Page 38 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5
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that is just a rough guess. 157. Did you see signs of the “Titanic” settling down when you left her side? - Well, very little. I did not notice anything in the boats alongside the ship. 158. And you pulled away from her side because you saw these other boats were pulling away? - Yes. 159. And how far off did you go? - We only just went a little way at first, just kept so that we could speak to them on board the ship in case we were wanted. 160. Did anybody speak to you from the deck? - No. 161. That would be some little distance off. Give me an idea how far off it would be? - About 20 yards or something like that, and we stopped there. 162. And when you were in that position, some 20 yards from the ship, so that you could be hailed from the deck, did you see any signs of her settling down then? - Yes, you could notice her going away by the head. 163. Was that gradual or sudden? - No, very slow. 164. This was when you were about 20 yards off? - Yes. 165. Were the other boats on the starboard side about the same distance off, or further off? - Further off. 166. Do you mean you think you were the nearest? - At that time. 167. Then when was it that you made a move again? - The forecastle-head was getting close down to the water then. 168. And what did you do then with your boat? - Pulled away clear. 169. Now can you give me any idea about how long that was before she disappeared? - I could not say that; not more than about half an hour I should say. 170. And how far from the ship did you pull away then? - Oh, a long way. We met with the Third Officer, and he moored his boat alongside of ours all night. 171. What is the Third Officer’s name? - Mr. Pitman. 172. And you met Pitman in his boat? - Yes. 173. And he moored his boat alongside of yours? - Yes, alongside of ours all night. 174. Lashed together, I think? - Yes. 175. Just tell us shortly what you yourself saw then. What did you see that happened to the “Titanic” before she went down and as she went down? - We stopped there and watched her gradually sink away. We could see the people about on the deck before the lights went out. As she went away by the head so the lights went out, and we heard some explosions as she was going down. But all the lights went out and we could only see a black object in front of us. 176. Was it light enough to see if her stern was up in the air? - Yes. I saw the stern straight up in the air. 177. At that time were the lights still burning or had they gone out? - No. As the stern stood up in the air so all the lights went out. 178. Can you tell us at all how long you think the stern was like that? - Not more than a few moments. 179. And then when the stern sank did she sink slowly or all at once? - She went down pretty fast. 180. Now you say you heard some explosions? - Yes. 181. Did you hear more than one? - Yes; I heard two or three. 182. Were the explosions close together or at intervals? - Close after one another. 183. And how near was that to the disappearance - to the end? - Not long. 184. Was it before you saw the stern up in the air? - No, just as the stern went up in the air. 185. Were the lights burning when you heard the explosion? - Some on the afterend. 186. Did you hear any noise apart from the explosion? - Some people have spoken of the noise
