It was steward Whiteley who claimed that Philips was on boat B which was not true.
But Harold Bride himself said he witnessed Phillips' body in the boat as he approached the rope ladder of the Carpathia
"At last the Carpathia was alongside, and the people were being taken up a rope ladder. Our boat drew near, and one by one the men were taken off of it. One man was dead. I passed him, and went to a ladder, although my feet pained me terribly. " "The dead man was Phillips. He died on the raft from exposure and cold. I guess he had been all in from work before the wreck came. He stood his ground until the crisis passed and then collapsed. But I hardly thought of that then; I didn't think much about anything. I tried the rope ladder. My feet pained me terribly, but I got to the top, and felt hands reaching out to me."
Bride's complaint in the 1936 newspaper was interesting because he did not dispute Lightoller's claim that Phillips was on the upturned boat, he only complained about the discussion that Lightoller said he had with Phillips regarding the Mesaba. There are many embarrassing facts that were left out of the Inquiry and this wireless message was likely one of them. As Lightoller said the Inquiry was a "whitewash" and how "dirty linen would help no one". e.g. The lookouts told the American inquiry that they did not ring 7 bells at 11:30pm - Fleet said: "We never generally ring bells up in the crow's nest every half hour; we generally miss it." - but they told the official British Inquiry that they did ring 7 bells. They likely had to show that everything was done by the book (if they wanted to keep their jobs).
What is interesting is that Bride was given $1000 for his exclusive story to Marconi as soon as the Carpathia arrived in New York. The following was brought up at the American Inquiry:
'This is from the commanding officer of the Florida to the Secretary of the Navy, dated, April 22, and reads as follows:'
'On the evening of the steamship Carpathia's arrival in New York, the four following radiograms were intercepted by the chief operator, J. R. Simpson, chief electrician, United States Navy. They appear to me to be significant enough to be brought to the attention of the department.'
Seagate to Carpathia - 8.12PM
"Say, old man, Marconi Co. Taking good care of you. Keep your mouth shut, and hold your story. It is fixed for you so you will get big money. Now, please do your best to clear."
To Marconi officer, Carpathia and Titanic - 8.30PM
"Arranged for your exclusive story for dollars in four figures, Mr. Marconi agreeing. Say nothing until you see me. Where are you now? - J. M. Sammis Opr. C.
From Seagate to Carpathia operator - 9PM
"Go to Strand Hotel. 502 West Fourteenth Street. To meet Mr. Marconi. - C."
From Seagate to Carpathia - 9.33PM
"A personal to operator Carpathia. Meet Mr. Marconi and Sammis at Strand Hotel, 502 West Fourteenth Street. Keep your mouth shut. - Mr Marconi."
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