Page 23 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

officer. He gave the order to lower away, and I had to obey orders. It is not a seaman’s place to criticize an officer in that case. 11465. I am not asking you to criticize anybody; I am asking you to help me to find out, if I can, why Mr. Murdoch ordered this boat to be lowered into the sea when it was more than half empty? - That I could not tell you; that was his own discretion, I suppose; it was not for me to say anything to him. 11466. How soon after the two ladies had got into the boat, and the three men passengers, did Mr. Murdoch give the order to lower? - I should say, roughly, about three or four minutes. 11467. Three or four minutes after the three men passengers and two ladies got in the order was given to lower that boat? - Yes. 11467a. (The Attorney-General.) Was there any list to port at the time this boat was lowered? - The list was to starboard at the time the boat was lowered. That was everything in our favour going down. It was not much; it was very slight. The Commissioner: The list was still to starboard? 11468. (The Attorney-General.) Yes. (To the Witness.) Before you left the boat deck had you noticed any rockets being fired from the bridge? - Yes, the rockets were going up simultaneously every minute, minute intervals, and that steamer’s light was in sight, about a point and a half on the port bow, roughly between five and ten miles away, when they fired the rockets, and they were also working the starboard and port Morse lights. 11469. This was all, of course, before you left? - Yes, before we left. 11470. Whilst you were still on the boat deck? - Yes. 11471. Was this going on on the bridge? - This was on the bridge. 11472. Working the port and starboard Morse light? - Yes. 11473. Could you see the light? - Yes, plain. 11474. The light of a steamer, I understood you to say, or a vessel? - Well, a vessel, one white light. 11475. Where was it? - About a point and a half on the port bow as the ship was standing then. 11476. On the port bow? - On the port bow. 11477. How far distant did it appear? - Between five and ten miles. 11478. And after you put off in No. 1 boat did you still see this light? - Yes. I took the light to be that of a cod-bankman - or fishing vessel. 11479. You did not see any sidelights? - No sidelights whatever. The Commissioner: Will you ask him when he first saw the white light? 11480. (The Attorney-General.) Yes. (To the Witness.) When did you first see the white light of which you have spoken? - After No. 3 boat was away. 11481. (The Commissioner.) Yes, but what time of night would that be? - That would be in the early part of the morning. 11482. What time? - That I could not say, because I did not know the time at the time. I should think myself it would be about one o’clock; it may have been a little after - between one and half-past. 11483. That would be about an hour before the vessel foundered? - Roughly. 11484. (The Attorney-General.) At any rate it was before you went to work on the boat deck at No. 1 boat? - It was after No. 3 boat was away that I saw the light. 11485. It was after that that you went to No. 1 boat to work? - Yes. 11486. Could you detect at all whether there was any more signaling about? Could you see if there was any vessel Morse signaling to you? - No. 11487. All you could see was your vessel Morse signaling to some other? - Yes. 11488. Do you remember getting an order from Mr. Murdoch to stand off a little way when the boat was lowered? - Yes, my orders were to pull away from the ship, not too far, and to stand by