Page 230 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

it, because there is a bulkhead across? - It came from the ship’s side I am telling you, the starboard side. 4871. You could not see where it was coming in, but you saw it coming from the starboard side? - I saw it coming from the ship’s side. 4872. When you want to go aft along the passage, how long is it before you come to a watertight door? - At the bottom of the tunnel. 4873. How far on - how far had you to go before you got to the first stokehold that you come to? - I could not give you the distance. There are two watertight doors there, I know. 4874. There are two bulkheads? - Yes, about 6 feet apart. There is one here, and the other is about 6 feet away from it. 4875. It is marked there “coffer-dam watertight” - do you know what that means? - No. 4876. When you get down to the bottom of this staircase this tunnel runs amidships straight aft? - Yes, straight aft. 4877. Amidships? - Yes. 4878. Then do you go some little way before you come to the first watertight door? - Yes. 4879. Then you go through that and you go about the same distance before you come to the next one? - No, they are about 6 feet apart, those two watertight doors. 4880. Are those two watertight doors both close up against the stokehold? - Yes. 4881. Till you get there you do not have a watertight door before? - No, we get down through the tunnel leading to the stokehold. Mr. Rowlatt: It is very obscure upon the plan, my Lord. (The Solicitor-General explains the plan to the Commissioner.) 4882. (The Commissioner.) Now, Mr. Rowlatt, in order that we may have it on the Note, I want you to state the effect of this Witness’s evidence; let him listen to you and say whether it is right. (To the Witness.) Have you heard what I said? - Yes, Sir. The Commissioner: Now, listen to this gentleman and see whether he tells us what you have been saying, and tells it properly. 4883. (Mr. Rowlatt.) There are two spiral staircases which go down to the bottom of the ship, one for going down and the other for coming up? - Yes. 4884. And they go down in the same space? - Yes. 4885. And when they get to the bottom they both reach a fireman’s passage, which is like a tunnel running amidships fore and aft? - Yes. 4886. And you go along that from the bottom of the spiral staircase aft until you come just before where you get into the foremost stokehold, No. 6 boiler section, and at that point you go through two watertight doors in a space of about 6 feet. Is that right? - Yes, before you reach the stokehold. 4887. And as you are going down that tunnel on your right hand and on your left there will be iron bulkheads? - Yes. 4888. Whether those are watertight or not, I suppose you do not know? - They are iron bulkheads, one on each side. 4889. (The Commissioner.) Are they watertight or not? - I could not tell you that; I do not know. Mr. Laing: Yes, they are. The Commissioner: But this Witness does not know it. 4890. (Mr. Rowlatt.) No, my Lord. (To the Witness.) But what I want to get from you is this. You said you saw the water coming from the ship’s side; do you mean that. You saw it coming through the ship’s side? - No, coming from the ship’s side. 4891. That was merely the direction from which you saw it travelling? - Yes. 4892. That is, into the space into which the spiral staircase is descending? - Yes.