Page 242 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

15817. Then was No. 5 lowered after No. 7? - No. 5 was lowered after No. 7. 15818. Did you then go to No. 3? - I then went to No. 3. 15819. Was that lowered? - That was lowered. 15820. And did you then go to the emergency boat? - I went to No. 1, the emergency boat. 15821. Was that lowered? - Yes. 15822. When your boat was lowered that lot of boats were finished with. Did you notice any list? - No. 15823. Was the vessel down by the head? - Yes. 15824. You noticed that? - Yes, of course I did. I noticed that as soon as I got up. 15825. Did you look for any lights at this time at all? - As I was getting the emergency boat ready, No. 1, Mr. Boxhall was firing the detonators, the distress signals, and somebody mentioned something about a ship on the port bow, and I glanced over in that direction casually and I saw a steamer there. 15826. What did you see of her? - I saw her two masthead and her red sidelights. 15827. That accounts for all these four boats? - Yes, the forward section. 15828. Where did you go then? - I then went to No. 14. 15829. That is right aft on the other side, is it not? - That would be the second forward boat of the after section, and the second boat from aft of the after section. 15830. Why did you go to her in particular? - Because they seemed to be busy there. 15831. Did you go to assist there? - I did. 15832. Who was in charge there? - I do not know who was in charge there. I finished up loading No. 14, and Mr. Moody was finishing up loading No. 16? - Yes. 15833. You were loading No. 14 and he was loading No. 16? - Yes. 15834. Did you see anything about No. 12? - No. 12 would be the forward boat - the boat next to me forward? -Yes. 15835. Yes? - Numbers 12, 14 and 16 went down pretty much at the same time. 15836. You went in No. 14, did not you? - Yes. 15837. Did you go by anybody’s orders? - I did not. I saw five boats go away without an officer, and I told Mr. Moody on my own that I had seen five boats go away, and an officer ought to go in one of these boats. I asked him who it was to be - him or I - and he told me, “You go; I will get in another boat.” 15838. I forget where he comes in order of seniority; is he senior to you or junior to you? - No, he was junior. 15839. Were you lowered in that boat? - I was lowered in No. 14. 15840. I want to ask you a little about that. Was there any difficulty in lowering when you got near the water? - Yes, I slipped her. 15841. Did the falls go wrong? - Something got wrong and I slipped her. 15842. That means to say, you threw off the lever when you were some way from the water? - I should say I dropped her about 5 feet. 15843. Your Lordship remembers that Scarrott told us about that. Was that because the falls -? - That was because I was not going to wait and chance being dipped down by the stern by anybody on top, so I thought it was best for me to drop, and know what I was doing. 15844. No doubt you dealt with the situation quite rightly, but I want to know what caused the situation. Was it because the rope would not run any further? - I do not know, because, you must understand that the lowering away was being carried out on deck, and I must have been about 64 feet below that deck, and I could not see it. 15845. Did you look up? - Yes. 15846. Could you tell me why you were not being lowered further? - No. 15847. You could not? - No.