“I heard of the message, but I didn’t know that it was the Amerika.”
“Did you get from Captain Smith that night any information about the icebergs?”
“Not that night,” said Lightholder. “I think it was in the afternoon, about 1 o’clock. I was on the bridge, having relieved First Officer Murdock, who had gone to lunch.”
Captain Smith, he said, told him of the wireless message from the Amerika about the icebergs. Lightholder said he couldn’t recall just what position the ship was in then, but he could work it out on the chart.
When Chief Officer Murdock returned to the bridge, Lightholder said, he told him exactly the information Captain Smith had communicated to him.
“What did Murdock say?” asked Senator Smith. “All right,” replied Lightholder.
“So the chief officer of the ship was fully advised by you that you were in proximity to icebergs?” he was asked. “Yes, sir.”
“How fast was the boat going at that time?” “Between 21½ and 22 knots.”
“Was that her maximum speed?” “So far as we knew,” said Lightholder, “she could go faster than that if pushed. We understood that that was not her maximum speed.”
“During your voyage, did you know you were in the vicinity of ice?” Senator Smith asked. “I knew some had been reported.”