it to a responsible man, such as the captain’s steward, or take it ourselves.
I am paid by the Marconi Company. I am paid a fixed salary of £4 a month by Marconi and £2 2s 6d a month by the White Star Line.
Charles Lightoller – Second Officer
Captain Smith came on the bridge during the time that I was relieving First Officer Mr Murdoch. In his hands he had a wireless message, a Marconigram. He came across the bridge, and holding it in his hands told me to read it. It was about 12.45 as near as I can remember. The actual wording of the message I do not remember, and I cannot remember the ship it came from.d But it had reference to ice.
That is the first information about ice I have any recollection of.
I particularly made a mental note of the meridians: 49 to 51 W. I did not calculate exactly how far from the ice we were at that time. I ran it roughly off in my mind – the degrees of longitude. We take very little notice of the latitude because it conveys very little with regard to ice; ice tends to set north and south, so you cannot rely on latitude. I roughly figured out we would be there at about half past nine. I knew that we should not be in the vicinity of the ice before I came on deck again.
When Mr Murdoch came back from lunch, I mentioned the ice to him. I really could not say whether it was fresh news to him or not; I should judge that it would have been, but I really could not say from his expression – not from what I remember.
The weather was perfectly clear and fine, the sea comparatively smooth. There was not a cloud in the sky. No moon. I cannot remember the compass course, but I know from calculations made afterwards that we were making S 86 W true.ef
As far as I could tell, her speed was normal. Full speed. We were steaming, as near as I can tell from what I remember of the revolutions – I believe they were 75 – and I think that works out at about 21½ knots. As a rule, at the end of the watch, the junior officer rings up the engine room and obtains the average revolutions for the preceding watch. It is entered up in the log book, and anyone who wishes to know can merely ask and the information is given him. I could not say where I got that from, but it is in my mind that it was about 75 revolutions. On one occasion I have a recollection of one side turning 76, not necessarily both sides though.
Frederick Barrett – Leading Fireman
The first two days when she left Southampton, there were nine boilers out. The next two days, there were eight not lit. On Sunday, there were five not lit.
75 revolutions was my order. I got the order on Saturday. The second engineer gives orders to me of the revolutions he wants, and I pass the word to all my other men. They ring through on the telephone. I could not tell you whether we reached 75 because it is a long way to walk – I never used the passage to the engine room. But I heard no complaints.
There were two or three main boilers lit up on the Sunday morning, but I could not tell you whether they were connected with the others or not. When you light a boiler up, it will take 12 hours before you can connect it with the others to get steam on. Those two or three were lit up in No 2 section on the Sunday morning, as near as I could say, eight o’clock in the morning. My other leading hand, Ferris, is in charge of that section and he told me this when he came by.
Henry Stengel – First Class Passenger
As is usual in these voyages, there were pools made to bet on the speed that the boat would make. On Sunday, after the whistle blew, the people who had bet went to the smoking room, and came out and reported she had made 546 miles. I figured then that, at 24 hours a day, we had made 22¾ knots. But I was told I was mistaken; that I should have figured 25 hours, on account of the elapsed time, which made it almost 22 knots. At the same time a report came from the engine room that the engines were turning three revolutions faster than at any time on the voyage.
Charles Hendrickson – Leading Fireman
The ship was travelling at 21 knots. I know because of the revolutions she was turning; they were 76 revolutions. The second engineer told me. I made it my business to find out.
Bruce Ismay – Managing Director, IMM
I understand it has been stated that the ship was going at full speed. The ship never had been at full speed. The full speed of the ship is 78 revolutions. So far as I am aware, she never exceeded 75 revolutions. She had not all her boilers on. None of the single-ended boilers were on. It was our intention, if we had fine weather on Monday afternoon or Tuesday, to drive the ship at full speed.
I heard one gentleman say that he expected the ship to go 25 knots. All that we expected the Titanic to do was to have the same speed as the Olympic. I should call the Olympic a good 22-knot ship. She can do better under very favourable circumstances. I think she can work up to 22½ or perhaps 22¾ as a maximum. We did not expect the Titanic to make any better speed than that.
I had no conversation with the captain with regard to speed or any point of navigation whatever. Or as to the time of landing. I was never in the captain’s room the whole voyage over, and the captain was never in my room. I never had any conversation with the captain except casual conversation on the deck.
The only man I spoke to in regard to it was the chief engineer, Mr Bell, when the ship was at anchor in Queenstown Harbour. The reason we discussed it at Queenstown was this, that Mr Bell came into my room; I wanted to know how much coal we had on board the ship, because the ship left after the coal strike was on, and he told me. We only had 6,000 tons of coal leaving Southampton; sufficient to enable her to reach New York, with about two days’ spare consumption. The ship’s consumption was 820 tons on the day, depending on whether you were going east or west. If you are going west, your day is 24 hours, and if you are going east, your day is 23 hours and some minutes.
I then spoke to him about the ship and I said it is not possible for the ship to arrive in New York on Tuesday. Therefore there is no object in pushing her. We will arrive there at five o’clock on Wednesday morning, and it will be good landing for the passengers in New York, and we shall also be able to economise our coal. We did not want to burn any more coal than we needed. I said to him then, we may have an opportunity of driving her at full speed on Monday or Tuesday if the weather is entirely suitable. I knew if the weather was suitable either on the Monday or the Tuesday the vessel would go at full speed for a few hours. I presume the boilers would have been put on.
The Titanic being a new ship, we were gradually working her up. When you bring out a new ship you naturally do not start her running at full speed until you get everything working smoothly and satisfactorily down below. She was going 75 revolutions on Saturday. That, of course, is nothing near her full speed.
Herbert Pitman – Third Officer
I understood we had not quite sufficient coal; there was not sufficient there on board to drive her on at full speed. I had that from one of the engineers. I knew we had not. We were intending to arrive in New York Wednesday morning, from the beginning of the trip. That was the general impression throughout
the ship.
George Turnbull – Deputy Manager, Marconi International
Message sent by Amerika on 14 April at 11.45am [1.35pm ship’s time]:
‘To the steamer Titanic MSG via Cape Race to the Hydrographic Office, Washington. “D. S. Amerika passed two large icebergs in 41° 27’ N, 50° 8’ W on 14th April. Knuth.”’
The position of the Amerika was such that she was not at that moment within range of a coast station, but she was in communication with another ship, which happened to be the Titanic, which would very shortly be within range of that coast station. Therefore, she asked the Titanic to relay the message to the Hydrographic Office in Washington, via the Cape Race wireless station. The message was received the same day by Cape Race.
Elizabeth Lines – First Class Passenger
On Saturday afternoon, after the midday meal, I went into the lounge to have my coffee. Captain Smith and Mr Ismay came in after I was seated, and went to a table near me. They had coffee and liqueurs and cigars. Mr Ismay lived in New York a number of years ago, and I had seen him there. I knew him by sight, but I did not know him personally. Captain Smith was in uniform, and Mr Ismay was in ordinary clothes. They stayed and conversed for at least two hours.
At first I did not pay any attention to what they were saying, they were simply talking and I was occupied. Then my attention was arrested by hearing the day’s run discussed, which I already knew had been a very good one in the preceding 24 hours. I heard Mr Ismay – it was Mr Ismay who did the talking – I heard him give the length of the run, and I heard him say, ‘We made a better run today than we did yesterday, we will make a better run tomorrow. Things are working smoothly, the machinery is bearing the test, the boilers are working well, they are standing the pressure.’ They went on discussing it. Mr Ismay gave the runs made on certain days by the Olympic on its maiden voyage and compared them with the runs made by the Titanic on the first days. Then I heard him make the statement: ‘We will beat the Olympic, and get in to New York on Tuesday.’
