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[loud engine noise]
[extremely loud crash]
[metal grinding]
[muffled voices]
[music playing]
[pencil scratches paper]
[gasps]
[quiet knocking]
William, it's awfully late.
[music playing]
[light clicks off]
[knobs click]
[tapping]
[sizzling]
[tapping]
[click]
[nervous voices]
CREW: Women and children first.
At this time, we require only women and children.
[panicked voices]
[tapping]
[whirring]
[dramatic music]
[crying]
MAN: Secure your lifebelts we're boarding now.
[tapping]
[panicked voices]
[water splashing]
WOMAN: Come on.
You can do it.
Keep going.
Come on.
[grunting]
MAN: Tell Titanic, we're making toward her.
WOMAN: So cold.
MAN: You'll be okay miss.
[woman exhales]
[loud creaking]
[eerie metal grinding]
[music gets softer]
[sniffling, crying]
[deep inhale]
Good morning, sir.
Miss Malloy.
[miss malloy sniffles]
How bad is it?
[gasping breaths]
It says here they're towing her to Halifax.
[crying]
Uh, Naval intelligence reports of a private transmission
from the White Star Line.
She hit an ice field in the North Atlantic
and sank within hours.
[sniffles]
Survivors?
It's believed to be less than a third.
[sharp inhale]
There were over 2,000 on board.
[short breaths]
[emotive music]
Cancel your trip to New York, sir?
No.
We'll prepare a resolution authorizing an investigation,
and I will recommend myself as the chairman
of the subcommittee.
I'll accompany you to New York.
You'll require my assistance.
[door closes]
Are you traveling with anybody else?
Miss Malloy is bringing the paperwork.
Are you sure that's appropriate
for the future president?
Does it bother you?
Of course, not.
People will talk.
Let them.
[lyrical music]
When can I expect you to return?
I have no idea, my dear.
The only thing I know for sure is that people
need to know what happened.
The ship hit an iceberg.
Oh, I shudder to think what those poor souls went through.
But, surely, it was an act of God.
In my experience, there are very few acts of God.
This is the man I wish to speak to.
[sobbing]
[sharp inhale]
[ship horn blares]
[soft music]
[sighs]
Sheriff?
Miss Malloy, meet Joe Bayliss, Sheriff of Chippewa County.
Would that be upstate?
No, ma'am.
Oh.
[vehicle engine idling]
[linotype printing]
[gears chugging]
[banging on door]
ALAINE RICARD: Edith.
EDITH BELL: It's been almost a week
since I gave you that story.
And you come in here, smelling like a chamber pot,
expecting payment.
I have it.
I have the story.
It's stale.
It's worthless.
[muffled linotype grinding]
What do you want from me, Alaine?
You said $1 and a quarter.
I'll give you 90-cents for the hooker story, but that's it.
I can't even use it.
[coins jingling]
ALAINE RICARD: What's this?
This is the ship that sank with a bunch of rich people
that died?
Most of them were poor immigrants.
What's the angle?
I don't know, Alaine.
Why don't you find it?
[pencil scratching]
ALAINE RICARD: And write it in my name?
This isn't the time.
[LINOTYPE CHUGGING IN THE DISTANCE]
[ship horn blares]
[indistinct voices]
[heavy footsteps]
[police siren]
MAGGIE MALLOY: No, no, no, no, no, officer.
That's Senator Smith in this motor vehicle,
so you're the one who's going to have to back off.
We have to park here.
Off you go.
Thank you.
Now, please, tell me we have the President's blessing.
MAGGIE MALLOY: Of course, we do.
Mr. Taft even sent gunboats to escort the rescue ship.
Titanic's Chairman Mr. Ismay sent messages asking for a ship
to return the officers and crew to Europe.
I don't think they had plans of even stepping ashore
in America, not even the docks.
You, sir, sir, sir, I'm looking for a list. A list.
[indistinct] Mister Moss [indistinct]...
Samuel Moss. Can you help me?
Excuse me, excuse me.
[melancholy music]
WOMAN: ...have to come through Ellis Island.
[camera flash bulb pops]
[indistinct conversations]
No, sir.
I need to pass through.
No, no, not till everyone's ashore.
Ah! Oh!
Watch your step.
Let me get that for you.
So sorry!
Musn't fall behind, ma'am.
Thank you.
[breathing heavy]
OK.
[knocking]
Mr. Bruce Ismay?
For business with the White Star Line,
speak to my agent, Mr. Franklin.
[envelope drops]
What's this all about?
WILLIAM SMITH: Mr. Ismay, you've just
been served with a subpoena.
You're required to appear before a special subcommittee
of the United States Senate.
BRUCE ISMAY: No, sir, I'm not.
I'm a British citizen.
WILLIAM SMITH: And I am William Alden Smith, a United States
senator, chairman of the committee
investigating the cause of one of the greatest
maritime disasters in history.
[music playing]
The Titanic. Your ship, sir.
I must say, you move very fast, senator.
Very well, you have my cooperation.
I'll speak with you at my very first opportunity.
10:00 tomorrow morning, the East Room
at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
I'm sorry, Senator.
That's really not possible.
WILLIAM SMITH: Mr. Ismay, I have in my possession
copies of your wireless telegrams
sent from this very ship.
It seems you were in a rush to return your crew to Europe.
Excuse me?
(READING) "Titanic crew aboard Carpathia
should be returned home earliest moment possible.
Stop."
"Suggest holding Cedric.
Sailing daylight Friday.
Returning in"--
I've done nothing illegal.
I think it most unwise to keep titanic crew until Saturday
strongly urge sailing-
BRUCE ISMAY: I have every right to leave this country.
- very important to hold Cedric for Titanic.
BRUCE ISMAY: Enough!
Mr. Ismay, you and your crew will remain here
until my inquiry is complete.
And you will give the American people
an accounting of your actions.
I shall be contacting the British ambassador.
You are welcome to contact anyone you wish,
once you have stepped ashore and placed yourself
and your crew at my disposal.
I will not be treated like a child.
Perhaps if you were, your seat on the lifeboat
would have been more appropriate.
I find that remark deeply offensive.
What is offensive is that 1,500 of your passengers
are dead.
[melancholic music]
[chair creaks]
[in German] Keine papiere, keine papiere.
I have no idea what he's saying.
- [non-english speech] - Get back.
No, no, get back.
We're not finished with you yet.
MAGGIE MALLOY: I don't understand.
What have they done?
They have no papers.
MAGGIE MALLOY: Perhaps, they don't have any.
They're just lucky to be alive.
They could be steerage.
We can't let them through with nothing.
You are correct.
They should be given food, clothing, and a warm bed.
MAGGIE MALLOY: This is Senator Smith, Chairman of the Senate
Investigative Committee.
We have our orders, Senator.
Yes, and they'll be changing any minute now.
Find the Immigration Commissioner
and have him get this process moving.
Let these people in.
[music playing]
[exhales loudly]
[pencil scratches paper]
[scraping]
Good morning, gentlemen.
I'm Ambassador James Bryce with the British embassy.
Lightoller, 2nd Officer.
A pleasure to meet you, gentlemen.
I'm very sorry it is under these circumstances.
HAROLD LOWE: Are we going home?
JAMES BRYCE: I'm afraid not at this time.
Mr. Lowe, is it?
Mm.
Gentlemen, please know, this is not a trial.
This is merely an inquiry.
Yes, but it's being held by the US government.
True, a senator from the state of Michigan, to be exact.
CHARLES LIGHTOLLER: Could it lead to a trial?
HAROLD LOWE: Trial for what?
We hit a bloody iceberg.
We are not Americans.
Explain how this is even legal.
To be honest, I'm not exactly certain that they
have the right to detain you.
But Mr. JP Morgan is concerned for his ships,
and the US Senate holds control over all the American ports.
There is a frenzy of interest out there,
and this man Smith is only going to make it worse.
He's a political creature with something to prove.
CHARLES LIGHTOLLER: I understand.
But what exactly does he want from us?
Accountability and compensation for the victims.
HAROLD LOWE: Is that all?
Give them their compensation.
That's what I say.
Some of these poor devils have lost everything,
and they had precious little to begin with.
[clears his throat]
They'll only be compensated if White Star and its employees
are found negligent.
Are you willing to admit to negligence, gentlemen?
I'm sure you wish to protect your own reputations.
Now the newspapers have not been shy of touting your heroism.
As far as they're concerned, your behavior
was all that could be asked of men in your position.
In order to deem compensation appropriate,
White Star would have to be proven criminally liable
or at the very least reckless.
Is that not correct, Ambassador?
JAMES BRYCE: Indeed.
[ominous music]
Yeah, indeed.
Therefore, we cannot simply ignore our collective
interests, gentlemen.
[pensive music]
CHARLES LIGHTOLLER: I believe all we have to state
are the facts, of which we have few.
Nothing more should be expected of us.
WILLIAM SMITH: I believe everyone
called for is present for today's proceedings.
It is a formality that any inquiry called on by the United
States Senate commence with the reading
of a resolution particular to the case before it.
Senator Newlands of the great state of Nevada,
will you kindly do the honors?
FRANCIS NEWLANDS: (READING) "In the Senate of the United
States, April 17, 1912, that the Committee on Commerce
or a Subcommittee thereof is hereby
authorized and directed to investigate
the causes leading to the wreck of the White Star liner,
the RMS Titanic"--
[door opens]
- "with a view to such legislation
as may be necessary to prevent any
repetition of such a disaster."
[keys jangling]
"Resolved further that in the report of said Committee,
it shall recommend such action as it shall deem expedient."
Thank you, Senator Newlands.
Mr. Ismay, for the interest of simplifying this hearing,
I'll ask you a few preliminary questions.
First, state your full name, please.
Joseph Bruce Ismay.
WILLIAM SMITH: And your place of residence.
Liverpool, England.
And your age.
BRUCE ISMAY: I shall be 50 on the 12th of December.
49.
Are you an executive of the White Star Line?
BRUCE ISMAY: I am the managing director.
And as such executive, were you
officially designated to make the trial trip of Titanic?
No.
Were you a voluntary passenger?
BRUCE ISMAY: Yes.
[dramatic music]
[sniffs]
[gasp]
Will you kindly tell the committee the circumstances
surrounding your voyage as succinctly as possible,
beginning with your boarding of the vessel at Liverpool,
together with any circumstances you feel would be
beneficial to this committee?
In the first place, I would like
to express my sincere grief at this deplorable catastrophe.
I understand you gentlemen have been
appointed to inquire as to the circumstances
so far as we are concerned.
We welcome it.
We court the fullest inquiry.
We have nothing to conceal, nothing to hide.
Please continue.
[clears throat]
(READING) The ship was built in Belfast
by the Harland & Wolff Company.
Absolutely no expense was spared in her construction.
[crowd mumbling]
You were saying.
[crowd's mumbling softens]
[clears throat]
I understand it has been stated the ship
was traveling at full speed.
Titanic had never been at full speed.
So far as I'm aware, she never exceeded 75 revolutions.
She had not all her boilers on.
It was our intention if we had fine weather
on Monday afternoon and Tuesday, to drive
the ship at full speed.
That, owing to the unfortunate catastrophe, never eventuated.
Can you describe what you did immediately
following the impact?
I (READING) put my coat on, made my way to the bridge,
where I found Captain Smith.
He said, "We have struck ice."
I asked him if he thought the ship was seriously damaged.
He said, "I'm afraid she is."
I then went down below, where I met
Mr. Bell, the chief engineer.
He was quite satisfied the pumps would keep her afloat.
I went up to the top deck, where I heard the orders
given to get the lifeboats out.
CREW: Ready the lifeboats.
[ominous music]
Man your station.
[music intensifies]
[MUFFLED SOUNDS OF CREW READYING THE LIFEBOATS]
Ready the lifeboats, young man.
Yes, sir.
BRUCE ISMAY: I stood upon that deck
practically until I left the ship
in the starboard collapsible, which
was the last boat to leave the ship, so far as I know.
You stated that it was a voluntary trip on your part?
BRUCE ISMAY: Yes, sir.
For the purpose of viewing this ship in action
or did you have some business in New York?
I had no business.
I simply came in the natural course of events,
as one is apt to.
"As one is apt to"?
In the case of a new ship, to see how she works
and with an idea of seeing how we could improve on her.
Were there any other executive officers
of the company on board?
BRUCE ISMAY: No.
Was the inspector or the builder on board?
There was a representative of the builders,
a Mr. Thomas Andrews.
Was he among the survivors?
Unfortunately, no.
Mr. Ismay, as the only executive aboard representing
your company, did you have the occasion
to consult with the Captain about the movements
of the ship?
Never!
Are you quite certain of that, Mr. Ismay?
I-- I do not know that is quite a matter of consulting
him or if he's consulting me, but we agreed there was nothing
to be gained by arriving in New York
earlier than Wednesday morning.
But this was all arranged before we even left Queenstown.
You spoke of the revolutions on the early part
of the voyage.
BRUCE ISMAY: Yes, sir.
These were increased as the distance increased.
Bring out a new ship like Titanic,
you naturally do not start running at full speed.
Mr. Ismay, during the voyage, did
you have any knowledge as to your proximity to icebergs?
Did I know that we were near icebergs?
That was the question, yes.
No, sir, I did not.
I know ice had been reported.
Ice had been reported.
Yes.
Did you personally see any icebergs
or any large volume of ice?
No, not until after the accident.
Not until after the wreck.
I had never seen an iceberg in my life.
It was absolutely out of my province.
I am not a navigator.
I was simply a passenger.
Are you aware of a wireless message
received by Titanic from a troop transport named the SS Amerika?
No, sir.
Saying that she had encountered ice
in that exact same latitude?
No, sir.
Were you aware of icebergs on Sunday?
BRUCE ISMAY: On Sunday?
No, I did not know on Sunday.
I knew we would be in the ice region that night some time.
That you would be or that you were?
That we would be in the ice region on Sunday night.
Did you consult with the Captain about this matter?
Absolutely not.
Mr. Ismay, will you describe in detail
the circumstances of your departure from the ship?
[soft music]
(READING) The officer called out,
asking if there were any more women,
and there was no response.
And none were left on deck.
As the boat was in the act of being lowered away, I boarded.
As the Titanic was sinking?
(QUIETLY) Sinking, yes.
WILLIAM SMITH: I'm sorry.
We're having trouble hearing.
(LOUDER) She was sinking.
I must ask, were are all the women and children saved?
I'm afraid not, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: What proportion were saved?
I have no idea.
I have not asked.
After a short recess, we will be calling our next witness,
the Captain of the Carpathia, to whom all the survivors
of the Titanic owe their lives.
[music intensifies]
Senator, I do hope my testimony proved serviceable.
If I can be of assistance in the future,
please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Mr. Ismay, I wouldn't advise making any plans
for the immediate future.
Mr. Smith, if you are determined
to continue with this farce, I suppose there's
little I can do about it.
However, I shall be leaving now.
I'm not discounting the gravity of this situation,
but I can assure you my conscience is clear.
[soft music]
[women whispering]
Do you know who that is?
Countess of Rothes, first-class passenger.
FRANCIS NEWLANDS: This man is a hero by all accounts.
I recommend this be handled delicately.
He's a ship captain with relevant experience,
and he was the first one on the scene.
Please state your name and title.
Arthur H. Rostron, Captain of the RMS Carpathia.
I will start at the heart of the matter.
I suppose you were looking forward to sailing
to your original destination.
Thank you, Senator.
I hope I can be of assistance.
WILLIAM SMITH: Will you walk us through the events
leading up to receiving word that Titanic was in trouble?
Of course.
It was Sunday around midnight.
We had fine, clear weather.
Everything was going on without trouble of any kind.
Then at 12:35 AM, I was informed of an urgent distress signal
from the Titanic, requiring immediate assistance.
Informed by whom?
By a wireless operator and the First Officer.
I'd only just turned in.
Please continue.
I asked the operator if he was absolutely
sure it was a distress signal.
I asked him twice.
He assured me he was certain of the message,
and I immediately set course.
I told the chief engineer to call another watch of stokers
and make all possible speed to the Titanic,
as she was in trouble.
I then sent for the head of each department
and had them brought to my cabin.
I ordered the rockets be fired at 2:45 and every quarter
of an hour after to reassure Titanic.
We would like you to leave a copy of that order
with the committee, if you will.
Yes, sir, I shall do it with pleasure.
Thank you, Captain.
You may go on.
At about that time, I saw a flare off the port bow,
a half-point off the port bow.
I assumed correctly it was Titanic herself.
I remarked that she must still be afloat.
Between 2:45 and 4 o'clock when I stopped my engines,
we were passing icebergs on every side.
At 4 o'clock, I stopped.
And by 4:10, we had the first lifeboat alongside.
You are picking up these people now?
Yes.
[pencil scratching paper]
WILLIAM SMITH: Will you describe that for us, please?
ARTHUR ROSTRON: By the time we had the first lifeboat,
it was breaking day.
And I could--
I could see the remaining boats all around within an area
of about four miles.
I saw also that I was surrounded by icebergs.
They were anywhere from--
[clears throat] 150 to 200-feet high and numerous smaller bergs.
I maneuvered the ship and gradually
got all boats alongside and all the people aboard by 8:30.
I was then very close to where Titanic
must have gone down, as there was a lot of hardly wreckage.
Then the Leyland Line steamer Californian hove up.
We exchanged messages.
I told them the Titanic had gone down,
that I had her passengers.
They asked if they should search around,
and I said, yes, as we weren't certain we could
account for all the boats.
It was then 10:50.
I'd like to go back again--
[clears throat] a little bit.
At 8:30, all the people were on board.
I asked the purser to hold a service, a short prayer
of thankfulness for those who were saved, a short burial
service for those who lost.
[indistinct echoes]
MAN: (MUFFLED) Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in Earth as it is in heaven.
Floating, sir.
It was the only body we saw.
Was it male or female?
Male, member of the crew, I believe.
Titanic's passengers were still knocking about on deck,
and I didn't want to cause any unnecessary excitement
or hysteria, so I steamed past.
Captain, can you tell us how many lifeboats
you came across in total?
ARTHUR ROSTRON: We had 15 lifeboats
alongside with passengers.
There was also a Berthon Boat, which is collapsible.
It had been abandoned.
It was badly damaged.
It was in a sinking condition.
There was-- there was nobody in it.
It was empty.
How many people could that have held?
60 to 75 comfortably.
Captain, have you concluded that you did not
see the ill-fated ship at all?
We arrived an hour and a half after she went down.
[loud exhale]
In your company, who was the master of a ship at sea?
The Captain.
WILLIAM SMITH: In absolute control?
Absolute control, legal and otherwise.
No one can interfere.
And if that had not been so, you
would not have felt it proper to have gone off your course
quite so far.
Correct.
Do you regard the route the Titanic was
taking as entirely practical and appropriate
at this time of year?
Quite so.
WILLIAM SMITH: Even having the warning
that icebergs were in the vicinity,
could he not under the circumstances
have altered his course somewhat to avoid them?
That's impossible for me to tell.
All I can say is that he was on the track
for the western-bound steamer, his proper track
where he ought to have been.
At this time of year.
So what would be a safe reasonable speed
for a vessel of that size on such a route
in the proximity of icebergs?
Well, of course, I do not know the ship.
I know absolutely nothing about her.
WILLIAM SMITH: But how would you have felt yourself about it?
Suppose you were taking your ship on that route.
How fast would you have thought it prudent to go
in such a situation?
All I can tell you is this, gentlemen.
I knew there was ice about.
How did you know that?
From Titanic's message, that she'd struck ice.
And, yet, you still went full speed.
I did.
Captain Rostron, how many lifeboats
do you carry on the Carpathia?
We carry 20.
WILLIAM SMITH: In obedience to certain regulations
of the British Board of Trade.
I think it's 20, yes.
WILLIAM SMITH: The fact that, under these regulations,
you are obliged to carry 20 lifeboats
and the Titanic is only obliged to carry 20
with three times the tonnage suggests that these regulations
were prescribed long ago.
ARTHUR ROSTRON: No, sir, it's to do with the ship itself.
Uh, they're built nowadays to be practically unsinkable,
and so each ship is supposed to be a lifeboat in itself.
The lifeboats are put on merely as a standby.
[newlands whispers to smith]
[knocking]
[doorknob turns]
[dramatic music]
You say, Captain, that you ran under a full head of steam
toward Titanic.
I-- I can confess only this.
If I'd known at the time there was so much ice about,
I should not.
But I was right in it then.
I also had to consider what I was going for.
[water dripping]
[loud crash]
ARTHUR ROSTRON: I'll tell you this.
Our wireless operator was in his cabin,
not on official business at all.
He was simply listening as he was undressing.
Another 10 minutes maybe, he would have been in bed.
We would have missed the message.
Remarkable coincidence.
Captain, if you take the case of the Titanic, whose tonnage
was far more than that of your ship, which had,
I believe, the same number of lifeboats, in your opinion, how
many additional boats could that vessel accommodate
without inconvenience?
I have not the faintest idea, sir, what the Titanic was like.
I believe she's the sister ship of the Olympic, which I once
saw at the end of our dock.
You think she could accommodate
considerably more, do you not?
If she could not accommodate them,
she could be made to accommodate them.
How do you account for the fact
that the Board of Trade of England,
as the size of these ships has increased,
has not compelled an increase in the number of lifeboats?
The maximum, I believe, is 20 boats, is it not?
Yes, I believe it is.
But they have compelled a different design of the ship.
Captain Rostron, please confirm.
They consider the ship itself as a lifeboat?
Yes, sir.
That expectation was certainly not realized with Titanic.
I believe that is all, Captain.
I want to thank you for your courtesy
in appearing before this committee.
You're welcome, sir.
If there's anything further I can do, I shall be very glad.
[soft music]
That's a good first day, wasn't it?
Can I get you anything?
A drink, if you don't mind.
[music intensifies]
ARTHUR PEUCHEN: Outrageous!
That lifeboat was full of women.
I slid down that rope to help them row to safety.
I felt it was my duty.
[screaming]
MAN: Major Peuchen, can you comment
on as to the recent activities of Standard Chemical in Europe?
Oh, by the way, gentlemen, anybody see my wallet?
Excuse me, excuse me.
MAN: Major!
Major!
Whiskey, please, Bushmills.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
This area is reserved for gentlemen.
If you take a seat at one of those tables,
I'd be happy to send someone over to take care of you.
Would you prefer the Senator come over so you could explain
why he's waiting for his drink?
[thump of empty glass]
[coughs]
Thank you.
Now one for the Senator.
[ominous music]
DUCHESS ASCONTI ARESE: Dear Senator,
I wish to applaud your effort.
Thank you.
DUCHESS ASCONTI ARESE: However, if you want my opinion,
there are areas of greater concern.
I'm sorry.
Have we been introduced?
Oh, forgive me, I am Duchess Asconti Arese.
Mr. Senator, my concern is with all those women being
let in without their husbands.
What is this law of the sea?
There were notable men on that ship, worth more than a 100
of those immigrant women.
Why, Mr. Astor, for example, are we not enjoying
his illustrious accommodations?
Hmm?
Senator, we all know these people, how they arrive here
in America, unable to speak the language,
illiterate as they are.
To ask some of the fine men on that boat
to stand back while those people are saved,
I think it's criminal.
What good will they be, a burden to the state is all.
[laughs]
But who am I to say?
[laughing]
Who, indeed.
[sharp inhale]
Good day, ladies.
WILLIAM SMITH: Thank you.
I've had enough opinions for the day.
Sir, it's about your meeting with Mr. Ismay.
WILLIAM SMITH: Media coverage is to be expected.
Aboard the Carpathia.
WILLIAM SMITH: Why would Ismay want this in the paper?
I can't imagine.
WILLIAM SMITH: This man, find him.
WOMAN: Excuse me.
Oh, watch your step.
Let me get that for you.
So sorry.
Musn't fall behind ma'am.
[dramatic music]
[music intensifies]
[footsteps quicken]
[elevator bell dings]
[music intensifies]
[gasps]
[punching and kicking]
[soft cry]
Give my regards to Mr. Morgan.
[dramatic music]
[tapping]
[sizzles]
[sniffs]
[indistinct chatter]
FRANCIS NEWLANDS: Harold S. Bride.
Mr. Phillips, the chief radio operator, did not survive.
[knocking]
Mr. Bride, as the single surviving radio operator
of the Titanic, were you aware of any White Star officers
aboard the ship?
The Titanic was commanded by White Star officers.
I understand.
But were you aware of any general officers?
HAROLD BRIDE: Any what, sir?
Any general officers of the White Star Line?
We had heard Mr. Ismay was on board.
But beyond that, I do not know anything.
You knew of this man?
HAROLD BRIDE: Yes, sir.
Did you see him aboard the Titanic?
I do not think I did, sir.
Did he send or receive any messages through you
during the voyage?
I believe there were messages delivered from Mr. Ismay, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: Official messages?
They would have ranked with us as official messages.
WILLIAM SMITH: Did they have to do with the direction
or speed of the ship?
HAROLD BRIDE: Coming around from Belfast,
there were messages delivered to Mr. Ismay regarding
the speed of the ship.
To whom were they sent, do you remember?
The White Star offices at Liverpool and Southampton.
WILLIAM SMITH: And do you know what they said?
That the trials of the speed of the ship
were very favorable.
WILLIAM SMITH: Were there any other messages
for Mr. Ismay during that time?
I could not tell you.
We had too many to remember them all.
If you received a message for the managing
director of the company, one might
think you would remember it.
Do you recall whether the captain of the ship
received any messages on Saturday or Sunday
from any White Star official, regarding
the movement, direction, or speed of the ship?
HAROLD BRIDE: No, sir, he did not.
And how do you know he did not?
HAROLD BRIDE: Because I should have delivered it.
I saw the Captain's messages.
I was delivering them for my superior,
the late Mr. Phillips.
WILLIAM SMITH: But you were not on duty
the entire time during those two days, were you?
HAROLD BRIDE: No, sir.
So you cannot say with any certainty that such
a message was not received.
Mr. Bride, were you on duty when a message
was received from the America warning
about the proximity of icebergs?
No, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: And did you talk to the Captain
about any messages similar in nature?
HAROLD BRIDE: There was a message
delivered to the Captain in the afternoon,
sir, late in the afternoon.
Sunday, April 14th?
HAROLD BRIDE: Yes, sir.
Regarding an ice field?
From whom, Mr. Bride?
From the Californian, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: I would like to know
just what that message said.
The Californian called me with an ice report.
I was rather busy, just for the minute, and I didn't take it.
She then transmitted the ice report to the Baltic,
and I took it down.
So unable to reach your ship, they attempted the Baltic.
HAROLD BRIDE: It was about half an hour after that.
They transmitted--
Why were they unable to reach you?
I was doing some writing at the time,
sir, the accounts of the day.
WILLIAM SMITH: And the earphones did not remain on your head
at the time?
No, sir.
So you continue your work on the accounts,
if I understand you correctly.
HAROLD BRIDE: Yes, sir.
And do not respond to the Californian's call
for 30 minutes approximately.
It would have been somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes.
I cannot say definitely.
WILLIAM SMITH: Please tell us the exact language
of that message.
It stated the Californian had passed three large icebergs
and gave their latitude and longitude.
They had passed three large icebergs.
And did the Captain ultimately receive this message?
Yes, sir.
And at no time did the Captain go overboard
before when the ship sank?
HAROLD BRIDE: No, sir.
He went down with the ship?
Practically speaking, yes, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: Mr. Bride, let's discuss
your communication with another ship, the SS Frankfurt.
Do you know whether her radio operator
spoke the English language?
There was no necessity that he should understand
the English language, sir.
CQD is an international call.
And CQD means the same in German and French
and the English language?
HAROLD BRIDE: Yes, sir.
And is the international code signal of distress.
HAROLD BRIDE: Yes, sir.
It is recognizable by all ship operators.
WILLIAM SMITH: Mr. Bride, I want this report
to be as complete as possible.
So I need to know why, having received
a message from the Frankfurt, saying, "What is the matter?"
You did not respond, "We are sinking."
HAROLD BRIDE: You see--
"And our passengers and our crew are in danger."
You see, it takes a certain amount of time
to transmit all that information, sir.
If he had understood properly, as he ought to have,
CQD would have been sufficient, sir.
That does not seem to have moved him.
Well, he did not know his business.
That is a rather hollow point considering
how things turned out.
2nd Officer Lightoller, during the voyage of the Titanic,
were there any tests taken of the temperature of the water?
Tests are taken every two hours,
from the time the ship leaves until she returns to port.
And do you know whether these tests were made?
They were.
WILLIAM SMITH: Did you make them?
Oh, no, sir.
Were they made under your direction?
CHARLES LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
Then how do you know they were made?
It's the routine of the ship, sir.
So you assumed they were made.
CHARLES LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
But you cannot, of your own knowledge, say that they were.
Not of my own actual seeing, no, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: And these tests are taken to ascertain
the proximity of icebergs?
No, sir.
So for what purpose were the tests made?
It's the routine of the ship.
It's customary in the White Star Line to do so every two hours.
And the information was not communicated to you
directly after each test?
Not unless I ask for it.
WILLIAM SMITH: And you didn't think it necessary to ask
for it that night? CHARLES LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
You knew you were in the vicinity
of icebergs, did you not?
Well, a temperature is absolutely
no guide to icebergs, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: I did not ask you that, Mr. Lightoller.
Did you know you were in the vicinity of icebergs?
CHARLES LIGHTOLLER: No, sir.
Did you know of a wireless message from the SS America
to Titanic warning you that you were
in the vicinity of icebergs?
Whether I knew it or not, I was in no position
to alter our course, sir.
Mr. Lightoller, you must have been painfully aware
of the fact that there were not enough
lifeboats to care for that large of a passenger list,
were you not?
Yes, sir.
And from what you've said, you discriminated entirely
in the interest of the passengers,
first the women and children, in filling those lifeboats.
CHARLES LIGHTOLLER: Yes, sir.
Why did you do that?
Captain's orders or the rule of the sea?
Rule of human nature.
And there was no studied purpose, as far
as you know, to save the crew?
Absolutely not.
And did you witness the attempt to get women to enter
the lifeboats who would not go?
Yes, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: They were asking their husbands to join them.
They all did.
[screaming]
[water splashing]
MAN: No!
WOMAN: Stop it!
There's no room!
MAN: We can't.
MAN: It'll overturn the boat.
[screaming]
WOMAN: Why are you leaving us?
Looked like that when I found her.
Who is this?
Richard Allen.
Alaine Ricard, Senator.
Pleased to meet you.
Would you see to it that the witnesses
are made aware the inquiry is moving to Washington?
No one goes home.
So, Alaine Richard, Richard Allen, whoever you are,
I believe you know my assistant, Miss Malloy.
I don't think we've been formally introduced.
WILLIAM SMITH: My question is, what do you hope to accomplish
with this type of journalism.
I don't follow.
Does selling newspapers outweigh morality?
Based on your appearance, it is clear there
are others who take exception.
Were those not your words, sir?
That was a private conversation.
ALAINE RICARD: When you were reciting
Mr. Ismay's private telegrams?
[dramatic music]
[exhales loudly]
Listen carefully.
Everything that I did was perfectly legal.
I stand--
THE COUNTESS OF ROTHES: Good evening, Senator Smith.
Do you mind if I sit?
Allow me to introduce myself.
I'm Lucille, the Countess of Rothes.
Good evening, Countess.
It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Malloy.
And who is this rather battered young woman?
I'm Alaine Ricard, journalist.
Nice to meet you, ma'am.
THE COUNTESS OF ROTHES: It's nice to meet you, Miss Ricard.
Senator Smith, I understand you received
a visit from the Duchess of Delitta...
What an awful woman.
We had trouble enough without her ideas
as to the value of immigrants.
Indeed.
From what I hear,
the emigres aren't the only ones being given a hard time.
Madame, we're just searching for the truth.
If this had been an act of God, then it would simply
have been a great tragedy.
But it was not an act of God.
I do understand, Senator.
But for those of us aboard the ship, there is only one truth.
We had 10 minutes, sir, 10 minutes.
Women and children first.
At this time, we require only women and children.
CREW: Man your stations.
Where will we go?
Why are we being separated?
[babies crying]
[muffled voices]
WOMAN: I won't leave without my family.
[non-english speech]
CREW: Ma'am, please remain calm.
If you're to stay on the boat, you must
behave in an orderly manner.
[non-english speech]
This boat is for the women.
The men have their own boat.
CREW: To your lifeboat.
We're boarding now.
[soft orchestra music playing]
Mummy, why are we leaving?
Why is father not coming with us?
Remain calm.
I won't need this anymore, my dear.
I've spent my whole life with that man.
I am not going to change now.
Mrs. Straus, please, remain seated.
We'll be lowering shortly.
[orchestra music continues]
Where you go, I go.
The older couple, do you know their names?
Straus, Ida and Isidor Straus.
I believe they have a department store here in New York.
ALAINE RICARD: Macy's, 34th and Broadway.
THE COUNTESS OF ROTHES: Those are only a few
of the stories, Senator.
It matters less as to who or what was at fault.
The crew was valiant.
Many more would have been lost if it
weren't for their selflessness.
I do hope that is being considered.
[sharp inhale]
I would like to hear more of these stories.
I only know my own.
However, I imagine anyone who survived that night would
have quite a story to tell.
ALAINE RICARD: I know where they are.
I could take you.
[contemplative music]
[indistinct voices]
[babies crying]
I said this was not to happen.
THE COUNTESS OF ROTHES: They are here on their own free will.
This is where the aid remains, immigrant women who
lost their husbands, in most cases,
the sole breadwinner of the family.
[water splashing]
[grunting]
[shrieking]
Lily! Lilly!
You've been here.
Aboard Carpathia, we had nothing but time.
As it turns out, I'm not entirely
hopeless with needle and yarn.
I didn't know what became of you.
[gasping for air]
[whimpering]
[straining]
[grunting]
[yelling]
[moaning]
[gasping]
[breathing heavily]
Anyway, the other rescue ship should be here soon.
Her husband, she's waiting.
[baby crying]
We will return to Washington and inform
Mr. Bayliss that his services are no longer needed.
[music playing]
NANCY SMITH: Oh!
[laughing]
WILLIAM SMITH: Mm.
NANCY SMITH: Oh!
I've kept up with all of the papers.
It's going well?
Not as I'd hoped.
Come with me.
From an admiring public.
WOMAN: (ECHOING) We were told not
even God can sink that ship.
Quartermaster Fleet, stationed in the crow's nest,
was there anyone at a higher point aboard Titanic?
No, sir.
You were the lookout, the eyes of the ship?
Yes, sir.
And did you keep a sharp lookout?
WILLIAM SMITH: Mr. Fleet, with your former employer,
the Oceanic, you were supplied with binoculars
or field glasses, were you not?
Yes, sir.
And did you request such from Titanic?
FREDERICK FLEET: In Southampton, they said
there was none intended for us.
We could have seen it a bit sooner.
How much sooner?
Well, I have had experience with all manner of ships
afloat, sir, from the schooner to the square-rigged
sailing vessel to the steamship, all manner of ships afloat,
sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: Major Peuchen, I fail
to see why you were so expansive when you talked to the press
and so reluctant when you appear before this committee.
Senator Smith, I have told you everything I can.
If you care, you can see my records.
They're complete.
Captain Lord, what was the location of your ship,
the Californian, on the 14th of April last,
the date of the Titanic sinking?
At what time?
WILLIAM SMITH: At 6 o'clock in the morning of that day.
We have not got it down here, sir.
I can give it to you at 9:40 and at noon.
WILLIAM SMITH: Give it to me at 9:40.
42.47.
A little more specifically, please.
42 North and 47 West.
Are you reading from the log of the Californian?
STANLEY LORD: The ship's log, yes.
What other entries do you have in that log
as to your position on that date?
At 6:30.
6:30 PM?
Yes, sir.
We had 42 degrees 5 and 49.10,
as having passed two large icebergs.
WILLIAM SMITH: And what is the next entry?
There is no position given here, sir.
The next entry is 7:15 PM.
"Passed one large iceberg and two more in sight
to the southward."
And where were you at that time?
There is no position given here, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: Captain Lord, did you
attempt to communicate with the vessel Titanic that Sunday?
Yes, sir.
WILLIAM SMITH: At what time of day?
10 minutes to 11:00 PM.
And what was that communication?
We told them we were stopped and surrounded by ice.
WILLIAM SMITH: And did the Titanic
respond to that message?
Yes, sir.
I believe Titanic told our operator they had read it
and to "shut up" or "stand by" or something,
that they were busy.
That was Titanic's reply.
[audience muttering]
First-class were paying them to send messages back home.
Instead of heeding an ice warning?
[metal grinding]
In the lifeboats, 4th Officer Boxhall
and Quartermaster Hitchins both said they
were rowing towards a light.
"On those living in the land of the shadow of death,
a light has dawned."
Matthew 4:16.
Sir, I've read articles where passengers
also spoke of a light, an actual light, off the horizon.
ALAINE RICARD: It was the Californian.
The ice warnings from Captain Stanley Lord
stated that they, too, were surrounded by ice,
those very same ice fields.
There was a light within 15 miles of those people.
I understand that's the type of story your readers
would love to hear.
But the negligence aboard one ship
did not cause the sinking of another.
I brought you this.
[pensive music]
WILLIAM SMITH: Are you reading from the log
of the Californian?
[muffled voices]
At the time you boarded what would be your lifeboat,
did you say anything to the Captain about entering it?
BRUCE ISMAY: I never saw the Captain.
WILLIAM SMITH: Then who, if anyone, told you to enter it?
No one.
Why did you?
BRUCE ISMAY: Because there was room.
She was being lowered away.
I thought the ship was going down, and I got into the boat.
Sir Bruce, I don't imagine history
will be very kind to you.
(READING) "I, Harold Godfrey Lowe,
5th Officer of the late steamship,
Titanic, stated that I fired shots
to prevent Italian immigrants from jumping into my lifeboat.
I do thereby cancel the word "Italian"
and substitute the word immigrants
belonging to the Latin races."
Major Peuchen, I'm Alaine Ricard.
I'm curious, sir, as to why you had so little
to say during your testimony.
Don't worry, sir.
I'm with the press.
You said your name was?
ALAINE RICARD: Alaine Ricard, Chelsea Courier.
Ma'am, I think we all know the press
will well outlive this inquiry.
That's true, sir.
But you had quite a bit to say prior to your testimony
and then, well, sir, nothing.
Understand, it was simply formality.
It won't serve America to persecute its allies.
How do you mean?
ARTHUR PEUCHEN: Bankrupting the White Star
or the ship's builder, along with other fallout,
could cripple the economy of Great Britain.
60,000 unemployed to start, plus JP Morgan
has an agreement with the British military
that would be nullified if the bank were to seize his ships.
What agreement with the military?
War, Miss Ricard, war.
Let's just say, I don't believe America would
care to be stuck with the bill.
Or lose the political support of the richest man in the world.
WILLIAM SMITH: Mr. President, how are you, sir?
WILLIAM TAFT (ON PHONE): Oh, I can't complain.
But it seems Mr. Roosevelt is enjoying a bit of a surge.
Massachusetts and New York are still in your favor.
WILLIAM TAFT (ON PHONE): So far.
I understand you're continuing with your hearings.
I am, sir.
WILLIAM TAFT (ON PHONE): I think that's enough, Smith.
We have to move on from this Titanic circus.
You found all the truth you're going to find,
and now you're doing more harm than good.
There's no one to blame.
The dead are not complaining.
That's a bit insensitive.
WILLIAM TAFT (ON PHONE): Don't you dare, Senator.
I had a close associate on that ship
whose body was never recovered.
The President's military strategist sightseeing
in Europe.
WILLIAM TAFT (ON PHONE): Mr. Senator,
your words before the Senate will determine
all the days that follow.
I recommend you choose very carefully.
[hangs up phone]
Ah, I was just trying to swim.
There was a man.
There was a lot of them floating around.
And he got me by the neck like that and pressed me under, eh,
trying to get on top of me.
I said to him, let go.
Of course, he was not paying any attention to that.
But I got away from him.
[water splashing]
God bless you.
Give me your hand.
Hello!
Someone, please, please, give me your hand.
I cannot swim.
I'm going to die if you do not take my hand.
MAN: Listen to me!
Please, I cannot live.
Please let me have your hand.
MAN: Listen to me!
Listen to me!
I need your help.
MAN: If you pull on this boat, it will capsize,
and we will all die.
Calm down.
Do you understand?
Listen to my voice.
I need you-- look at me--
to stay calm.
Do you understand?
I understand.
MAN: We are overloaded.
All right, all right.
But, please, I cannot live long.
I will not live long.
Some of them were trying to get under feet,
and some fall into the water again.
And some were frozen.
Two were dead and had to be sent overboard.
[water splashes]
MAN: Sir, sir, please, sir.
Give me your hand.
[fire crackling]
WILLIAM SMITH: (READING) "Mr. President, my associates and I
return the Commission handed to us on the 18th day of April
last, directing an immediate inquiry
into the causes leading to the destruction
of the steamship Titanic."
I know what I have to say, but I hesitate to say it.
I never much liked the idea of living in the White House.
Just tell the truth.
People don't want the truth.
They want someone to blame, preferably someone alive.
All I have on Ismay is that he wasn't gentleman enough
to go down with the ship.
NANCY SMITH: Unfortunately, being a coward is not a crime.
[pensive music]
[sighs]
[soft music]
[pencil scratches paper]
[loud exhale]
William.
The upper class were loaded into those lifeboats
so carefully.
"Watch your step, ma'am.
Are you warm enough?
Comfortable?"
The less privileged watched from the rail,
patiently waiting their turn, terrified,
I'm sure, until they were told that there
would be no more boats.
Imagine having to explain that to your child.
"You will die because we couldn't
provide a better ticket."
There was never a general alarm sounded.
We know that there weren't enough lifeboats.
And even those there were, some of them
were sent away half-empty.
The lookout man wasn't provided with the proper equipment.
The ship was moving too fast.
Luxury took precedence over safety in every instance.
Even the radio operators were too busy
sending messages for their rich, well-tipping customers
to receive the incoming warnings.
And when all was said and done, a nearby vessel
slept through the screams.
There was one man who received those warnings, Titanic
Captain Edward John Smith.
As he rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous,
ships all around him were stopped, surrounded by ice.
And he didn't even slow down.
The White Star's society captain had been told that his ship was
unsinkable, and he believed it.
And, of course, our archaic laws will do nothing
more than protect the corporate interests at the expense
of those left in the water.
Is that what you'll tell the Senate?
[pensive music]
[camera flash pops]
[car engine idling]
Very comfortable.
It's a good thing.
I heard this is over an hour long.
Sorry.
[laughing]
NEWS ANNOUNCER (ON FILM): Wilbur Wright
of the famed Wright Brothers passed away
this week at the age of 45.
After tinkering with printing presses, bicycles, motors,
and other machinery, he and his brother Orville
successfully developed their patented flying machine,
the first controlled, sustained flight
of a powered heavier-than-air aircraft
on a dry windswept afternoon, four miles south
of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Wilbur will be laid to rest near his childhood home
in Montgomery County, Ohio.
The inquiry into the sinking of Titanic
ended last week, with lawmakers scrambling to overhaul
international maritime law.
"An attendant loss of life so shocking to the civilized
world," says Senator William Alden Smith, the chairman
of the investigation.
"The goal is that humanity may never
again have to experience a senseless tragedy
of this level."
"Whether it be current or future areas of travel
by sea, rail, or perhaps even the skies,
the United States government has done its duty,"
writes famed journalist Alaine Ricard,
"and now lies in the hands of the free press."
She goes on to say, "The truth, no matter how difficult,
is how we move forward."
Through the work of Senator Smith
and the brave rescuers and survivors of the Titanic,
the event will now live on forever
in the public consciousness.
Only a year and a half from the creation of the Boy Scouts
of America--
I'm going to take a minute.
NEWS ANNOUNCER (ON FILM): - have announced the formation
of the Girls Guide group.
Young girls from around the country--
[soft music]
I hope you don't mind.
Miss Malloy told me where you might be.
"Famed journalist Alaine Ricard."
At your service, sir.
So what's next?
To Europe.
I believe that's where the story lies.
Not sure the British Board of Trade
is going to do much to indict themselves.
You can count on that.
War is on our doorstep.
We uncovered that most of all.
They'll need you.
Thank you, Senator.
I should, um, get back.
WILLIAM SMITH (VOICEOVER): As the ship was sinking,
strains of music wafted across her deck.
["Nearer my God to Thee" playing]
It was not the note of any martial anthem that had,
in days gone by, led embattled legions on to victory.
It was a more inspiring stanza than that, a loftier and holier
melody, amid the anguish and sublime pathos
of that awful hour that swept through the compartments
of the sinking ship.
It was a rallying cry for the living and the dying,
to rally them not for life but for their awaiting death.
While almost face to face with their Creator,
amid the chaos of that supreme and solemn moment,
with inspiring notes, the unison resounded through the ship.
It told the victims of the wreck that there
was another world beyond the seas,
free from the agony of pain.
And though with somber tones, it cheered
them on to their untimely fate.
As the oceans closed over the heroic dead,
let us feel that the heavens opened for the lives
that were prepared to enter.
Father of the universe, what an admonition to the nation.
The sounds of that awe-inspiring requiem
that vibrated over the ocean are drowned
in the waters of the deep.
The instruments that gave them birth are silenced.
WOMAN: Why are you leaving us?
WILLIAM SMITH (VOICEOVER): As the harps were silenced
on the willow tree, if the melody that was rehearsed
could only reverberate through this land, "Nearer, My God,
to Thee," and its echoes heard in these halls of legislation
and at every home and fireside, from the mansions of the rich--
[panicked cries]
[grunting]
- to the huts and hovels of the poor.
If we could be made to feel that there
is a divine law of obedience and of adjustment, end
of compensation, that demands our allegiance
far above the laws that we formulate in this presence--
[loud metal crashing]
Then from the gloom of these fearful hours,
we shall pass into the dawn of a higher service
and of a better day.
And then, Mr. President, the lives
that went down on this fated night
will not have gone down in vain.
[music playing]