Why no audio distress signal

[Samuel Halpern]

That comment did not happen until after the 7th rocket was seen, after the red sidelight had been shut out. The only thing we have to go on is what we were told. Boxhall thought he sent up from 6 to 12. Did he also include the ones sent up by Rowe? Rowe said somewhere that he fired 7 himself. Pitman thought about dozen were fired. The truth is that we don't really know. And nobody apparently was timing the interval between every one of them. Stone said he though 3-4 minutes but he also said he saw 5 in 25 minutes time, and that the interval of the last three he saw were about the same as the first five he saw. He also estimated that last one he saw was at 1:40, about 55 minutes after the first one.

What matters is that rockets were sent up at intervals and Stone left it entirely to Lord to decide what that all meant. And who knows what Stone really told Lord when he called down the speaking tube? If you believe Lord, it was a single rocket. If you believe Gibson, it was either one or at most two rockets. If you believe Stone, it was five rockets in 25 minutes. I personally don't believe Stone's account here. As I've said elsewhere, I think there was bad communications between Stone and Lord. But if you want to make excuses for Stone's actions or inactions, that's your call.

 

[Jim Currie]

Not excuses Sam - logical reasons based on what Stone described seeing. If 'Bangs' indicating distress were to be displayed at 1 minute intervals to indicate dire need - why should white rockets sent up at 5 or 6 minutes intervals convey the same extent of need?

The communications were fine - carried out according to orders.
Bottom line is that based on the information Lord had, he did not deem it necessary to wake up the Wireless man to find out 'just in case'.
Even later, Lord did not charge off into the sunrise on a wild goose chase. He did all the right things that a prudent commander would be expected to do.
Being wise after the event is a luxury!

 

[Robert T. Paige]

Thanks,Michael -

>>I can't give you a straight answer to that one. When I was in service, it was at a time when radio was run 24/7 including holidays. The autodetector was the guy who was manning the sets.<<

Probably the same when I was in service. One receiver and one receiver was always tuned to the distress frequency which I believe was 500 KHZ at the time.