Page 16 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

11332. You looked through the list? Did you notice how many seamen were assigned to the lifeboats? - Yes; there was not one but what had two seamen, and some had an officer. Whether there was more than that I could not say, but I know there was not one with less than two seamen. 11333. No one had less than two seamen, and to some of them there were two seamen and an officer. Is that right? - Yes. 11334. You know Sunday, the night of the 14th April; do you remember getting special orders from the bridge? - Yes; we had special orders about 9.30. 11335. 9.30 that night? - Yes. 11336. Through the telephone? - Through the telephone. 11337. Do you know from whom? - No, I could not say. 11338. From some officer on the bridge? - From some officer on the bridge. 11339. Can you tell me what he said? - “Keep a sharp look-out for small ice and bergs till daylight, and pass the word along.” That was the order received by Jewell and me; we both heard it through the ‘phone. 11340. Had you noticed anything to lead you to think you might meet icebergs before you got that message? - Yes; just a small conversation, I think, about 9 o’clock. My mate turned round from time to time and said, “It is very cold here.” I said, “Yes; by the smell of it there is ice about.” He asked me why, and I said, “As a rule you can smell the ice before you get to it.” 11341. You thought you could? - Yes. 11342. Did you notice the temperature? - No, I could not tell you anything about the temperature. We were in the crow’s-nest. 11343. You were relieved at 10 o’clock at night, and you went below? - Yes. 11344. And was the word passed along? - Yes, it was passed along at 10 o’clock by me and Jewell. 11345. You were relieved, I think, by Fleet and Lee? - Yes. 11346. Then did you go below and turn in? - Yes, I went below and turned in. 11347. What awakened you? - What awakened me was a grinding sound on her bottom. I thought at first she had lost her anchor and chain, and it was running along her bottom. I would not get up. The others got up, but I would not get up as I thought there was nothing the matter. 11348. You did get up eventually? - Yes; Hogg came down to me and told me I had better get up. 11349. Was he another look-out? - Yes, he was another look-out man. 11350. Hogg and Evans? - Yes. 11351. Hogg told you you had better get up and you started dressing, did you? - Yes. 11352. Whilst you were dressing was an order given? - There was an order came to the forecastle door by the boatswain to “Stand by, as you may be wanted at any moment.” 11353. Was that to you only, or to all hands? - To the hands in general who were in the forecastle. 11354. “All hands stand by”? - Yes, “You may be wanted at any moment.” 11355. You heard afterwards what the time was? - Yes, I did not know the time then. 11356. What time was this? - By the time I got on deck it must have been about one bell, a quarter to twelve. 11357. That was after you had this order from the boatswain? - Yes. 11358. Then you went on deck. Did you notice ice on the fore well? - No, I did not go to see the ice. 11359. What did you do when you got on deck? - I came on deck and I went into the mess room in the course of ordinary events to see if there was any coffee. From there I heard the water coming in to No. 1 hold. I looked down No. 1 hold, and hardly had I looked down there when the