Page 31 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 19 - 22

inrush of water? - Not in the least. A cork will bob up just as quickly in a rush of water, and they are rather lighter than cork in proportion to their size. 20457. I see at the bottom of page 13, just before you come to watertight doors, you say this: You are speaking of the subdivision, and then you say, “By this subdivision there were in all 73 compartments, 29 of these being above the inner bottom.” I think I know what you mean, but just explain what that exactly means? - In the preceding part of that clause under “Watertight subdivision,” various bulkheads and decks have been described, and it means that the ship is cut up into that number of independent watertight boxes. 20458. Seventy-three of them? - Including those in the double bottom between the two skins. 20459. You have told us the double bottom was divided four-fold in one part of the ship, two- fold in another, and not at all in another part, and then, of course, it is again divided by - ? - The transverse divisions. 20460. Making altogether 29? - No, 44 in the double bottom and 29 above. 20461. Twenty-nine above? - Yes. The Commissioner: What paragraph are you on? 20462. (Mr. Rowlatt.) It is the last few words of the paragraph immediately preceding “Watertight doors.” I only thought the sentence was not quite clear, and, therefore, it was wise to have it explained. (To the Witness.) Are the watertight doors on the alleyways of the same character as the ones below? - The doors themselves are made of plate instead of being castings, but the principle of the tightening is identical. 20463. You mean they fit tight in the same way? - Exactly. 20464. And they are actuated by hand? - They are only actuated by hand from two positions, by something which you can turn round - a rack and pinion. 20465. You have a paragraph about steering gear. Subject to what my Lord says, I do not propose to ask you anything about that or the telegraph. Now you came to pumping arrangements on page 16. You say: “The general character of the arrangement was that it was possible to pump from every compartment flooded by a system of duplex mains with suitable cross connections controlled from above the level of the bulkhead deck in such a way that it is possible to isolate any flooded space” and so on. Perhaps you will just amplify that a little? - One fore and aft pipe goes fore and aft the ship. It is duplicated in certain parts of its length in order to get round the isolation question. 20466. Are you speaking of above the tank? - Above the tank top but below the stokehold floor. Then in each compartment there is a branch pipe taken off this, controlled by a valve which leads down to the level of the tank top where it has what you call a strum-box. It is practically a plate to prevent the pipe getting choked. On this pipe in each boiler room and also in the engine rooms are connections leading to the pumps which can draw through this fore and aft main and then throw overboard. 20467. Where are the pumps you speak of? - I think you had better refer to the plan. 20468. Whereabouts in the ship are the pumps. I want to be clear. What deck ought one to look at to see it clearest? - At the afterend of No. 6 boiler room there is an ash ejector pump which can be connected with this pipe. 20469. What is an ash ejector pump? - It is a pump normally used for pumping water through a hose and carrying ashes overboard. That water is in the normal course drawn from the sea and returned overboard, but can be taken from the bilge by a suitable valve. The Commissioner: What part of the case is this on? Mr. Rowlatt: I do not think it does matter, my Lord. The Commissioner: Does it Mr. Attorney? The Attorney-General: I think not. The Commissioner: Do not confuse my mind - it is a very easy thing to do - more than you