Page 67 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

12544. You do not mean to suggest they rowed back to the cries? - Oh no, I do not suggest that for a moment. 12545. They continued rowing away from the place where the “Titanic” had gone down, did not they? - I do not know. As soon as the “Titanic” had gone down of course one lost all idea of where she had been. 12546. At any rate, we shall be satisfied with this, that you knew they were not rowing towards the cries? - I did not think about it I must confess, I do not know which way they were rowing. 12547. Did not you think about whether or not your boat would be able to save any of the people who were in the water? - I do not know; it might have been possible, but it would have been very difficult to get back, the distance we were, and in the darkness, to find anything. 12548. What I want to understand is this, you said just now you did not think about it - did you mean that you did not think about whether or not your boat could save some of the people that were in the water? - I was not thinking about it. At that time I was attending to my wife, as I think I said just now. We had had rather a serious evening, you know. 12549. Did you hear one of the ladies say anything about the danger of being swamped if you went back? - No, I did not. 12550. Nothing of that kind? - No, I did not. 12551. Did you hear any discussion at all about being swamped? - No, I did not hear the subject raised; the subject was not raised, I think. 12552. Are we to understand that as far as you were concerned no notice was taken in your boat of these cries that came from the drowning people? - No. 12553. No conversation about it? - No, I think there was no conversation. 12554. No suggestion by you or by anybody else? - No. 12555. No question raised as to whether you ought to return or not? - No. 12556. And, if I follow you correctly, no thought entered into your mind that you ought to go back and try to save some of these people? - I do not think it would have been possible, for one thing. 12557. Would you mind answering. I want to follow your view? - What was the question? 12558. I understood from what you said, and correct it if it is wrong, that no thought entered into your mind at that time that you ought to go back and try to save some of these people? - No, I suppose not. 12559. (The Commissioner.) The last witness told us that in his opinion it would have been quite safe to have gone back. What do you say to that? - I do not know, my Lord, whether it would have been safe. I do not know. I think it would have been hardly possible. 12560. (The Attorney-General.) Why not possible? - I do not know which way we should have gone. 12561. (The Commissioner.) When I say “gone back,” I mean go towards where the cries came from. - I do not know about that; I could not speculate. 12562. (The Attorney - General.) These cries continued for some time, did they not? - I said the men began to row very soon after the cries were first heard. 12563. But the cries continued for some time? - Yes, I believe they did. 12564. As the men proceeded to row away did the cries sound fainter? - Oh, you could not hear the sound at all when the men were rowing. 12565. Does that mean that in your boat they were not rowing when you heard the cries? - The moment the “Titanic” sank, of course everything stopped. There was a dead silence. 12566. And then you of course did hear the cries? - Yes, then we did. 12567. You mean you continued to hear the cries until the men started rowing again? - Yes, which was very soon, immediately, almost. 12568. We have heard from two witnesses that a suggestion was made that your boat should go