Page 37 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

131. You say Mr. Murdoch was giving orders about lowering the boat; did he give orders to launch her down to the water? - To lower her right down to the water. 132. And what were the orders about - what was she to do? - He told us to stand by the gangway. 133. I do not quite know what you mean by that. What is the gangway you are referring to? - The doors that open in the ship’s side. Just about here (Pointing to model) - the door is open continually. 134. Amidships? - Yes. 135. Where the gangway would be if she were in port, I suppose? - Yes, that is right. 136. (The Commissioner.) Just go to the model again and show me whereabout on that model the waterline was, and where the gangway was, so that I may know where the boat was. - (Pointing to the model.) There is one door there, and there is the waterline right along here. There are several gangway doors in the side; there is one about there somewhere, and one about there. The Solicitor-General: The actual line of the sea. 137. (The Commissioner.) You see the port holes, do not you? - Yes. 138. Now where was the waterline outside the vessel? - It was straight along here, I should say. 139. Now, where was this gangway you speak of? - There. 140. And you were told to remain in the water below that gangway? - Yes. 141. (The Solicitor-General.) Those were your orders. How far off from the ship did you keep? - We kept right alongside. 142. Was the sea smooth? - Yes, very smooth. 143. Just tell us what happened after that? - Well, we see all the other boats lowered away and pull away from the ship. Then we saw the ship settling away, and we had to pull away clear. 144. Let us just see if we can get clear about these other boats, if we can. Did you keep on the starboard side? - Yes. 145. You said, I think, that you thought your boat, No. 7, was one of the first to be lowered? - Yes. 146. Just think. Did you see any boat lowered into the water before you got into the water? - No. 147. You think you were the first to get into the water? - I know we were the first on our side. 148. I am talking of the starboard side; and you were the first to get into the water on the starboard side? - Yes. 149. So that there would be seven others, I think, on that starboard side? - Yes. 150. Did you see each of them launched? - No; I could not see afterwards very well from where I was. 151. Why not? - We were all messing about with the other boats being lowered, and looking out for our own boat. We were not taking any notice of the others. 152. But you saw some of the others lowered, at any rate? - I saw them all after they were launched. 153. You cannot tell us, I suppose, about the order of the others being lowered? - No, I can say nothing about that. 154. Can you give us any idea of about how long it was from the time when your boat got to the water before the other boats got to the water - the last of the others on the starboard side? - I could not say, they were not long; they were all down by the time we pulled away from the ship. We kept alongside and kept to our orders. 155. Then you told us you pulled away; you thought the ship was settling down? - Yes. 156. Can you give me any sort of idea how long it was from the time you pulled away to the time when the ship disappeared? - Well, about one and a half hours I expect. I had got no time;