Page 19 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 19 - 22

made as the evidence was being followed and as it came out from day to day. 20313. Now will you just tell us the nature of the wound which you think this ship received? - I would rather, if I may, put the plans in, and then describe what the eventual nature of the wound was when I have described the plans. On the plan I have handed in to my Lord there are three elevations shown. In the first one, which was the evidence we had (marked A) in the earliest stages, No. 1 hold, No. 3 hold, and No. 6 boiler room, marked with a red cross, was flooded. That was absolutely the first evidence we had. 20314. We have not had, I think, evidence of No. 2? - No, nor of the forepeak, which was mentioned quite late in the day. As your Lordship will see, the water did not then reach the top of the bulkheads. 20315. (The Commissioner.) The water had not reached the top of the bulkheads? - That is quite right. The result of that calculation was reported to me, and I then told them at Belfast by wire to flood No. 2 compartment, also the forepeak, and see what happened. 20316. What do you mean by flooded? - To treat it as flooded for the purposes of the calculation; it is marked B. 20317. That would be Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 spaces? - Yes, the forepeak, No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 holds, and No. 6 boiler room. That is marked B, my Lord. You will notice in that that the waterline has now got above the top of the bulkhead. 20318. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Are you speaking of B? - Yes. 20319. The forepeak is flooded? - Yes, and 1, 2, and 3 holds and No. 6 boiler room. 20320. (The Commissioner.) As soon as that state of things arrives there is an end of the ship - as soon as you get to that state of things the epitaph of the ship is written? - And as a further assumption I have also had plan C made in which the forepeak was not flooded; 1, 2, and 3 holds and No. 6 boiler room. 20321. As a matter of curiosity, for my information, how long after the water got above the watertight bulkheads would this ship float. Would she sink instantly? - Absolutely no, my Lord. Probably for an hour - perhaps a little more; it would depend upon the extent of the damage. Assuming the damage in this particular case, it would take, I should think, an hour to an hour and a quarter, as well as I could estimate. 20322. (The Attorney-General.) Is that assuming the doors closed? - It assumes the after-door closed, and the door between A and F closed. 20323. (Mr. Rowlatt.) So that the water would only progress aft over the top of the successive bulkheads? - Yes. 20324. (The Commissioner.) Of course it would not do anything else. It would flow over the top and flow down; wherever it could find a space to flow down into the ship it would flow down? - Quite right. 20325. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Then the ship would be further down by the head, and it would be able to flow over the next one? - I have a plan showing that. The Commissioner: At all events, according to your view, it would take about an hour? The Attorney-General: He has worked it out by a plan, my Lord. (A plan was handed in.) Mr. Rowlatt: If your Lordship will allow the Witness just to say what this plan means, I think it will save trouble, and we shall get it upon the Notes. The Witness: In this plan - 20326. (The Commissioner.) What do you mean by “this” plan? - The plan I have just handed up to your Lordship. It is marked upon the back as the plan called “Flooding by compartments.” 20327. Row E? - Yes, that was simply for convenience in finding it. 20328. (Mr. Rowlatt.) Will you say what this plan represents? - I took as the basis of this plan the same as for plans A, B, and C, the best estimate I could make of the waterline at the time of the accident, that is, I knew what draught the “Titanic” sailed from Southampton at; I knew what