Page 223 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

Then you were picked up by the “Carpathia.” 4669. (The Commissioner.) Can you give us any idea of the number of the people in the boat? - I could not. 4670. Were there 100 people in it? - No, my Lord. 4671. Then, you see, you can tell us something. Were there 60? - About 40. 4672. You see you can tell us if you try. Were they women or mixed? - Women. Examined by Mr. SCANLAN. 4673. You have told the Court that an officer was giving orders on the boat deck shortly before you got into No. 5. Is that so? - Yes. 4674. Do you know who that officer was? - The officer who got into our boat mentioned his name when he gave him orders. 4675. Is this what you are trying to convey, that the officer who sang out for a crew for No. 3 was the quartermaster who got into your boat, No. 5? - No. 4676. Try and recollect. You have spoken of an officer on the boat deck singing out for a crew? - Yes. 4677. What officer was that? - I do not know. 4678. Was it because no crew came for lifeboat No. 3 that you were sent to the lifeboat No. 5? - No, the crew were there. 4679. Was there a crew for No. 3? - No, there was only me there for that boat, and I went for this other boat. 4680. Did the officer sing out for a crew? - He said, “Are there any of the crew here?” 4681. And was there any of the crew there except you? - Me and another fireman and a quartermaster. 4682. How long was it from the collision until that order was given by the officer? - I could not say. 4683. You have no idea at all? - No. 4684. An hour? - It may have been. 4685. Was there confusion amongst the officers and amongst the crew? - No. 4686. If there was no confusion amongst the officers and amongst the crew, how can you account for this, that so long after the collision as the time you speak of when the officers gave the order the crew had not come to their boats? - They were all standing about; they did not think it was serious. So many had come up, those who heard the order. 4687. You spoke of an order having been given down in your quarters to go up to the boat deck? - Not in my quarters - off this deck. It came from the top deck; I do not know who gave the order. 4688. I suppose there must have been confusion among the officers and the men if they could not get proper crews for the boats? - No; there was one boat filled with women when I got up there. 4689. You found on the rack where your lifebelt should have been that there was no lifebelt? - Yes. 4690. Are we to understand from you that there were not provided in your quarters sufficient lifebelts for all the men there? - There was none there for me when I got there. 4691. And you did not see any of your fellow members of the crew having more than one lifebelt? - Yes. 4692. What? - Yes. 4693. Had some of them more than one? - Only the one lifebelt on them and holding one for another man to put on. That is all I saw.