Page 131 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 14 - 18

18397. Then you did know on the Sunday morning that in the ordinary course of things between that and the Monday evening you might be increasing your speed to full speed? - I knew if the weather was suitable either on the Monday or the Tuesday the vessel would go at full speed for a few hours. 18398. And I suppose you knew that in order to get the full speed of the vessel, the maximum number of revolutions, it would be necessary, presumably, to light more boilers? - I presume the boilers would have been put on. 18399. Do you know in fact that they were lighted on the Sunday morning? - I do not. The Attorney-General: Your Lordship will remember that evidence; I will give the reference to it, but we have got the evidence I think that they were lighted at eight o’clock on Sunday morning, the five single-ended boilers? Mr. Laing: No, no. The Commissioner: Were they lit at the time of the collision? The Attorney-General: I do not think the single-ended ones were, but I think you will find that more boilers were lit on the Sunday morning; that is the point, but I think not the single-ended ones. The Commissioner: Where is the reference to these particular ones that you suggest were lit on the Sunday morning? The Attorney-General: I think your Lordship will find it at page 69, in Barrett’s evidence, Question 2217, where he was asked, “Then, as far as you know, there was no reduction in speed?” And your Lordship will see that the answer to that is: “There were two main boilers lit up on the Sunday morning, but I could not tell you whether they were connected with the others or not. (Q.) You mean two main boilers which had not been lit up before? - (A.) Yes, they were lit up. (Q.) That is extra? - (A.) Yes. (Q.) On the Sunday morning. - (A.) Yes. (Q.) That is why you told me that there had been eight boilers out, and afterwards you thought there were only five or six out, is that it? - (A.) Yes.” Then your Lordship says: “What he said was five boilers, certainly, and perhaps eight.” Then it is cleared up at Question 2222: “(The Solicitor General.) That is what you said, Barrett - you said five boilers were out, certainly, and perhaps eight. Now just explain why you say that?” And he said, “When you light a boiler up it will take twelve hours before you can connect it with the others to get steam on as a rule in a merchant ship as far as my experience goes.” Then he is asked, “These three, the difference between the five and the eight, were they lit up? - (A.) Those three were lit up on the Sunday morning.” Then at Question 2226 he was asked, “Do you know in which section they were? - (A.) In the after section - the next one to the after section. That would be No. 2 section.” Now, the aftermost section your Lordship will see is the one in which there are the single-ended boilers. He is not referring to those. He is referring to the after boilers in No. 2 boiler room, which are the double-ended. The Solicitor-General: He is referring to those (Pointing to the plan). The Commissioner: That is a double-ended boiler. The Solicitor-General: Yes, that No. 2 is a double-ended boiler. The Commissioner: The other ones, further aft, are single ones. The Attorney-General: Yes, my Lord, that is right; and those were never lit. But if your Lordship will now look at Question 2232, you will see that Barrett was asked, “Can you tell me when those two or three main boilers were lit on the Sunday morning - about what time? - (A.) As near as I could say, 8 o’clock in the morning. (Q.) Then they may have been connected that same night? - (A.) Yes.” There is some other evidence about it, but as far as I know there is no suggestion that this evidence is not correct. What it amounts to is that it took 12 hours apparently before they were connected. They were lit at 8 o’clock on the Sunday morning. That was the reason the question was put by the Solicitor-General, “Then they may have been connected that