Page 68 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 10 -13

back to try to save some of the people? - Yes. 12569. You have been in Court when at least one of them said it. I am not sure whether you heard Hendrickson? - Yes. 12570. What do you say about that? - I can only say I did not hear any suggestion, that is all I can say. 12571. And you know it has been further said that one of the ladies, identified by the last witness as your wife, was afraid to go back because she thought you would be swamped? - I heard that. 12572. And that, you see, was heard by a witness who was sitting on the same thwart as you were? - Yes. 12573. Did you hear your wife say that? - No. 12574. Or any lady? - No. 12575. Or any person? - No. 12576. Do you mean that it might have happened but that you do not remember anything about it, or do you mean that it did not take place? - In my opinion it did not take place. 12577. Do you mean it is not true what the men are saying? - It comes to that, of course. 12578. That they are wrong in their view? - I think so. 12579. Did you hear either of the other men say that if they did go back it would be dangerous because you would be swamped? - No, I did not. 12580. Nothing of the kind? - I do not think there was any conversation of the sort, or talk about it. 12581. We have heard what they have said, but so far as you are concerned, as I understand your statement, nothing was done at all? - No. 12582. You know now, do you not, that you might have saved a good many if you had gone back? - I do not know that. 12583. You know that your boat would have carried a good many more? - Yes, I know that is so, but it is not a lifeboat, you must remember; there are no air-tanks. 12584. I must ask you about the money. Had you made any promise of a present to the men in the boat? - Yes, I did. 12585. Will you tell us about that? - I will. If I may, I will tell you what happened. 12586. Yes? - There was a man sitting next to me, and of course in the dark I could see nothing of him. I never did see him, and I do not know yet who he is. I suppose it would be some time when they rested on their oars, 20 minutes or half an hour after the “Titanic” had sunk, a man said to me, “I suppose you have lost everything” and I said “Of course.” He says “But you can get some more,” and I said “Yes.” “Well,” he said, “we have lost all our kit and the company won’t give us any more, and what is more our pay stops from tonight. All they will do is to send us back to London.” So I said to them: “You fellows need not worry about that; I will give you a fiver each to start a new kit.” That is the whole of that £5 note story. 12587. That was in the boat? - In the boat. I said it to one of them and I do not know yet which. 12588. And when you got on the “Carpathia”? - When I got on the “Carpathia” there was a little hitch in getting one of the men up the ladder, and I saw Hendrickson. It was Hendrickson that I saw distinctly, when he brought my coat, which I had thrown in the bottom of the boat. He brought it up after me, and I asked him to get the men’s names, and that list, in my belief, is his writing. It is merely a list of the names, and I think it is in Hendrickson’s writing. 12589. Did you know either of the other two male passengers? - No, I did not know them, not till the next day. 12590. They were Americans? - Yes. 12591. Did you say anything to the Captain of the “Carpathia” of your intention to give that money to the men? - Yes; I went to see him one afternoon and told him I had promised the crew