Page 222 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

4634. Was No. 3 swung out? - It was swung out off the chocks. 4635. It was? - Yes. 4636. Did you see it swung out? - Yes. 4637. Who swung it out? - I could not tell you. 4638. Some of the crew? - I do not know. I was not there then. I was not there when it was swung out. 4639. (The Commissioner.) Did you ever get to No. 3? - Did I get to No. 3? No. 5, Sir. 4640. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) No. 3 was your boat? - No. 3 was my boat. 4641. (The Commissioner.) Did you ever get to it? - Yes. 4642. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) Did you see it swung out, or was it swung out when you got there? - It was swung out. All the boats were swung out when we got up there. 4643. Were women and children put into No. 3? - No. 4644. (The Commissioner.) Was anybody put into No. 3? - No. 4645. Did it remain empty from the beginning to the end? - No, it came away after. He asked for any of the crew; he turned and asked me what I was. I said, “A fireman,” and he said, “Get into the boat.” 4646. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) Did you get into it? - I got into No. 5 boat. 4647. You did? - Yes, the boat he ordered me to. 4648. You left No. 3 and got into No. 5? - No, I was in between the chocks between No. 3 and No. 5. 4649. (The Commissioner.) Did you ever get into No. 3 at all? - No, there was nobody in that boat then. 4650. You never got into No. 3? - No. We had to stand by the boats. 4651. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) Were there any passengers about No. 3 boat? - No, only where they were filling the other boats. 4652. No passengers about No. 3, and no officer or seaman about No. 3? - There might have been seamen; I did not see them there though. 4653. Then you got into No. 5? Was No. 5 lowered? - Yes. 4654. Who were in No. 5? You were, who else? - One other fireman, a steward, and a quartermaster. 4655. And were there some women and children in No. 5? - Women, no children. 4656. Do you know how many women? - No. 4657. Was the boat full or not? - It was not full - as many as it would take off the davits was what the officer said - as many as he thought the boat would take off the davits. 4658. As many as the davits would support, I suppose he means, my Lord - as many as they would safely carry. (To the Witness.) When the boats were lowered were there other women left on the ship? - I never noticed any. 4659. When the boat was lowered what became of the boat? Did it remain close alongside the ship or row off a bit? - We had orders to row off a bit from one of the officers on top. 4660. And were the orders obeyed? - Yes. 4661. Did you see the vessel sink? - Yes. 4662. Did you look to see if there was any light in the boat? - No, there was no light. 4663. Did you look? - No, I did not; it was not my place. 4664. As far as you know, did anybody look for a light? - I could not say who looked before we got up there. 4665. Were there oars in the boat? - Yes. 4666. How many oars were being pulled? - Four. 4667. You did not count the number of the people in the boat? - No. 4668. You do not know? - No.