Page 21 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

ship you had been in. Is that right? - Yes. 11428. Were there passengers on the deck when you arrived there? - Yes. 11429. Had they their lifebelts on? - Yes. 11430. Did they crowd round the boats at all? - No; they all kept good order; they kept back to give the men working room. 11431. Was there an order? - Yes, there was one order when we were at boat No. 3. Two or three men of some description, whether stewards or passengers I do not know, were asked to keep back to give the men room to work. 11432. And they did? - Yes. 11433. Were the boats lowered to the deck rail? - After we got all the covers out, the orders were given by Mr. Murdoch to start swinging them out. We started No. 5 first, and then we came back to 3, and then to 7. 11434. Five first, then 3, then forward again, and then? - that is aft? - Yes, that is the next one. 11435. Did you assist in putting passengers in any one of the boats? - I assisted in putting passengers in No. 5 and No. 3, and also assisted to lower No. 3 with the boatswain - 11436. Were you acting all this time under the instructions of Mr. Murdoch? - Under the instructions of Mr. Murdoch and the boatswain. 11437. What is the Boatswain’s name? - Nichols. 11438. Were the passengers that you put into the boats men, women, or children? - Women and children. That was the order, and they were put in. 11439. That was the order you got from Mr. Murdoch? - That was the order, “Women and children first.” 11440. Can you tell us when you began to help getting the boats out, was there any list of the vessel? - Oh, yes, there was a slight list, if anything in our favour, to starboard. 11441. (The Attorney - General.) Your Lordship asked the question yesterday about the list to starboard. We have heard from one man who says he saw it distinctly from the ship. We have heard of a list to starboard from a witness on the ship, but this witness says that he noticed a list to starboard at the first. (To the Witness.) Whilst you were on the ship did you see any list to port? - I never took particular notice of a list to port. The only way I know she had a list to starboard was when we were lowering away we were clear of everything. When we were being lowered away ourselves we were clear of everything. 11441a. (The Commissioner.) The list to starboard helped you? - Yes; it was all in our favour. 11442. (The Attorney-General.) You might have cleared away everything without a list, might not you? - Yes; but if she had had a list to port it would have made it difficult. 11443. Yes. Nobody said she had a list to port at that time. Now tell us about the emergency boat, No. 1. The Commissioner: I suppose you will have some theory to explain the great list to port that there was, according to the evidence, on this ship before she went down? 11444. (The Attorney-General.) Yes. It is said the water came in on the starboard side, and so it requires some explanation. (To the Witness.) Speaking of boats 3, 5, and 7, did you see seamen placed in these boats under the order of Mr. Murdoch? - Yes, under the orders of Mr. Murdoch. They were given an order to get in, to get the plugs ready, to see everything was right in the boat, and told to stay there and take the women and children. 11445. Three lifeboats had been lowered away, 3, 5, and 7; were they lowered before you went to No. 1? - No, after we got the three boats out I went and assisted Wynn in clearing away one of the guys on B deck. 11446. Of what? - Of No. 1 boat. From there I went back to the boat deck and assisted generally in putting the passengers in Nos. 3 and 5. 11447. That was the first you had to do with No. 1? - Yes.