Page 35 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

Cosmo Duff-Gordon. 11741. But did you know anybody else? - No. 11742. I notice that there is nothing in your statement here or in the deposition to show that Mr. Murdoch had given you the order to go a short way off and stand by and come back when called? - No, there is nothing in the evidence. 11743. You never said that before? - I never said that before. 11744. Not till I asked you today? - Not till you asked me today. You put the question to me in a proper manner, whereas in America they did not, in that way of speaking. 11745. Did you tell the gentleman who saw you at Weymouth that that order had been given? - Yes, Sir. The Commissioner: Is there anything in this American evidence about the money? 11746. (The Attorney-General.) I am going to ask him about that. There are two further things that I want to ask him, but I may as well put that to him first. Did you say anything in America about having received the £5? - Nothing whatever, and I was not asked, or asked to make a statement previously, of what was given in the boat. 11747. I may take it that nothing was said about it at all? - That is right, Sir. 11748. Just listen to what you said in America. This is just at the bottom of page 40 and the top of page 41 where you stopped just now, my Lord. “(Q.) You did not return to the ship again? - Yes, we came back after the ship was gone, and we saw nothing. (Q.) Did you rescue anyone that was in the water? - No, Sir; we saw nothing when we came back. (Q.) Was there any confusion or excitement among the passengers? - No, Sir; nothing whatever; it was just the same as if it was an everyday affair. (Q.) Was there any rush to get into either one of these boats? - (A.) No, Sir, I never saw it. I never saw any rush whatsoever. (Q.) Did you hear any cries of people in the water? - (A.) Oh, yes, Sir; I heard the cries. (Q.) Did you say your boat could take more? Did you make any effort to get them? - Yes, we came back, but when we came back we did not see anybody nor hear anybody. (Q.) Then, what did you do after that? - (A.). After we rowed around, we rowed around and picked up mwith another boat, and both stuck together; one boat with a lot of people.” I have called your attention to that. You see you were asked these very questions which we have been putting to you today, first, whether you heard cries of people in the water. You remember that? - Yes. 11749. Then you were asked whether you made any effort to get there, that is the people from whom you heard the cries? - Yes. 11750. It is pointed out to you that you had said your boat could take more? - Yes, I did say so. 11751. Your answer to that is, “Yes, we came back, but when we came back we did not see anybody nor hear anybody.”? - That is quite right. 11752. Why did not you tell him what you have told us today, that you heard the cries, but in the exercise of your discretion and as master of the situation you had determined not to go back because you thought you might be swamped? Why did not you tell them that? - My idea of the whole concern was that they had us in three at a time in America - that you have not got there I expect - to get us through as quick as possible. He was putting his questions as quick as he possibly could to get us through - three of us; that was Hogg, Perkis, and myself. 11753. You realise that this does not give quite a true account, does it, as I read it to you? - No, not the same as I have given here. 11754. It leaves out altogether this important matter about whether or not you should go back to save these people? - Yes, that is left out. 11755. Nothing was said about that at all? - Nothing was said to me about that whatever. 11756. I do not quite understand, you know, why you suggest that you were muddled about it there. The Senator put this question to you: “Did you make any effort to get them?” and your answer is, “Yes, we came back, but when we came back we did not see anybody nor hear