Page 229 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

dead asleep. 4844. Which side of the ship was your bunk on? - The port side. 4845. When your mate woke you up - who was it woke you up? - T. Ford. 4846. He was drowned, was he not? - Yes. 4847. When he woke you up, did you go on deck? - Yes. 4848. Did you see the iceberg? - Yes. 4849. Where was it? - Just abaft the engine room when I got on deck. When I got on deck first I saw a lot of ice on the deck, and I looked out and saw an iceberg astern just abaft the engine room. 4850. You came up very quick? - No, I walked up behind the others who were walking up. 4851. Had the ship nearly stopped then? - She was stopped. 4852. At that time I think you did not think it was very serious? - No. 4853. And you returned below? - Yes. 4854. You were going to turn in? - I was going to turn in and the same man, Ford, came back and said there was water coming in down below, that is down the spiral staircase. 4855. Did you look down the staircase? - Yes. 4856. Did you see the water? - I saw the water rushing in. 4857. Just let us have it clear where that is. Do you see this plan? - Yes. 4858. Is that it (pointing on the plan)? - The lowest of all. 4859. You looked down here and saw it? - Yes, I saw the water rushing in here (pointing on the plan). I saw it running out of the fore part of the pipe tunnel right down at the bottom of the stairs. Mr. Rowlatt: That is what it is marked upon the map, my Lord - “pipe tunnel.” The Witness: That is the tunnel we go through from our quarters to go into the stokehold. The Attorney-General: “Fireman’s passage and pipe tunnel.” You will find it on the same plan as the tank top we were looking at before. The Commissioner: He got into the firemen’s passage I understand? Mr. Rowlatt: No, he did not, my Lord. 4860. (To the Witness.) You looked down the staircase? - Yes, the staircase leading to the stokehold. Mr. Rowlatt: Your Lordship sees the spiral there. 4861. (The Commissioner.) Where were you looking? - Down the spiral stairway. 4862. And where did it lead from and to? - From our quarter to the stokehold, No. 11 stokehold, No. 6 section. 4863. (Mr. Rowlatt.) The spiral staircase led down to the bottom of the ship, and from there the fireman’s passage and pipe tunnel led along to No. 6 section? - No. 6 section, No. 11 stokehold. 4864. Now where you saw the water coming - you saw it coming from aft, forward into the bottom of the spiral staircase? - From the starboard side. 4865. Are there two staircases? - Only one. There are two staircases, one up and one down, but there is only one our side. I was looking down the one on the port side - not down the staircase, but at the side of the staircase. 4866. You were looking down on the port side of the staircase? - Yes, and saw the water rushing in from the starboard side at the bottom. 4867. Are there two spiral staircases in that part of the ship or one? - Two. They are marked distinctly, one for going down and one for coming up. 4868. Which of the two were you looking down? - I was looking down the port one. 4869. Now is there a communication between the bottom of that spiral staircase and the bottom of the other one? - It is all open, just a handrail to go along. 4870. The water which you saw rushing down there could not have come from forward, could