Capt. SMITH, Titanic:
Have had moderate, variable winds and clear, fine weather since leaving. Greek steamer Athenai reports passing icebergs and large quantities of field ice to-day in latitude 41° 51´ N., longitude 49° 52´ W. Last night we spoke German oiltank steamer Deutschland, Stettin to Philadelphia, not under control, short of coal, latitude 40° 42´ N., longitude 55° 11´ W. Wishes to be reported to New York and other steamers. Wish you and Titanic all success.
COMMANDER.
At the time this message was received the Titanic position was about 42° 35´ N., 45° 50´ W. Capt. Smith acknowledged the receipt of this message also.
Mr. Ismay, the managing director of the White Star Line, was on board the Titanic, and it appears that the master handed the Baltic's message to Mr. Ismay almost immediately after it was received. This no doubt was in order that Mr. Ismay might know that ice was to be expected. Mr. Ismay states that he understood from the message that they would get up to the ice "that night." Mr. Ismay showed this message to two ladies, and it is therefore probable that many persons on board became aware of its contents. This message ought in my opinion to have been put on the board in the chart room as soon as it was received. It remained, however, in Mr. Ismay's possession until 7.15 p. m., when the master asked Mr. Ismay to return it. It was then that it was first posted in the chart room.
This was considerably before the time at which the vessel reached the position recorded in the message. Nevertheless, I think it was irregular for the master to part with the document, and improper for Mr. Ismay to retain it, but the incident had, in my opinion, no connection with or influence upon the manner in which the vessel was navigated by the master.
It appears that about 1.45 p. m. (Titanic time) on the 14th a message was sent from the German steamer Amerika to the Hydrographic Office in Washington, which was in the following terms:
Amerika passed two large icebergs in 41° 27´ N., 50° 8´ W., on April 14.
This was a position south of the point of the Titanic's disaster. The message does not mention at what hour the bergs had been observed. It was a private message for the hydrographer at Washington, but it passed to the Titanic because she was nearest to Cape Race, to which station it had to be sent in order to reach Washington. Being a message affecting navigation, it should in the ordinary course have been taken to the bridge. So far as can be ascertained, it was never heard of by anyone on board the Titanic outside the Marconi room. There were two Marconi operators in the Marconi room, namely, Phillips, who perished, and Bride, who survived and gave evidence. Bride did not receive the Amerika message nor did Phillips mention it to him, though the two had much conversation together after it had been received. I am of opinion that when this message reached the Marconi room it was put aside by Phillips to wait until the Titanic would be within call of Cape Race (at about 8 or 8.30 p. m.), and that it was never handed to any officer of the Titanic.
At 5.50 p. m. the Titanic's course (which had been S. 62° W.) was changed to bring her on a westerly course for New York. In ordinary circumstances this change in her course should have been made about half an hour earlier, but she seems on this occasion to have continued for about 10 miles longer on her southwesterly course before turning, with the result that she found herself, after altering course at 5.50 p. m., about 4 or 5 miles south of the customary route on a course S. 86° W. true. Her course, as thus set, would bring her at the time of the collision to a point about 2 miles to the southward of the customary route and 4 miles south and considerably to the westward of the indicated position of the Baltic's ice. Her position at the time of the collision would also be well to the southward of the indicated position of the ice mentioned in the Caronia message. This change of course was so insignificant that in my opinion it can not have been made in consequence of information as to ice.