Page 129 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

The Commissioner: I do not think this Witness can answer your questions. I should place very little reliance upon his evidence, because I do not believe that in these circumstances such particular notice would be taken. The Solicitor-General: No, my Lord. The Commissioner: And I think you are trying to tax his memory too much. The Solicitor-General: If your Lordship pleases. The Commissioner: Ordinary people, or even extraordinary people, would not have all these details in their head. I do not think so. It seems to me sufficient that the water was coming in in the forward part of the coal bunker - that is to say, in the part forward of the bulkhead - and was also coming in in the afterpart of the coal bunker and at about the same height - more coming in, it is true, in No. 6 than in No. 5. The Solicitor-General: If your Lordship pleases. The Commissioner: But evidently coming in from the same wound. I think that is enough. The Solicitor-General: The only thing I was concerned about was to see whether one could not ascertain whether this wound ran the whole length of the coal bunker, or whether it only ran back a little way from the watertight bulkhead, and I gather he says it was about 2 feet back; but of course, he cannot say more than that. The Commissioner: Very well. 2108. (The Solicitor-General - To the Witness.) That being so, I will only ask you this further question about this part of the case. What was done, if anything was done, about the water that was coming into that coal bunker? - The engineers put pumps on as far as I understand; but, of course, I am only a stoker; I do not know what engineers’ work is. 2109. But you were there, and you will help us. They succeeded in getting the water down by pumps? - As far as I was concerned, the plates never got covered while I was there. 2110. (The Commissioner.) I want to ask you about that. How were the pumps worked? - I could not tell you, my Lord. 2111. Cannot some one tell me. The engines had been stopped? - There was steam. They opened the pump by the steam valve in the pump room. The Solicitor-General: The only engines that would be stopped would be the engines that actuated the propeller. There is plenty of other machinery in the ship. The Commissioner: Then these pumps work notwithstanding that the fires are drawn and the main engine stopped? The Solicitor-General: I do not suppose all the fires were drawn, my Lord. The Commissioner: I thought all the fires were drawn? The Witness: Only one section, my Lord. The Solicitor-General: I think, if your Lordship would like to know, Mr. Wilding would be able to tell your Lordship. The Commissioner: No, it is my fault; I understand it now. 2112. (The Solicitor-General.) I think that is all I can ask him about that part, my Lord. (To the Witness.) Now then, Barrett, when all that was over, you told us you came up out of No. 5 when the rush came in? - Yes. 2113. Where did you go to? - Up the escape into the main alleyway. 2114. And where did you go to after that? - I walked aft. 2115. Did you go up on the deck? - On the saloon deck I went. 2116. Then above the saloon deck there is a shelter deck, the bridge deck, the promenade deck, and the boat deck? - I call the saloon deck the one under the boat deck. 2117. You got up to the boat deck? - The one underneath the boat deck. 2118. That is called the promenade deck, I think. Were there people there? - I did not see any. I saw some of the stewards, and there were some third-class passengers - men and women. No. 13