Page 65 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

number? Dr. Wolfe: The number I represent is 21. The total number of Irish passengers who joined at Queenstown is 113. Of those, 69 were drowned, and of those 69 who were drowned, the relatives of 21 have instructed the solicitor who has instructed me. The Commissioner: You must put it all down so that I can understand it, but at present I am not at all disposed to let any one class split itself up into a number of groups and each group to be represented. I should not know really how to conduct this Inquiry if I did. (To Mr. Roche.) It has been suggested that I had not given you leave to appear; I certainly intended to do so. Mr. Roche: And I so endorsed my brief, my Lord. The Commissioner: Is there anyone else? The Attorney-General: No, not that I am aware of. GEORGE WILLIAM BEAUCHAMP, Sworn. Examined by MR. RAYMOND ASQUITH. 652. Is your name George William Beauchamp? - Yes. 653. And were you a fireman on the “Titanic”? - Yes. 654. Were you on duty on Sunday, the 14th, when the ship struck? - Yes. 655. Where were you? - Eight to twelve watch. 656. Were you down below in the stokehold? - Yes. 657. Which stokehold was it? - No. 10. 658. Can you see the plan from where you are? - The second one from the forward end. 659. The second one from the bow? - Yes. 660. Can you say what pressure of steam was being carried at that time? - I could not say. 660a. (The Commissioner.) Do you know anything about the pressure of steam? - We were carrying it where we had orders. What the orders were I could not say for certain. 661. I do not want you to tell me anything you do not know yourself; I do not want you to guess. I want you only to tell us what you know yourself? - Sometimes they carry 210 and sometimes 200. I think we were carrying thereabout 210 then. The Attorney-General: We will get it from somebody else who knows it better. The Commissioner: I do not think he knows anything about it, and I should not expect him to. 661a. (Mr. Raymond Asquith - To the Witness.) Did you notice the shock when the ship struck? - Yes, Sir, I noticed the shock. 662. Was it a severe shock? - Just like thunder, the roar of thunder. 663. And immediately after the shock was any order given? - Yes. 664. What order? - To stand by, to stop. - The telegraph went “Stop.” 664a. (The Commissioner.) You got that order from the bridge, “Stop”? - Yes. 664b. (Mr. Raymond Asquith.) And were the engines stopped at once or not? - The telegraph rung off “Stop,” so I suppose they were. 665. Did the engineer in your section give you any order? - Yes; the engineer and the leading stoker shouted together - they said, “Shut the dampers.” 666. Did you shut the dampers? - Yes, immediately; “shut everything up.” 667. Was anything done to the watertight doors after that time? - Yes, immediately the telegraph rang “off” and the order was given to shut up everything the watertight doors dropped. 668. The watertight doors dropped? - Yes. 668a. (The Commissioner.) How soon do you suppose after the order to “Stop” came from the bridge did the watertight doors close? - In less than five minutes. 668b. (Mr. Raymond Asquith.) Can you say which watertight doors they were - in which