Page 128 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

2086. And of course they would have to find the lamps when they got to the stores? - I could not tell you; I did not go down to the stores. 2087. Now the other thing is this. You told me yesterday that when you got into No. 5 and the watertight door closed behind you, you found that there was some water coming into No. 5? - No. 5 coal bunker. 2088. Yes, the coal bunker. Is that the coal bunker immediately behind the watertight bulkhead? - Yes. 2089. Is it the coal bunkers on the starboard side? - On the starboard side. 2090. So that as you came through the watertight door from No. 6 into No. 5 it would be immediately on your left hand? - Immediately on the left hand. 2091. Was it empty? - Yes. 2092. And was the door of it open? - Yes. 2093. So that you could look in? - Yes. 2094. Just tell us, when you did look in, what was it you saw? - I saw water pouring in through the ship’s side. 2095. In this bunker? - In this bunker. 2096. In the ship’s side in the bunker. At what level was it coming in, as far as you could see? - The coal bunker is about 2 feet below the plates; it was coming about 4 feet higher than the coal bunker - the bottom of the coal bunker is 2 feet below the plates. The Solicitor-General: Your Lordship sees that. The Commissioner: I understand. 2097. (The Solicitor-General - To the Witness.) So that if it was 4 feet below the bottom of the coal bunker it would be the same level as if it was 2 feet above the plates? - Yes. 2098. And that is the same level as you found it was coming in in No. 5? - In No. 6 and No. 5 about the same level. 2099. Was it coming in the opening in No. 5 as fast as it had been coming into No. 6? - No, Sir. 2100. What is the width of the side of the ship in that coal bunker? The side of the ship is one of the sides of the coal bunkers there. How many feet is it, should you say? What is the width? - From the watertight bulkhead to the other? 2101. Yes. From the watertight bulkhead to the other wall of the bulkhead? - The forward end of the watertight compartment would be about four feet wide, but the after-side was wider. 2102. I am told it would be nine feet wide? - I could not estimate; I am no judge of measurement. The Solicitor-General: My Lord, that is the depth of the coal bunker immediately behind the watertight bulkhead, measured along the skin of the ship, fore and aft, nine feet. Your Lordship sees what I mean? The Commissioner: Yes. 2103. (The Solicitor-General.) Then you got this wall, nine feet or thereabouts. I want you to tell us, was the water coming through all parts of that or through some part of it only? - Which wall do you mean? 2104. The water is coming through the skin of the ship into the bunker? - Yes. 2105. And the bunker is about nine feet along the side of the ship. Now, I want to know, was the water coming in at this level right across the bunker or only in part of it? - Water was coming in about two feet abaft the watertight bulkhead. 2106. Do you mean that it was coming in from the watertight bulkhead and for two feet back? - No; only from the ship’s side. The watertight bulkhead was not damaged. 2107. Was it coming in at one point, or was it coming in for two feet? - I could not estimate exactly how large the hole was.