every care and precaution. We soon found ourselves in a
field of bergs, and had to alter course several times to clear bergs;
weather fine, and clear, light air on sea, beautifully clear night,
though dark.

"We stopped at 4 A. M., thus doing distance in three hours and a half,
picking up the first boat at 4.10 A. M.; boat in charge of officer, and
he reported that Titanic had foundered. At 8.30 A. M. last boat picked
up. All survivors aboard and all boats accounted for, viz., fifteen
life-boats, one boat abandoned, two Berthon boats alongside (saw one
floating upwards among wreckage), and according to second officer
(senior officer saved) one Berthon boat had not been launched, it having
got jammed, making sixteen life-boats and four Berthon boats accounted
for. By the time we had cleared first boat it was breaking day, and
I could see all within area of four miles. We also saw that we were
surrounded by icebergs, large and small, huge field of drift ice with
large and small bergs in it, the ice field trending from N. W. round W.
and S. to S. E., as far as we could see either way.

"At 8 A. M. the Leyland S. S. California came up. I gave him the
principal news and asked him to search and I would proceed to New
York; at 8.50 proceeded full speed while researching over vicinity of
disaster, and while we were getting people aboard I gave orders to get
spare hands along and swing in all our boats, disconnect the fall and
hoist up as many Titanic boats as possible in our davits; also get
some on forecastle heads by derricks. We got thirteen lifeboats, six on
forward deck and seven in davits. After getting all survivors aboard
and while searching I got a clergyman to offer a short prayer of
thankfulness for those saved, and also a short burial service for their
loss, in saloon.

"Before deciding definitely where to make for, I conferred with Mr.
Ismay, and as he told me to do what I thought best, I informed him,
I considered New York best. I knew we should require clean blankets,
provisions and clean linen, even if we went to the Azores, as most of
the passsengers{sic} saved were women and children, and they hysterical,
not knowing what medical attention they might require. I thought it best
to go to New York. I also thought it would be better for Mr. Ismay to go
to New York or England as soon as possible, and knowing I should be out
of wireless communication very soon if I proceeded to Azores, it left
Halifax, Boston and