Page 8 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 19 - 22

20163. And then you jumped into it? - Yes. 20164. About 10 feet? - I cannot say; I do not know. 20165. (The Commissioner.) How big a jump did you take? Just show us along this curtain? - About half this, perhaps (pointing). 20166. Down to where you are standing? - Yes, to the lifeboat. 20167. (The Attorney-General.) He said about 10 feet. (To the Witness.) You got into the boat, and eventually were saved? - Yes, but before that I did ask the chef to jump many times, but the chef was too fat I must say - too big, you know. He could not jump. 20168. He was too stout, and, at any rate, he would not jump? - No. 20169. You jumped. I suppose you saw it was very serious? - Yes, and when I was in the lifeboat I shouted to him again in French. “Sautez.” 20170. To jump down to you? - Yes; he said something, but I could not hear because at the same moment a man said to me, “Shut up,” or something like that. At the same moment another man from the “Titanic” (because at the moment the lifeboat was going down past the other deck; it was just like that), a man from the “Titanic” tried to get me off to take my seat. 20171. He tried to take you off? - Yes. 20172. You were in the boat? - Yes, he tried to take me off the lifeboat. 20173. Where could he take you off; the boat was being lowered? - That is what I said, the boat was lower. I will show you. The boat was just like there. (Pointing on the model.) 20174. Do you mean he leant forward. I do not understand how he could try, if your boat was being lowered. What do you mean by saying he tried to get you off the boat? - He did try. 20175. (The Commissioner.) Where did he take hold of you? - Well, just when the lifeboat arrived at the deck. 20176. Do you mean took hold of your arm? - No, like that, just on the back. 20177. Of the back of you, by your coat? - Yes. 20178. You were on the boat, and he was on the “Titanic”? - He was on the “Titanic.” 20179. (The Attorney-General.) And your boat was then going down, was it? - Yes. 20180. And as you passed he caught you by the coat. Is that it? - Yes, that is what I mean exactly. Examined by Mr. SCANLAN. 20181. Had you a lifebelt on? - Yes. 20182. And all your people had got lifebelts - those 60? - Yes. 20183. Was this objection to people going up on to the deck only to your class of people - stewards from the Chef’s Department? The Commissioner: No, the objection was by stewards, and it was made against waiters in the restaurant. 20184. (Mr. Scanlan.) I only want to get from him, my Lord, that this did not apply to passengers or anybody else. (To the Witness.) This did not apply to passengers, did it; there were no passengers prevented from going up? - No, there were not. Examined by Sir ROBERT FINLAY. 20185. You were allowed to pass because you were taken for a passenger? - Yes, but I said to the members of the crew that I was secretary to the chef. I said, “There is the chef, and I am his secretary.” That is what I said to the steward, and he let me pass. The Commissioner: I regret to say so, but, it is unintelligible to me. What was it he said? 20186. (The Attorney-General.) He said he was secretary to the chef, and upon that they let