Page 81 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 1 - 5

close automatically? - Only those that close automatically, my Lord. The Attorney-General: That is what I understood, my Lord. I think all the lower ones closed. I think that is how it stands; but, of course, your Lordship will hear it. The Commissioner: Some of them are worked by hand. Sir Robert Finlay: There are 12 lower doors which close when the button is pressed. 1036. (The Attorney-General.) Let us follow it. Mr. Murdoch said, “They are already closed”? - Yes. 1037. And then what happened? - He then gave orders to send for the ship’s carpenter to sound the ship. 1038. That is what Captain Smith did? - Yes. 1039. Do you know whether the ship’s carpenter was sent for? - I do not know; I only heard the order given. 1040. Did you hear any other order? - No other order after that. That was the last order I heard with the exception of the boats. 1041. What was that you heard about the boats? - I heard the Captain say “Get all the boats out and serve out the belts.” That was after 12. 1042. I am rather anxious to get the time if I can? - I could not barely tell you the time. 1043. That is enough - as near as you can; it was after 12? - Yes, the Captain then looked at the commutator and he found that the ship was carrying a list to starboard. 1044. And were those all the orders you heard until you were relieved from the wheel? - Yes. 1045. When the vessel struck, did you feel any shock? - Yes. I felt the ship tremble, and I felt rather a grinding nature along the ship’s bottom. 1046. While you were in the wheelhouse you had the compass in front of you? - Yes. 1047. Could you see ahead at all through the wheelhouse? - I could not see anything. 1048. You would not be able to see the iceberg even if it had been quite clear. Is that what you mean? - No, I could not see it, on no account whatever could I see it. 1049. You said that the Captain rushed out of his room through the wheelhouse to the bridge? - Yes. 1050. Where was his room? I do not know if you can point it out on the model. Was it on the starboard or port side? - The starboard side. 1051. That model is the starboard side. Where was the Captain’s room? - About here. (Pointing on the plan.) 1052. Was it quite close to the wheelhouse? - Yes, quite close to the wheelhouse. 1053. We have a plan which will show it. I do not know whether your Lordship has the plan, but we need not stop to consider it very carefully now. It is quite close. (To the Witness.) Then, when you were relieved by Quartermaster Perkis, what did you do? Did you get an order first of all? - Yes, orders to carry on, helping to get a collapsible boat uncovered - getting the cover off a collapsible boat. 1054. Carry on and get the cover off the collapsible boat? - On the port side. 1055. Who gave you that order? - I think it was the Chief Officer, Mr. Wilde, or Mr. Lightoller, I am not sure which. 1056. Had you any station on the boats? - Yes. 1057. What boat were you stationed to? - I think it was one of the emergency boats. 1058. Do not you know which? - No; we never had any boat drill while we were there. 1059. There are only two emergency boats, one on the starboard and one on the port side? - Yes. 1060. But you were stationed to an emergency boat. You do not know whether it was port or starboard. Is that it? - There were two Quartermasters with their names specially picked out for those two boats, but I was not told off to anyone of them. I never went to either one of them for