Page 166 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

3106. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) I was asking him when the three boats were tied together whether there was any talk between boat and boat about the light, and he says no. (To the Witness.) You said you saw the “Titanic” sink? - Yes. 3107. How far away were you when she sank? - About 150 yards. 3108. Now will you describe to us what you saw happen when she sank? - Well, I thought when I looked that the ship broke at the foremost funnel. 3109. What led you to that conclusion? - Because I had seen that part disappear. 3110. If she sank by the head you would see that part disappear, would you not? - Yes. 3111. What was there about the disappearance that led you to think she broke? - Because she was short; the afterpart righted itself after the foremost part had disappeared. 3112. (The Commissioner.) Do you mean to say that the fore part of the vessel went down to the bottom, and that then the remainder came on an even keel? - Yes. 3113. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) Before the ship sank just tell me this, what was the position of the vessel? I have a pen in my hand? - Well, the water was up to the officers’ house. 3114. Assume, for a moment, that is the officers’ house. Now could you see under the keel of the ship abaft the officers’ house? - Yes, the propeller and everything was quite clear. 3115. Underneath? - Yes. 3116. Then the water comes up to the officers’ house. Was it then that the forward part disappeared? - Yes. 3117. And then what happened to the afterpart? - It uprighted itself, as if nothing had happened. 3118. You mean it came back like that, so to speak? - Yes, straight on the water again. 3119. Did it float on the water for any appreciable time? - Not above a couple of minutes. The Commissioner: Has there been evidence of breaking before? The Attorney-General: Not of righting itself and again floating - not that part. The Commissioner: She was already down by the head a great deal, and then at the last she took a sudden plunge, her afterpart went up, so to speak, in the air, and then she went down. The Attorney-General: There is evidence of her breaking. The Commissioner: There is evidence of noise. Will you tell me what is the evidence of breaking? You mean to say evidence that we have not had yet? The Attorney-General: No; evidence I think that your Lordship has had. The Commissioner: Well, will you tell me who it is that speaks to it? The Attorney-General: I think Jewell did. The Commissioner: Do you know which Witness it was? The Attorney-General: That is what we are trying to find, my Lord. Mr. Butler Aspinall: It is not in my recollection that it has been proved. The Attorney-General: Well, we will see. The Commissioner: Nor is it in the recollection of any of my colleagues. It may be that you have read it. 3120. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) I think so, my Lord. In some of these documents there is a statement about it. (To the Witness.) With regard to the number of people that you took from the other boat into yours, did you count them, or is it a guess about the number? - I counted them. 3121. And you counted them as being twelve? - Yes. 3122. I tell you why I am asking you these questions, because another Witness, by the name of Lucas, has been called, and he told us of this transfer of passengers, and he spoke of 36 being put into your boat? - I can explain that to you. 3123. Will you explain it? - Because the 36 men, that Lucas said he had transferred from one boat to another, he is meaning the boat picked up by Mr. Lightoller, the upturned boat, the collapsible boat. That was at dawn on the Monday morning. That is where Lucas made the