Page 163 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 23 - 26

report? - Before I go to that, the Scale we recommended in the Report was based on the written scale which Mr. Carlisle produced himself at the meeting. The written scale Mr. Carlisle produced showed that he recommended the carrying of 16 boats under davits, and no more. But on this large type of vessel he recommended carrying in addition boats readily available for launching. That is the scale which the Committee recommended. As to the difference, if you test it, in the case of the “Titanic,” Mr. Carlisle’s scale would have shown 16 boats under davits, eight boats readily available for launching; minimum cubic contents of the whole, 8,250 feet. The scale the Committee recommended was for 16 boats under davits, eight additional boats, cubic contents 8,300 feet. With regard to the “Titanic,” the scale that the Committee recommended was practically identical with Mr. Carlisle’s scale, the small difference in the cubic contents being a matter of arithmetic according to the size of the boat that we were adding. The Commissioner: What page is Mr. Carlisle’s evidence on? Sir Robert Finlay: Page 557, my Lord, in the second column, on this point Questions 21489- 90, by my friend, Mr. Laing. 24619. (The Commissioner.) I see he says: “I was asked to join that Committee two days before it finished.” Is that accurate? The Witness: No, my Lord; he was only asked to join that Sub-Committee. He was there from the beginning of the first meeting, and he was there throughout the whole of the meetings held by that Sub-Committee. There were only two of them. 24620. How long did the Sub-Committee sit? - It sat on two days. I think we finished before luncheon on each day. We generally start at half-past ten, and we sit, if we can, to get our work finished, and between the two meetings I had drafted the rough heads showing the conclusions we had arrived at at the first, and this was the basis for further discussion at the second. 24621. Then when he says: “I was asked to join that Committee two days before it finished,” he was accurate? - Yes, my Lord, he was. 24622. It was not quite right for you to say he was not accurate; he was accurate, but he might have added “Two days was all the time that the Committee lasted”? - With submission, I should have thought that made the difference between accuracy and inaccuracy. 24623. Possibly; I am not going to discuss that. “They had come to certain conclusions on certain points.” Well, that is true? - Not on the point submitted to us then. 24624. No, but on certain points? - Yes, certainly. 24625. “They had come to certain conclusions on certain points, and the Chairman drew my attention to the fact that if I pushed my idea for all ships the Bill would have to go back” - I do not know what Bill he is talking about - “any Bill connected with shipping would have to go back on all those ships, and it would not be fair”; and he put the contention that it would be unfair to make the Rule apply to old vessels upon you, whereas you say it was his contention and not yours? - It was his contention, and I held exactly the opposite. 24626. Yes, so I understand you to say - “and they had no doubt that big ships would fit more boats than were required by the Board of Trade.” And then Mr. Laing puts this question: “Do you mean you signed this document without agreeing with it?” and then apparently he hesitated, because I said to him: “Answer that question; it is very simple”; and then he said: “I did not consider it satisfactory and I told them so, but I signed it.” Now, did he tell you that it was unsatisfactory? - He did not, my Lord. 24627. You are sure of that? - I am quite positive. 24628. You have looked at the Note? - I have read the Note carefully through. 24629. Then I say to him: “It is a very strange thing to do, to sign something you are not satisfied with pretending, by signing it, that you are satisfied with it?”; and he answers: “Well, I quite confess that it looks very extraordinary, but from what occurred at the meeting, if any of you had been present you would have seen the exact reasons for agreeing not to force it, and to