Page 190 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

14749. Had you had any ice or fog or haze reported to you? - About the ice track, do you mean? 14750. No, I mean from the look-out? - Oh, dear, no; none whatever. 14751. All you knew was that earlier in the day ice had been reported in a particular region? - Yes. 14752. And your previous experience had taught you that it did not mean by any means that you were necessarily going to meet it? - That is so. 14753. Would the effect of slowing your engines before you had seen any ice at all have simply been to keep you longer in the danger zone? - Yes. 14754. I take it your own eyesight is perfectly good? - I believe so. 14755. You and all the other officers have to pass a very stringent Board of Trade examination before you get your certificate? - Yes, they have, and subsequently. 14756. You have told us that you allotted men to each boat when you came on deck to get them uncovered. Did you intend those men to go into the boats as their crews? - Not necessarily. 14757. Simply to go round the decks and uncover the boats? - They were told off to their boat, and they would naturally remain at that boat until she was in the water, unless they got further orders. 14758. How many boats, in fact, did you superintend being lowered into the water? - It is rather difficult to say. I was working the whole time at the boats. How many I put in I really do not know - four, six, perhaps eight - three lifeboats at least, and a collapsible. 14759. Can you tell me what other duties the officers were to perform after that collision? - Speaking for myself, I had no other duties. 14760. No, generally; what were their duties generally. I take it that one officer would have to look after the rockets? - There was an officer looking after the rockets, an officer down below a couple of times to judge the amount of water and attending to the Morse signals and attending also to the boats. 14761. There were seven officers besides the Captain? - Yes. 14762. Do you consider you could have done with any less than that on board the “Titanic”? - Oh, yes. 14763. Can you tell me how many are required? The Commissioner: Is that the answer that you wanted? Mr. Holmes: It satisfies me, my Lord. The Witness: I mean to convey this, that, as proved, we could have managed the boats in the water with the weather in that condition without officers. It would not have mattered if there were only women in the boats. It was flat calm. 14764. Do you know of your own knowledge how many officers a ship like that can go to sea with and still comply with the law? - No, I have heard, but I have not taken much notice of it. 14765. Is it the fact they only require two certificated officers? - I believe it is something like that. The Commissioner: You must remember this witness is one of your own clients. Mr. Holmes: I know, my Lord. The Commissioner: Do not you think you can leave him alone? Mr. Holmes: If your Lordship will allow me to ask him a few more questions tomorrow morning? The Commissioner: No. 14766. (Mr. Holmes - To the Witness.) Can you tell me the last that you saw of Mr. Wilde before the ship went down? - The last I remember seeing of Mr. Wilde was quite a long time before the ship went down. 14767. And Mr. Murdoch? - Mr. Murdoch I saw practically at the actual moment that I went