Page 238 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

5098. I recognise that, of course. What I ask you is who gave the order? - An officer. 5099. Can you tell me what officer he was? - No, I cannot; I do not know. 5100. Was he one of the Principal Officers of the ship? - I do not know. The Commissioner: Now, I want to know - you may ask it, Mr. Scanlan - about the people, if any, who were standing about on the boat deck at the time the order to lower was given. 5101. (Mr. Scanlan - To the Witness.) At the time the order was given to lower No. 1, how many people were on the boat deck? - I did not see any at all there, about us; there were some further along aft. 5102. There were some further along aft? - Yes; other boats went out at the same time. 5103. Were there many people further along aft? - No, there were not a great lot. 5104. I mean on the starboard side? - Yes. 5105. There were people there? - There were people there, yes. They were getting the other boats out. 5106. Were they passengers? - I do not know; I could not see. 5107. Who were they? - I do not know. 5108. (The Commissioner.) Can you tell us this; were they men or women, or mixed? - I think it was all men, I did not see any women. 5109. (Mr. Scanlan.) Did you see any women there? - None at all. 5110. You had just immediately come from the port side to the starboard side, I think? - Before I came to the starboard side, yes. 5111. While you were over on the port side, just immediately before coming to this No. 1 boat, were there a number of people on the port side? - No, there was no one there. 5112. (The Commissioner.) I want to have it quite clear. When you got into No. 1 boat and when the order was given to lower it, were there other people standing about on the deck who could have got into that boat? - No; not where we came away from; there was not any. 5113. Did you call for any? - No. 5114. Did no one call for any to go? - Someone in the boat called out and I believe the officer called out. 5115. What? - “Are there any more women or children about here?” No answer came. 5116. (Mr. Scanlan.) Of course, it was the common knowledge of all of you that there was a great number of people left behind in the boat? - Oh, yes; of course. 5117. And the officer who gave you the order to lower would know that, of course? - I could not say what he knew about it. 5118. You all knew it you say? - We knew it, yes. 5119. Do not you think if the working of the lifeboats had been at all properly organised you could have got a complement of passengers to comfortably fill your boat? - Certainly, yes. The Commissioner: Now, what do you mean by that? Expand it. 5120. (Mr. Scanlan.) Were those passengers down below in the boat? - What do you mean “down below in the boat”? 5121. Well, a deck lower or two decks lower? - I never noticed any along those decks. 5122. You have said just now that you all knew that at that time when you were going away with five people in your boat, there were a number of passengers left behind? - On the boat deck, I told you. 5123. Where were the passengers that were left behind? - They were about where we were, all along the deck, scattered here and there, and some going in other boats which they were getting away. 5124. Abaft of where you were? - Yes. 5125. Did no one ask those people to come? - No; they sang out if there were any more women or children there, and there was no answer.