The court, having carefully inquired into the circumstances of the above-mentioned shipping casualty, finds, for the reasons appearing in the annex hereto, that the loss of the said ship was due to collision with an iceberg, brought about by the excessive speed at which the ship was being navigated. Dated this 30th day of July, 1912. MERSEY, _Wreck Commissioner_. We concur in the above report. ARTHUR GOUGH-CALTHORPE, A. W. CLARKE, F. C. A. LYON, J. H. BILES, EDWARD C. CHASTON, _Assessors_. LOSS OF THE STEAMSHIP "TITANIC." REPORT OF A FORMAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING THE FOUNDERING ON APRIL 15, 1912, OF THE BRITISH STEAMSHIP TITANIC, OF LIVERPOOL, AFTER STRIKING ICE IN OR NEAR LATITUDE 41° 46´ N., LONGITUDE 50° 14´ W., NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN, WHEREBY LOSS OF LIFE ENSUED. ANNEX TO THE REPORT. INTRODUCTION. On April 23, 1912, the Lord Chancellor appointed a wreck commissioner under the merchant shipping acts, and on April 26 the home secretary nominated five assessors. On April 30 the board of trade requested that a formal investigation of the circumstances attending the loss of the steamship _Titanic_ should be held, and the court accordingly commenced to sit on May 2. Since that date there have been 37 public sittings, at which 97 witnesses have been examined, while a large number of documents, charts, and plans have been produced. The 26 questions formulated by the board of trade, which are set out in detail below, appear to cover all the circumstances to be inquired into. Briefly summarized, they deal with the history of the ship, her design, construction, size, speed, general equipment, life-saving apparatus, wireless installation, her orders and course, her passengers, her crew, their training, organization and discipline; they request an account of the casualty, its cause and effect, and of the means taken for saving those on board the ship; and they call for a report on the efficiency of the rules and regulations made by the board of trade under the merchant shipping acts and on their administration, and, finally, for any recommendations to obviate similar disasters which may appear to the court to be desirable. The 26 questions, as subsequently amended, are here attached: 1. When the _Titanic_ left Queenstown on or about April 11 last-- (_a_) What was the total number of persons employed in any capacity on board her, and what were their respective ratings? (_b_) What was the total number of her passengers, distinguishing sexes and classes, and discriminating between adults and children? 2. Before leaving Queenstown on or about April 11 last did the _Titanic_ comply with the requirements of the merchant shipping acts, 1894-1906, and the rules and regulations made thereunder with regard to the safety and otherwise of "passenger steamers" and "emigrant ships"?