Page 91 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 14 - 18

17594. And you noticed the time? - Yes. 17595. Now that is the dog watch. You came off duty -? - At 6 o’clock. 17596. Then at eight did you go on duty? - Yes. 17597. Your watch, then, would be 8 to 12. Now, during any part of that time were you at the wheel steering? - No, on the poop. 17598. You were on the poop aft, were you? - The whole time. 17599. (The Commissioner.) From 8 to 12 you were on the poop? - Yes. 17600. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) Were you on the poop when you felt a jar? - Yes. 17601. And that proved to be a collision with an iceberg? - Yes. 17602. What did you do? - I thought it was something unusual being a fine night, and I went on the bridge and waited for orders to come through the telephone. 17603. Before you went on the bridge did you go and look at the taffrail; did you look at the patent log? - I did, after the iceberg was cleared. 17604. Then you first went to the bridge? - Yes. 17605. Did you see the iceberg? - Yes. 17606. Did you look up at it? - Yes. 17607. Then did you go back and have a look at the register of the patent log? - I went on the bridge to find that out. The log was on the port side of the bridge. 17608. What did it register? - 260. 17609. Do you know, of your own knowledge, when the patent log is set on board this ship? - Yes. 17610. When? - At noon. 17611. So that that would mean that since noon up to the time you had looked at it, she had run 260 knots, would that be? - Miles. 17612. You mean nautical miles? - It is marked “miles” on the log itself. The Commissioner: That means 260 knots. 17613. (Mr. Butler Aspinall.) Yes. (To the Witness.) How long after the ship struck do you think it was you looked at this patent log - ten minutes or a quarter of an hour? - About half a minute. The Commissioner: What does this work out at? Mr. Butler Aspinall: I worked it out, and I make it, subject to correction, very nearly 22 knots. The Attorney-General: That is right. Sir Robert Finlay: Twenty-one and three-quarters. The Attorney-General: It is rather more than that; it is between 21 3/4 and 22, but it does not matter. 17614. (Mr. Butler Aspinall - To the Witness.) I do not want to go into this matter at great length, but did you, after that, see some boat in the water? - Yes. 17615. Do you know which boat that was? - No. I should think it was either 13 or 15. 17616. And was anything said by one of the officers to you about that boat? - No. 17617. Are you sure of that? - I telephoned up to the fore bridge. 17618. Did this happen? Did you ask if the bridge knew that a boat was in the water? - Yes. 17619. Where were you when you asked the bridge that? - On the after bridge at the telephone. 17620. How did you ask them; by the telephone? - Yes. 17621. And what was the answer? - The answer was “No, is there.” I said “Yes.” 17622. And that is all you know about that incident? - They asked me if I was the Third Officer and I said no. 17623. What did you do? - I said “I am the Quartermaster.” 17624. That is all you know about that matter? - That is all. 17625. After that did you notice that the boats were being lowered? - No.