Page 30 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

My Lord, I think that one thing must emerge from this Inquiry, and that is that if it had not been for that marvel of science, wireless telegraphy, I doubt very much if anyone would have been picked up in these boats, or at least whether as many would have been saved as were actually saved. That is a matter your Lordship will consider when you hear all the evidence with regard to it. Now, my Lord, I can give your Lordship figures which, I think, are of some importance. I am going to analyse the figures a little directly, because I do think that they are of considerable importance in the case, and that your Lordship should have them as far as we are able to give them. The total of passengers and crew on the vessel, if your Lordship will take them, were 2,206. The figures originally given were 2,208, but I will deal with them at 2,206. My Lord, there were 703 of the 2,206 saved, leaving 1,503 who succumbed in this disaster. Now, my Lord, of the 2,206 the percentage saved is 32, that is the 703 of the 2,206. I think it is useful to split up the 2,206 into men, women, and children. There were 1,662 men - I am dealing now with passengers and crew - carried in the vessel; there were 315 saved all told, which gives a percentage of 19. There were 439 women carried; 336 were saved. The Commissioner: What percentage is that? The Attorney-General: Giving a proportion of women saved of 77 percent. There were 105 children carried, of whom 52 were saved - 49 percent. Now, my Lord, I propose to subdivide the figures again into passengers and crew, and the passengers into classes. There were altogether 322 first-class passengers, and if it would save your Lordship trouble we will have the table copied for the use of your Lordship and the Assessors, but the figures I am going to give you are not very many. I think your Lordship will find it useful to have them in this detached way. There were 322 first-class passengers; 173 men, 144 women, and five children. Of the 173 men, 58 were saved, giving a proportion of 34 percent. Of the 144 women carried 139 were saved, giving a proportion of 97 percent, of the women first- class passengers saved. Of the five children carried, five were saved, giving a proportion of 100 percent. In the second-class, there were 1,602 carried. The Commissioner: What was the total number? The Attorney-General: I beg your pardon, my Lord. I ought to have given that first, as I did in the other case; 277 were carried, 115 were saved, and the percentage was 42 percent. The Commissioner: You are giving men, women, and children now? The Attorney-General: Yes, the same as I did the others, my Lord. The Commissioner: No, you did not give me the others. The Attorney-General: I think so, my Lord. Yes, I began in the same way. The Commissioner: Three hundred and twenty-two is the total? The Attorney-General: Yes. The Commissioner: Then you divided them into 173 men, 144 women, and five children; but although I can work it out, you did not tell me what was the total percentage of the first-class passengers saved. The Attorney-General: It was 34 percent. The Commissioner: 34 percent of the men were saved. The Attorney-General: Your Lordship means the percentage of the total. The Commissioner: I thought you were going to give it in connection with the second-class. The Attorney-General: Certainly. It is 63 percent, 322 carried, 202 saved, 63 percent. Then of the second-class the percentage saved is 42 percent, 277 carried, 115 saved, 42 percent., 160 men were carried, 13 were saved, making a percentage of eight percent; 93 women were carried, 78 were saved, the percentage was 84; 24 children carried, 24 saved, percentage 100. Now, my Lord, of third-class passengers there were 709 carried, 176 saved, making a percentage of saved 25 percent. Of these 454 were men, of whom 55 were saved, giving a