Page 228 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

4819. Did the officer who told you to lower away No. 5 tell you what to do when you got to the water? - He did not tell me; he told the other officer. 4820. What did he tell him? - When he got down into the water to take charge of that line of boats as they came down, and stand off at 200 yards. 4821. Stand off the ship 200 yards? - Yes. 4822. And Pitman, I think, was your officer that went in the boat? - Yes. 4823. Was there water in your boat? - No. 4824. Did you look? - Yes. 4825. Were there biscuits? - Yes. 4826. Was the officer on the deck who ordered your No. 5 boat to be lowered picking the crews for the boats? - He turned round and asked you what you were. 4827. And then told you to go into the boat if he selected you? - Yes. Re-examined by the ATTORNEY-GENERAL. 4828. I think I understood you to say that on the Union Castle Line you had had bulkhead drills? - Yes. 4829. How often did you have them? - Every Saturday. 4830. What did you do? - Close the watertight doors, go to the boats, swing them out, and fetch them back inboard again. (The Witness withdrew.) CHARLES HENDRICKSON, Sworn. Examined by Mr. ROWLATT. The Attorney-General: We have a considerable number of these Witnesses, and what we propose to do is to take those who can throw any further light on the matter, but not necessarily through the whole story. We can take them more shortly now to the particular incidents which are of importance in the Inquiry, without going through the whole narrative. Also, my Lord, what we propose to do, as far as we can, is to call at least one Witness from every boat, so that your Lordship will be able to exhaust the story with regard to the boats. 4831. (Mr. Rowlatt.) This man happens to have been in No. 1 boat. (To the Witness.) Were you a leading fireman on the “Titanic”? - Yes. 4832. You joined at Southampton? - Yes. 4833. You do not know anything about the voyage till the accident happened, I suppose? - No. 4834. Do you know how fast the ship was travelling? - 21 knots. 4835. How do you know that? - The revolutions she was turning. 4836. You know what the revolutions were? - Yes. 4837. How do you know that? - The second engineer told me. I made it my business to find out, in the watch previous. 4838. 76 revolutions? - Yes. 4839. You say that is 21 knots. If it is not so, we shall hear. You were off watch from 8 to 12 on this Sunday night? - My watch was the 4 to 8 watch. 4840. Was it then you heard about the revolutions? - That watch. 4841. You were in your bunk? - I was asleep when it occurred, and got pulled out. 4842. Were you awakened by the shock? - No. 4843. Who woke you? - One of my mates in the room pulled me out. I was dead to the wide -