Page 106 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

13278. That would mean that it had gone up to the top of the mail room and into the compartment above that? - Certainly. 13279. Are the stairs you are speaking of the ones by the side of the squash racquets court? - Yes. The Commissioner: I would like to follow this. I see the mail room on the plan. Mr. Raymond Asquith: I think I can point it out to you, my Lord. The Solicitor-General: Your Lordship will see that this confirms the theory of Wheat about the water rising to the top of E deck. Mr. Raymond Asquith: That is the mail room; above that is the post office, and above that is the squash rackets court. It was at the stairs there that the water was seen; the witness says that the water came to within six steps of the top of those stairs (Pointing on the cartoon). 13280. (The Commissioner - To the Witness.) About what time was this? - About half an hour after she struck. 13281. After the collision? - After the collision about half an hour. 13282. (Mr. Raymond Asquith.) Did you see the Captain and Mr. Andrews about this time? - The mail man passed along first and he returned with Mr. McElroy and the Captain and they went in the direction of the mail room, but that was before. 13283. It was seeing the Captain and Mr. Andrews going to the mail room that made you go there? - I followed after they had come back. The Commissioner: Are we to understand that at this time the mail room was covered with water? 13284. (Mr. Raymond Asquith.) Yes, and not only the mail room but the storey immediately above it, too. (To the Witness.) When you saw the water there I suppose you realised that things were rather serious? - I did. 13285. Did you go and look after your ladies? - I did. 13286. How many ladies were under your charge? - Seven ladies and one maid and a governess. 13287. Did you see other stewardesses doing the same thing, looking after their passengers? - The stewardess on my deck was doing exactly the same thing. 13288. Did you then go upstairs on to A deck? - I had to call a stewardess I had met on the boat on A deck. 13289. Were you told by a steward there to put on your coat and lifebelt? - Mr. Andrews told me first. 13290. Did Mr. Andrews tell you anything else? - Yes. Mr. Andrews told me to put my lifebelt on after I had been on E deck. 13291. Did he say something to you about blankets? - We had already got the blankets and the lifebelts out of the rooms which were unoccupied at the foot of the staircase. Mr. Andrews said to me, “put your lifebelt on and walk about and let the passengers see you.” I said to him, “It looks rather mean,” and he said, “No, put it on,” and then after that he said to me, “Well, if you value your life put your belt on.” 13292. Did you put your belt on and walk about in it? - I did. 13293. Did he say anything to you about Mr. Ismay? - No, Mr. Ismay’s name was never mentioned in my hearing. 13294. So far as you know were all the ladies on E deck warned by the stewardesses whose business it was to look after them? - Yes, and they were all saved, too. 13295. You told us you were responsible for seven or eight ladies; were they all saved? - They were. 13296. Eventually you were put into boat number 11? - Yes. The Solicitor-General: That is the one the last witness Wheat referred to.