Page 216 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 14 - 18

davits were altered? - It was not so, so far as we are concerned. Sir Robert Finlay: By whom was that statement made? Mr. Scanlan: By Mr. Welin, the inventor, my Lord. Sir Robert Finlay: He is the patentee. The Commissioner: You know, Mr. Scanlan, I may tell you I have been deluged with circulars from all sorts of patentees of all sorts of lifeboats, and if I am to sit here to hear the merits of every one of those patents I shall be here to doomsday. Mr. Scanlan: Of course, I would not think of bothering your Lordship with a number of those things which have been submitted to myself and those who are instructing me, if I did not think it was necessary. The Commissioner: I am sure you have had them, too. Mr. Scanlan: Yes, I have. The Commissioner: I am most anxious, Mr. Scanlan, to spare you, if I can - Mr. Scanlan: And I am most anxious to spare you, my Lord; but surely these are the davits that were on the “Titanic.” The Commissioner: Do not argue the point - go on; we shall get on quicker. Mr. Scanlan: Very well. I hope I have not unnecessarily detained your Lordship. The Commissioner: Oh, no. 19395. (Mr. Scanlan - To the Witness.) Then it has been stated that a design was submitted, or something of this kind was submitted, to you, and I take it to be your evidence (and this is the last question I shall ask you) that, apart from a paper sent you by some person named Crawford in 1910, you never heard of any suggestion that on those boats you should have a greater number of lifeboats than you carried? - That is true. 19396. On the davits? - That is so. 19397. According to your statement yesterday, you put it to my Lord, as an objection to increasing the number of boats, that if you had any considerable increase of working space on the boat deck it would be insufficient? - I did so. 19398. Is it not the case, Mr. Sanderson, that the great objection from the owners’ point of view is to depriving the boat deck of space for promenading? - No, it is not. 19399. Now, I am going to ask you a question with regard to the crew for working a lifeboat. You stated, I think, a crew of four with one man for the tiller in addition - that is five? - Yes, for a certain purpose, I stated that. 19400. Do you think a crew of five would be able to row a full-loaded lifeboat such as yours? The Commissioner: That is a question that does not affect us very much. Will you describe the sort of sea that you presuppose, Mr. Scanlan? Mr. Scanlan: I have made some ineffectual efforts to describe the sea to other witnesses - The Commissioner: The question of the number in the boat depends very much, I should say, upon the sea. Mr. Scanlan: I suppose it does, my Lord. The Commissioner: If you put this question to him it may be of some value perhaps - in an oily sea as this was. 19401. (Mr. Scanlan.) Yes. In an oily sea, a perfectly calm sea, I suppose four or five would be sufficient? - I should say in such a sea as you describe two would be sufficient. 19402. In a fairly rough sea you would require more? - Yes. The Commissioner: I suppose if you had a sea bad enough you would require none, because the boat would not live, however many you put into it; you get to the two extremes. Mr. Scanlan: Of course, I always like to get at the mean position between those extremes. The Commissioner: Yes, get the mean position. That is what he meant, for a lifeboat of this size the crew, in his opinion, would be five men, and he means then in average weather.