Page 214 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

15246. And did you arrive at the “Carpathia” in that way? - No. 15247. You cast loose again before that? - Yes, they cast off some time before the “Carpathia” came in sight. Examined by Mr. COTTER. 15248. Have you been in any other White Star boat? - Yes, I have been in five of them. 15249. Were you in the “Olympic”? - No. 15250. Have you been in a White Star ship with these iron gangway doors? - I really forget - the “Oceanic” may have them. I forget. 15251. Yes, she has them. Is it not part of the duty of an officer to take charge of these gangway doors on the arrival of a ship in port? - Yes, we go and attend to them. 15252. Have you ever carried out that duty? - Yes, I have been there. 15253. Can you give us any idea of the size and weight of the forward iron doors on the “Titanic”? - No, I cannot give you any size or weight. Probably the builders can. 15254. Will you tell us how many men it would take to open one of those doors? - Four. 15255. Four men? - Yes. 15256. And are not they very awkward to close again once they are opened - once when they are pushed back against the ship’s side? - No. 15257. What is the method of closing them again? - Simply attach a rope to them and pull and they come up themselves. 15258. I suggest to you if you put a rope against an iron door flush against the ship’s side, it would be very awkward to pull round unless you had some leverage to fetch it away from the ship’s side. Is not that the fact? - Of course if the thing had not been opened for years, yes. 15259. Did you hear Mr. Lightoller’s evidence yesterday? - Yes. I heard part of it. 15260. He states he sent the boatswain down to open these doors. Now I am suggesting if those doors were opened and he found out he had made a mistake, he would have a hard job to get them closed again; is not that a fact? - No, they could be closed easily enough. 15261. Did you ever see them opened? - Yes, the carpenter usually does that with about two hands. 15262. And he could close them with two hands? - Yes. 15263. How many people do you say you took away in your boat? - Between 40 and 50. 15264. How many would the boat hold? - I do not know - 60, I think, according to the Board of Trade Regulations, or something like that. 15265. Were there people on the deck when you left the ship? - Oh, yes, there were a few there. 15266. Why did not you take in 60 then? - Simply because the people did not want to go - they thought they were safer on the ship. 15267. We have heard it stated by Mr. Lightoller that he lowered the boats because he thought there were enough people in them to lower with safety. Will you tell us what you consider is the weakest part of the tackle for lowering a boat? Is it the block or the falls or the shackles or what. We want to find out, because Mr. Lightoller said he was afraid of something giving way? - I do not know. The Commissioner: I do not know that he said he thought the tackle might give way, but he thought the boat might break. Mr. Cotter: Yes, the boat might break; the boat might buckle. The Commissioner: Yes. 15268. (Mr. Cotter.) Is that your idea, that the boat might buckle or the shackles might give way? - I do not know whether they would or not.