Rowe spotting a lifeboat

[Jim Currie]

Hello Senan!

This statutory declaration by Beesley contradicts his book.

As I pointed out: In his book Beesley said that at 12:20am by his watch, he and others were watching the crew preparing boats 9,11,13 & 15. Some time after this, a rocket was fired which brought home to the minds of the watchers the possibility that something serious was going on. Surely if there had been 5 rockets previous to that, he would have said so?

In fact, if 8 rockets had been fired before No.13 was launched then, by Beesley's watch, the first one was fired at 5 minutes after midnight. At that time, again by Beesley's reckoning, he must have been still in his cabin.

JC

 

[Senan Molony]

David Brown will be interested in this, as it addresses the point (Jim just wants to paddle his own canoe, I think).

A letter to MMSA general secretary Leslie Harrison recounting an interview with QM Rowe by District Secretary Powell, dated June 1963:

“I have again spoken to Mr Rowe, and his reply when asked about the time the first boats were lowered was:- ‘It was perhaps near to 12.30.’ He said that they were firing the rockets whilst he was still on the after poop, and when he took the other rockets along, they used some of those as well.”

Rowe also said elsewhere that he and Bright each brought forward a box from aft, each containing 12 rockets (he thinks, writing in a letter), and in this latter phase that 'I fired most of the rockets. I did not know where Boxhall was.' (Letter of March 5, 1963).

Of course Rowe said a number of contradictory things, but we can clearly see two major tranches of rocket firing - and Boxhall's then absence to Rowe's firing (when he, Boxhall, says he was still himself firing), which would demonstrate three distinct rocket-firing 'pods.'

This should be pondered and grasped.

Rowe also said he was told ‘Bring as many as you can' - now why would they say that if an ultra-conservative eight were ever fired, many before the telephone conversation?

It's bunkum.

So is the idea that the first rocket was fired at 12.45, or that the first lifeboat was launched at 12.45,

Both also bunkum.

 

[Jim Currie]

Hello Senan!

<(Jim just wants to paddle his own canoe, I think).

I presume you mean that I use my own means of travelling toward the same conclusion!

We don't have to go into painful gyrations to discover when they started firing rockets.. it is obvious... leave the twisting to those who know no better!

Boxhall suggested to Smith he should start firing rockets. That was after he had sent the corrected CQD and when he sighted a ship. He would not have waited to fire his first rocket until the ship got nearer since it might not have been approaching Titanic.. might have missed his first signals and might have turned away. He rightly needed to get that ship's attention as soon as possible and keep it!(what a waste of good fireworks!. You can therefore pin the first rocket to the time of sighting that ship.

Jim.

 

[David G. Brown]

Senan-- An excellent "find." I want to take some time to study the material before commenting. However, you deserve our thanks for publishing that letter.

-- David G. Brown