Page 232 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

The Commissioner: Will you point it out on the map? Mr. Rowlatt: I do not think you will see it from there, my Lord. I think it is this one (pointing). The Commissioner: Well, that is the hatch. The Witness: That is the one I mean, the one there. 4918. The one where the learned counsel is pointing now? - Yes. I thought there was one forward of that. 4919. (Mr. Rowlatt.) You say the tarpaulin was blowing up? - Yes, it was like a big dome. 4920. On which deck were you then? - On the same deck where I was looking down the staircase. Our quarters are on the bottom deck of the lot. The Commissioner: What is the explanation of the tarpaulin being blown up in this way? 4921. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Can you tell us how it happened? - I should say it was water and wind blowing in the hole. 4922. The water pressing the air up? - Yes. 4923. Is that on deck E? Do you know which deck E is? Do you know which deck you were on? - The same deck. 4924. The same as where the alleyway was? - Yes, this hatch is alongside our quarters. 4925. Do you know the trimmers’ quarters? - Yes. 4926. Were they on the deck below you? - No, they are above us; everybody is above us. There are only the leading hands and greasers on that one deck. 4927. You are a leading fireman? - Yes. 4928. And you have quarters of your own, the leading fireman? - Yes, and the greasers are on the other side of the ship, the starboard side. 4929. (Mr. Rowlatt.) That is deck G, my Lord; it is the deck just below the waterline. (To the Witness.) Did you see water then or only air? - No water that time. 4930. Did you report that? - I went down to the engine room to report that. 4931. You reported to Mr. Hesketh? - No, Mr. Farquharson. 4932. (The Commissioner.) All these gentlemen are dead, are not they? - Yes. 4933. (Mr. Rowlatt.) He was an engineer, too? - He was the senior Second Engineer. 4934. Did you see any other engineers there? - Yes. 4935. Who were there? - I saw the Chief Engineer and I saw Mr. Harrison, another Second Engineer, and some juniors; I do not know their names. 4936. Where were they going? - They were all just standing around in an ordinary way, standing by their stations. 4937. Can you give us an idea how long this was after the first striking of the berg? - It must have been something like three-quarters of an hour. 4938. Did you go into the engine room? - Yes, to the bottom platform. 4939. Did you notice the watertight doors? - Yes. 4940. Were they shut or open? - They were both closed; the one leading to the stokehold and the other to the turbine room - they were both closed. 4941. You do not know whether they had been opened or not? - I could see they were shut. That is all I know. 4942. What happened after that? - As soon as I told Mr. Farquharson what had happened he spoke to those engineers, and three of them went one side of the engine room and three the other side. Where they went to I do not know. 4943. You do not know what that was for? - No. 4944. What next? - I came up after that and went on the middle and stood outside the store talking to the storekeeper. 4945. At that time did you think it a serious matter? - No, I did not think it was so serious as it was. It was going down a little by the head then.