Page 179 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

3464. Then what happened? - We got lowered, and then we cut her adrift. The razor came in handy. 3465. You did use it? - Yes, we had to because nobody else had a knife. The ropes were a little bit jerky, but they came down properly. 3466. When you got to the bottom you cut adrift with the razor? - They slipped all right enough. It was in other boats the same. All companies have been the same I have been in. They would fall off with a little bit of a jerk. 3467. You got free? - Yes. 3468. How many people were there in your boat? - I think 23 to 25. 3469. Is she as big a boat as the others? - Certainly not. 3470. Was she full, in your judgment? - She would not be full, but she would have been full in a heavy sea. She was not full according to how we were. 3471. Was anybody that wanted to get on that boat kept back? - Not at all, certainly not. 3472. Were there any seamen in that boat? - There was one. He said he was a seaman. We saw a light and we pulled for that light. I do not know whether he was a seaman or not. 3473. Was there an officer in the boat? - Yes. 3474. Who was he? - I do not know his name; I should know him if I saw him. 3475. The fourth officer, was it not? - I think it would be him. 3476. And somebody who said he was a seaman? - Yes. 3477. Was there any other man beside yourself? - There was a foreigner, and I think the other one was a cook or something. He told me afterwards he was a cook. 3478. And any passenger men? - No, that was all the men. 3479. All the rest were women and children? - Yes. The Attorney-General: The cubic capacity of an emergency boat is 40 persons, my Lord. 3480. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Mr. Boxhall is the 4th Officer, is he not? - I did not know them by their names. 3481. You said something about seeing a light? - Yes. 3482. Did you see that light from the deck of the “Titanic”? - I should think we saw it for about twenty minutes on the port bow. 3483. How broad from the port bow? - I should think from where I was standing we pulled a mile and a half or two miles after it. 3484. Was it nearly right ahead? - No, something like an angle. 3485. A right angle? - A left angle from the port bow rather. 3486. Now face the same way as the ship in that model? - Yes, it was there about and the boat was there, and it was lying like that. (demonstrating.) I should consider it would be about eight or ten miles off. 3487. But that is not the angle you know. A little clear of the bow on the left hand side as you looked towards the bow? - A little more aft. 3488. One of the Witnesses said two points? - I do not know a point unless it is in billiards. 3489. Did you row for that light? - Certainly. 3490. How many oars did the boat row? - We had four? - I think there were two rowing and the other two dipping. I think two could row and the other two were dipping. 3491. They were simply dipping their oars? - Well, they were doing their best. 3492. Which were you doing, rowing or dipping? - I think I was rowing. 3493. Was somebody steering? - Sometimes there was a girl steering and sometimes an officer steering. He was telling her what to do and he was helping the foreigner at the other oar to pull. He was pulling a stroke oar. 3494. Did the officer direct you to steer to the light? - We took a star and got this star underneath us and kept it in front of us, and tried not to get away from it.