Page 138 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

13904. Were your orders general, or did they refer to one set of gangway doors in particular? - General. 13905. Did the boatswain go off after receiving the orders? - As far as I know, he went down. The Commissioner: Have we heard anything up to this time of these gangway doors. The Solicitor-General: I am not aware of having heard it, my Lord. There has been a suggestion made by a witness, I think, that it was so, but I do not think there has been any evidence about it. There was a suggestion, I know. The Commissioner: To open those doors? 13906. (The Solicitor-General.) Yes. (To the Witness.) Can you help us when it was that you gave this order to the boatswain? I mean, can you give it us by reference to boats. Was it before you had lowered No. 4 to the A deck or after? - I think it was after and whilst I was working at No. 6 boat. 13907. If the boat was down by the head, the opening of those doors on E deck in the forward part of the ship would open her very close to the water, would it not? - Yes. 13908. When you gave the order, had you got in mind that the ship was tending to go down by the head, or had not you yet noticed it? - I cannot say that I had noticed it particularly. 13909. Of course, you know now the water was rising up to E deck? - Yes, of course it was. 13910. Did the boatswain execute those orders? - That I could not say. He merely said “Aye, aye, sir,” and went off. 13911. Did not you see him again? - Never. 13912. And did not you ever have any report as to whether he had executed the order? - No. 13913. I had better just put it. As far as you know, were any of those gangway doors open at any time? - That I could not say. I do not think it likely, because it is most probable the boats lying off the ship would have noticed the gangway doors, had they succeeded in opening them. 13914. You say you gave that order, as far as you recollect, when you were dealing with that boat No. 6? - Yes, boat No. 6. The Commissioner: I have the reference now. It is in the evidence of Jewell on page 18, Questions 131 and 132. The Solicitor-General: Yes, my Lord: “What were the orders about - what was she to do?” He speaks of Mr. Murdoch giving orders. “He” - that is, Mr. Murdoch - “told us to stand by the gangway.” The Commissioner: He says this door is open continually. He goes on to say this. The question is put to him - I do not know who was examining him. The Solicitor-General: I was I think, my Lord. The Commissioner: “Amidships, and the answer is yes. (Q.) Where the gangway would be if she were in port, I suppose? - (A.) Yes, that is right.” If this witness is right, he does not seem to know where the gangway was. Sir Robert Finlay: In the next question he points it out. The Solicitor-General: Your Lordship asked him to go to the model. The Commissioner: “Just go to the model again and show me where about on that model the waterline was, and where the gangway was, so that I may know where the boat was,” and then he indicates. “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.” That, of course, tells me nothing, and I do not remember where he pointed. I am told that he pointed further abaft the point indicated by Mr. Lightoller. The Solicitor-General: I see Mr. Wilding here; no doubt he will tell us where, in fact, they are, if your Lordship would like it now. 13915. (The Commissioner.) It occurred to me that Mr. Lightoller was right, because I see the rows of portholes? - (The Witness.) There are the gangway doors here (Pointing on the model).