Page 182 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

application.) The Attorney-General: With reference to the Witnesses who have been called, I do not propose to keep them unless your Lordship thinks it desirable. If there is any special Witness whom my friend wishes kept, of course we shall have to make arrangements to keep him, but it is very inconvenient and expensive to keep a lot of Witnesses who have already given their testimony, and I should have thought it was very much better to let them go. Sir Robert Finlay: So far as I am concerned there are no Witnesses that have yet been called that I should desire to be kept. The Commissioner: Then I think the better plan will be to assume that no one desires a Witness to be kept unless he asks for it. Sir Robert Finlay: Yes, my Lord. If any occasion arises in the future, I will notify the Attorney-General. JAMES JOHNSON, Recalled. Further examined by Mr. ROWLATT. 3509. Now, Mr. Johnson, you told us you rowed away and came back again. Did you see the “Titanic” sink? - I saw her go down. 3510. How far off were you from her then in your boat? - It might have been three-quarters of a mile, or it might have been a little bit less. 3511. Did you row back at all towards the wreck? - Well, the boatswain told us to keep a star and keep looking at this star and not to lose it, and keep within the vicinity of it. 3512. Keep within the vicinity of what? - Of the star, underneath it rather. 3513. Did you go back towards the wreck at all? - Well, we might have pulled a little bit back. When we were all quiet he said, “Listen,” and what we heard was the swish of the water against another iceberg. 3514. What I want to get at is this. You saw the ship go down? - Certainly. 3515. You knew in what direction that was? - Yes. 3516. Now did you try to row back in that direction with your boat? - No; we stood off. 3517. Three-quarters of a mile away? - Very near it, I think. 3518. At that time was your boat full? - No; I told you yesterday it was not full. 3519. Was there any suggestion by anybody that you should go back in the boat? - Yes; the officer asked a question as to going back, but at that time we were just close to an iceberg, and the ladies said, “No,” I think; they thought it was dangerous. 3520. Did anything more pass in the boat - a conversation about going back, that you heard? - I was not listening. I was told by the officer to listen, and I heard the swish of the water, and when we looked there was an iceberg right in front of us. 3521. You saw it? - Certainly; we were close to it. 3522. Did you hear any cries of people in distress? - Oh, yes, too many. 3523. You did? - Certainly. 3524. Did you recognise from your boat in which direction those cries came? - From the left- hand side where we were; we had pulled round astern and were on the left-hand side. 3525. Was anything said in the boat about the cries? - Certainly, there were lots of remarks by the ladies. They said they were sorry and everything. 3526. But with reference to going back? - The only thing I heard was he asked them; should we go back, and I heard the ladies distinctly say no.