Salaam, Martyn.

>Although I my self have little research on the enquiries, I still hold >the belief the eye witness testimony of the passenger's are at best >flawed.

Don't forget that Bruce Ismay regarded himself as being "just a passenger," too.

>Now, although I would not like to say Elisabeth Lines was lying, but >I see no reason to hold her testimony above that of Ismay's. Of >course he is not going to admit to it, yet we would like to believe >there innocent till proven guilty and that evidence is only one >person's word against another's.

Ismay also claimed that he didn't know if new boilers were going to be connected to the engines on April 14th, but it was demonstrated at the Limitation of Liability hearings that he was lying; a number of different passengers testified how Ismay had told them (independently) that new boilers were going to be connected to the engines that day. Since we know that Ismay was lying about that subject, we have no particular reason to trust his similar claim that he did not consult with Captain Smith about a Tuesday night arrival. (As you yourself said about Ismay, "of course he is not going to admit it.")

I'm sure you'll enjoy Mark Chirnside's books when you read them -- they're truly excellent.

Take care, Martyn.

Achmet