Page 97 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 14 - 18

side. 17699. And you were lowered by the same davits? - Yes. 17700. (The Commissioner.) Did you see the “Titanic” go down? - Yes. 17701. You know how the foundering has been described to us by some witnesses; that is to say that she was down by the head. Supposing this is the head (indicating), that she was down by the head in that way and then before she went down her afterpart righted itself and lay on an even keel, as far as the keel went, on the surface of the water. Is that so? - I could not say that. I was looking at her practically stem on - what we call stem on. You were looking at her stem on; very well. (The Witness withdrew.) The Commissioner: How many more witnesses from the ship do you require. The Attorney-General: I think after this witness is called there are three or four with reference to other boats which you have not yet had evidence about. It will necessarily be short in view of what you have said. It is merely to prove they were in the boat, and who were in it. SAMUEL HEMMING, Sworn. Examined by Mr. RAYMOND ASQUITH. 17702. You were a lamp-trimmer on the “Titanic,” I think? - Yes. 17703. Do you remember the evening of Sunday, the 14th? - Yes. 17704. Do you remember reporting to Mr. Murdoch, the First Officer, that all the lights had been placed? - Yes. 17705. About what time was that? - I think about a quarter-past 7. 17706. Do you remember what he said to you when you reported that? - Yes. 17707. What did he say? - I was walking off the bridge, and he called me back, and he said: “Hemming, when you go forward get the fore scuttle hatch closed, there is a glow left from that, as we are in the vicinity of ice, and I want everything dark before the bridge.” 17708. Where is the fore scuttle hatch? - On the forecastle head. 17709. Did you carry out those orders? - I closed it myself. 17710. When the ship struck, I think you were asleep? - Yes. 17711. Were you wakened by the jar? - Yes. 17712. What did you do? - I came out of the room, put my head out of the port to see what we struck, and could not see anything. 17713. Did you hear a noise? - I heard a hissing noise. 17714. Did you go and try to find out what that was? - I did. 17715. Where did you go? - Right forward under the forecastle head. 17116. Will you describe what you did and where you went? - I went there and could not see anything, so me and the storekeeper took the hatch off the storeroom and went down to see if she was making water and she was dry. We went down as far as the tank top. 17717. Do you mean a storeroom in the fore part of the ship? - Yes, right forward, in the very fore part. 17718. Would that be the storeroom above the four-feet tank? - Yes, directly above it. 17719. When you got down to the storeroom what did you find? - Nothing; everything was dry. 17720. You could not find any sign of damage? - No.