"At 6.20 or 6.30 Monday evening," Mr. Franklin continued, "a message was received telling the fateful news that the Carpathia reached the Titanic and found nothing but boats and wreckage; that the Titanic had foundered at 2.20 A.M. in 41.16 north, 50.14 west; that the Carpathia picked up all the boats and had on board about 675 Titanic survivors--passengers and crew. "It was such a terrible shock that it took me several moments to think what to do. Then I went downstairs to the reporters, I began to read the message, holding it high in my hand. I had read only to the second line, which said that the Titanic had sunk, when there was not a reporter left--they were so anxious to get to the telephones. SAFETY EQUIPMENT "The Titanic's equipment was in excess of the law," said the witness. "It carried its clearance in the shape of a certificate from the British Board of Trade. I might say that no vessel can leave a British port without a certificate that it is equipped to care for human lives aboard in case of accident. It is the law." "Do you know of anyone, any officer or man or any official, whom you deem could be held responsible for the accident and its attendant loss of life?" "Positively not. No one thought such an accident could happen. It was undreamed of. I think it would be absurd to try to hold some individual responsible. Every precaution was taken; that the precautions were of no avail is a source of the deepest sorrow. But the accident was unavoidable." FOURTH OFFICER TESTIFIES J. B. Boxhall, the fourth officer, was then questioned. "Were there any drills or any inspection before the Titanic sailed?" he was asked. "Both," said the witness. "The men were mustered and the life-boats lowered in the presence of the inspectors from the Board of Trade." "How many boats were lowered?" "Just two, sir." "One on each side of the ship?" "No, sir. They were both on the same side. We were lying in dock." The witness said he did not know whether the lowering tackle ran free or not on that occasion. "In lowering the life-boats at the test, did the gear work satisfactorily?" "So far as I know." In lowering a life-boat, he said, first the boat has to be cleared, chocks knocked down and the boat hangs free. Then the davits are screwed out to the ship's side and the boat lowered. At the time of the tests all officers of the Titanic were present. Boxhall said that under the weather conditions experienced at the time of the collision the life-boats were supposed to carry sixty-five persons. Under the regulations of the British Board of Trade, in addition to the oars, there were in the boats water breakers, water dippers, bread, bailers, mast and sail and lights and a supply of oil. All of these supplies, said Boxhall, were in the boats when the Titanic left Belfast. He could not say whether they were in when the vessel left Southampton.