Timeline Article: American Inquiry - Charles Herbert Lightoller Is the Fourth Witness to Be Called

Friday, April 19, 1912
Late Afternoon

Senator Smith calls Charles Lightoller to the stand.

Lightoller was Titanic's 2nd Officer and the highest-ranking officer to survive the sinking. As the most senior surviving officer, he found himself having to defend the captain, the officers, and the White Star Line against some of the more serious charges brought against them. Lightoller was the fourth witness to be called on the first day of the American Inquiry. He will be called to testify three more times during the length of the inquiry.

Timeline Article: American Inquiry - Guglielmo Marconi is the Third Witness to Be Called

Friday, April 19, 1912
3pm

After a 1-hour and 40-minute recess, Senator Smith called Guglielmo Marconi to the witness stand. He is the third witness to be called on the first day of the American Inquiry.

Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, electrical engineer, physicist, and politician, known for his creation of a practical radio wave based wireless telegraph system. As the founder and president of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company, his testimony regarding the marine telegraph systems functions and the procedures for emergencies at sea, were influential to the American Inquiry. He will be called to testify three more times during the length of the inquiry.

His descriptions of how the wireless telegraph functioned, and the responsibilities of the operators, gave the inquiry insight of what it must have been like for Titanic's wireless operators that fateful night.

Titanic's wireless operators, Jack Phillips and Harold Bride were not employed by the White Star Line but by the Marconi International Marine Communication Company. During the sinking, distress signals were sent and received by the Carpathia. It took a total of 17 minutes to receive and decode the distress signals sent by Titanic. Other ships received Titanic's signals but for various reasons Carpathia was the only ship to understand the seriousness of the situation and come to Titanic's aid. Carpathia was 58 miles away and was not able to reach the site before Titanic sank, only to find numerous lifeboats scattered across the horizon containing only 712 survivors.

When Carpathia docked in New York, Marconi went aboard with a reporter from The New York Times to talk with Bride, the surviving wireless operator. After this incident, Marconi gained popularity and became more recognized for his contributions to the field of radio and wireless technology.

The wireless telegraph system became a required and essential part of safety at sea.

Timeline Article: American Inquiry - Captain Rostron Is the Second Witness to Be Called

Friday, April 19th

Morning

After questioning Bruce Ismay, Senator Smith calls Captain Arthur Rostron of the Carpathia to the witness stand. He is the second witness to be called on the first day of the American Inquiry.

On the night of April 14, 1912, Rostron was asleep in his cabin when wireless operator Harold Cottam burst in and told him of Titanic's distress signal. Captain Rostron immediately set course to the liner's last known position, over 60 miles. 

After all the orders were issued and preparations were underway, Rostron being a devout Christian man, was observed walking away to a place where he thought he would be unobserved and bowed his head for a long prayer. 

At 4am the Carpathia arrived at the scene after negotiating surrounding ice fields. The Carpathia picked up the survivors and lifeboats from the Titanic. 712 people were saved and 1,496 perished. Insufficient resources were on board the Carpathia to make it to Europe, so Rostron decided to sail back to New York. When the Carpathia arrived at New York the full horror of the Titanic tragedy was learned. After the last survivor had disembarked and Captain Rostron had completed his statement for the American Inquiry, the Carpathia returned to its usual service.

Titanic survivors, including Margaret Brown, presented Rostron with a silver cup and gold medal for his efforts the night Titanic sank.

He was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the Thanks of Congress, the American Cross of Honor, a medal from the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, and a gold medal from the Shipwreck Society of New York.

Rostron was highly praised for his efforts in both the American and the British inquiries into the disaster.

Titanic survivor Margaret Brown
(later known as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown)
presents Captain Rostron with a silver cup commemorating
his efforts in the rescue of the Titanic survivors.

Timeline Article: American Inquiry - Bruce Ismay Is the First Witness to Be Called

Senator William Alden Smith & New York City
in the 1900s.

Friday, April 19, 1912

Early Morning

As the United Kingdom holds a national day of mourning, in America, Senator William Alden Smith convenes an inquiry in New York City the morning after Carpathia arrives with Titanic's survivors. The people of America are in shock after hearing the news of Titanic's fate. Senator Smith moves quickly to issue subpoenas so that he can promptly collect survivor testimonies while the incident is still fresh. 

J.P. Morgan

Smith's colleagues suspect that he has put together the inquiry and appointed himself chairman mainly because he is an outspoken opponent of J.P. Morgan, the owner of International Mercantile Marine, White Star's parent company. 

The first witness called at the inquiry is Bruce Ismay.

His responses to questions are short, evasive, and lack substance. Senator Smith is determined to hold White Star's president responsible for the tragedy. Ismay claimed that he never ordered Titanic pushed to full speed, that never showed any ice warnings to the passengers, and he only boarded the lifeboat when no other passengers were visible on deck.

Bruce Ismay at the inquiry.

After two days at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the inquiry is moved to Washington D.C. The crew members and passengers that haven't received a subpoena are free to return to their lives. The others who are required to testify will have to travel to Washington.

Bruce Ismay will be required to answer further questions after the inquiry is moved. Senator Smith will not release him for eleven days.

Featured Article: Senator Smith and The United States Titanic Inquiry

Senator William Alden Smith and his son had made a North Atlantic voyage aboard the Baltic under the command of Captain E.J. Smith in 1906. Captain Smith would later be the commander of Titanic in 1912. While aboard the Baltic, the senator had the chance to meet Captain Smith and developed a great respect for the man. After Titanic went down, the senator was determined to find out why the largest and most state-of-the-art ship in the world went down at the command of one of the most experienced and respected captains on the sea?

Senator William Alden Smith (left) and Captain E.J. Smith (right)

He telephoned to Charles Hilles, Secretary to President Taft, to ask what action was to be taken. The reply was that the President intended to do nothing. After hearing this, he began working on a draft of a resolution to investigate the disaster.

Early morning of Thursday, April 18th, word had been received showing that there were no other survivors of the disaster, except for those aboard the Carpathia. The true scope of the disaster was now apparent to all. Shortly after hearing the news of the true reality of the survivors, the Senate met that same morning and the floor was turned over to Senator Smith, who immediately asked for passage of his resolution which authorized the Committee on Commerce to investigate the disaster. 

The resolution called for a hearing with witnesses being subpoenaed who could offer information about the disaster. With very little opposition the resolution was carried, and Smith was appointed by the Commerce Committee chairman, Knute Nelson, as chairman of the subcommittee to look into the Titanic disaster. Neslon and Smith spent the remainder of the day selecting the panel of Senators that would aid him in the inquiry.

J. Bruce Ismay

Later that morning, the Department of the Navy contacted Senator Smith, advising him that they had intercepted several significant messages being sent from the Carpathia by Bruce Ismay, President of the White Star Line. 

Other than announcing the loss of Titanic and requesting personal needs, some of telegrams that were intercepted indicated that Ismay was hoping to go directly back to England, along with the crew, without setting foot on American soil. Some of these messages were signed with the name "Yamsi". It didn't take much to interoperate that Yamsi was Ismay spelled backwards.

At noon, Smith immediately arranged a  meeting at the White House. During the meeting, Smith asked about the legalities of subpoenaing British citizens. President Taft, checking with Attorney-General George Wickersham, said there was no question so long as they were in the United States.

That afternoon, the first meeting of the investigative subcommittee was held, during which the Ismay messages were discussed. Smith asked which of the other Senators would accompany him to New York to serve subpoenas and interrogate witnesses.

That evening at around 9:30pm, Titanic survivors begin to disembark the Carpathia shortly after her arrival.

Ismay had hoped for a quick return to England for himself and the surviving crew members by immediately boarding another White Star ship, most likely the Cedric. However, that hope was quickly diminished with the arrival of Senator Smith and his men, intercepting Ismay and the others before they could disembark the Carpathia. The men carried subpoenas for Ismay, as well as various members of the Titanic crew.

Smith also was accompanied by Senator Francis G. Newlands, US Steamship Inspector General - George Uhler, Sheriff Joe Bayliss (an old ally of Smith's that was deputized as an Assistant Sergeant at Arms of the US Senate specifically to serve subpoenas), and Bill McKinstry (Smith's private secretary).

The inquiry began at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City the following morning on Friday, April 19th. After two days, the inquiry was moved to Washington D.C. All together inquiry lasted 18 days and recorded the testimonies of 86 witnesses.