WIRELESS OPERATOR'S EVIDENCE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 96, 23 April 1912, Page 7

WIRELESS OPERATOR'S EVIDENCE

TITANIC WARNED OF THE BERGS FOOLISH ENQUIRER TOLD TO KEEP AWAY. NEW YORK, 22nd April. Mr. Bride, the assistant 'wireless operator on the Titanic, had to be wheeled into the enquiry room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, owing to both his feet being crippled. As ho came in some newspaper photographers exploded a flashlight. The chairman pro-les-led that such conduct was intolerame. Mr. Bride stated that he intercepted a message Trom the steamer California announcing the presence of three bergs. Ho gave the mes-sage to Captain Smith, who acknowledged its receipt. The witness added that tho Frankfurt was the first vessel to answer tho Titanic* signals of distress ; the strength of, the electric current showed that the Frankfurt was nearer the Titanic than the Carpathia wae. For twenty minutes the Frankfurt's wireless operator kept asking, " What's the matter? " Captain Smith was told of the question, and said, "The fellow's a fool." Mr. Phillips (chief operator on the Titanic) wirelessed to tho Frankfurt's operator : " You are a fool ; keep out of it." Mr. Bride explained that Mr. Phillips preferred to reply to the Carpathia, which meanwhile had wii-eleesed that she was hastening towards, the Titanic. • BREMEN, 22nd April. The captain of tho Frankfurt denies the accuracy of the statement made by Mr. Bride, and says he immediately steamed' l4o miles, arriving at the point whence he reckoned the signal for aid caane at 10.40 a.m. on Monday. [The Titanic had two masts, 205 ft above the average draft-line, a height necesoary to tako the Marconi aerial wires, and 50ft above 'the top of the funnels, and thus clear of the funnel gases. The Marconi installations on the Titanic and Olympic were the highest power plants afloat, and had the biggest working range of all the liners afloat. The enhancement of this range was made possible by the great eparo between the masts, and ihe Marconi engineers were able to apply their "kill in still further perfecting the wor .wrful system which enabled the Titanic to practically remain in touch with Europe and America throughout the voyage.]