Page 30 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

say, Sir. 11635. (The Attorney - General.) Were you asked whether you were master of the situation? - Oh, yes, Sir; I was asked that. 11636. That is what the gentleman said to you? - Yes. 11637. The gentleman asked you, were you master of the situation, and I suppose you said “Yes”? - Certainly, Sir. 11638. Were you asked whether you exercised your discretion? - How do you mean “exercised my discretion”? 11639. That was your expression today; it is not mine. Did that gentleman say to you, “Did you exercise your discretion”? - Is that for me to say in the Court here? 11640. I am asking you? - I know you are asking me, but is that for me to say? 11641. Whether the gentleman asked you that? - Whether the gentleman asked me that? 11642. Why should you be so shy about it? - I am not shy at all about it. 11643. Why do you want the protection of the Court? Why don’t you answer the question? - You put the question to me, and I told you - the master of the situation. 11644. Just follow what I am putting to you. You say a gentleman was there with you? - Yes. 11645. And he put questions to you? - Yes. 11646. I am asking you, did he put this question to you: “Did you exercise your discretion as to whether you should go back or not”? - I told him “Yes.” 11647. The Commissioner: Then he did ask you the question, and you said “Yes”? - Yes. 11648. (The Attorney - General.) Did the gentleman tell you that you ought not to say anything about this? - The gentleman said nothing whatsoever to me, Sir. 11649. I do not quite understand why you should have objected to answering the question I put to you? - I think myself, Sir, like this. I do not know who the gentleman was, neither did I altogether at that time, and it was in my own private home; and I think myself it was not a case to put before the Court. 11650. Do not drop your voice - you thought it was not a case to put before the Court? - Not that question you put then. 11651. But why not? - I have answered it now, so that it has gone. 11652. I would like to understand why it is that you think that question ought not to be put to you. What is your objection to it? - I think myself, Sir, that what you do in your own private life is no business of no one. That is what I think, and that is a sailor’s view of it. 11653. So that you thought that this conversation between you and this gentleman representing Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff-Gordon ought to be treated as private? - It was no business of nobody’s. 11654. Neither of the Court’s nor of anybody else? - Not in that regard, no, because there was nothing more than I just simply stated the outline of the thing. 11655. Did he ask you whether you had read Hendrickson’s story to the Court? - No, Sir. 11656. Did he ask you whether you had heard anything about what Hendrickson had said to the Court? - No, Sir, not as I am aware of. 11657. What? - No, I knew what Hendrickson had said then. 11658. I am asking you what he put to you. Did he mention Hendrickson? - No. 11659. (The Commissioner.) Did you mention Hendrickson? - No, Sir. 11660. Now, just think. You had read Hendrickson’s story? - Yes. 11661. And it was a very important story? - Yes. 11662. And this gentleman came to talk to you about Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff-Gordon who had been mentioned in Hendrickson’s story? - Yes. 11663. Do you mean to tell me that neither you nor he mentioned Hendrickson’s name at all? - Not Hendrickson’s name - no, Sir.