Page 168 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 23 - 26

has had a good many commended to its notice, is that they seem to forget the question that one of the greatest difficulties is marshalling the people into the boats. 24673. Marshalling the people? - Yes; you have got a huge hotel, a hotel with thousands of people on board, and how you can marshall those people into the boats is one of the greatest difficulties you can think of. The substantial recommendation of our Report of 4th July last is that what you must do is to do everything you possibly can to secure the buoyancy of the ship. 24674. It has never been suggested that the passengers should be drilled? - No, my Lord, you cannot do it; it is impossible. 24675. So as to make it easy for them to get into the boats; not only the crew drilled to handle the boats, but the passengers drilled for getting into them? - My Lord, we should lose more passengers’ lives by pneumonia, by turning them out at night, to have effective drills, than we should save in the boats. Sir Robert Finlay: In regard to what was said by your Lordship just now, may I refer your Lordship to what Mr. Sanderson said on page 481, just below the middle of the page your Lordship will see this passage occurs: “(Sir Robert Finlay.) My Lord, Mr. Sanderson would like to make a correction with regard to one thing he said yesterday, if your Lordship will let him. (The Commissioner.) You need not go into the box, Mr. Sanderson, if you tell us what it was. (Mr. Sanderson.) Thank you, my Lord. In the report of my evidence in regard to the boating of the ‘Olympic’ there is a possibility that I would be misunderstood in the record as it now is. I would like to say that after the accident to the ‘Titanic’ we started out with the intention of boating the ‘Olympic’ to the full extent of her capacity for passengers, that is to say, for about 3,500 people, 60 odd boats; and we found we were getting into such a ridiculous position, we were crowding the ship so with boats, that we modified those instructions and directed them to only boat the ship for the actual number of passengers and crew she was carrying at the time, and that is now the policy we are carrying out, which is a considerable reduction from the original intention.” The Commissioner: But, still one must contemplate the possibility of the ship carrying the total number that the law permits her to carry. Sir Robert Finlay: Yes. The Commissioner: And if she did, then you would require to have the 60 boats. Sir Robert Finlay: Yes; it was only on the question of the practice on the “Olympic” that I desired to call attention to that passage. The Attorney-General: The additional boats are mostly Berthon’s, I think, folding boats; we saw them. The Commissioner: Or are they Englehardt boats? The Attorney-General: No, Berthon boats, mostly. 24676. (The Commissioner.) You can tell me, Sir Norman, which boats do you prefer when you come to what are called collapsible boats; do you prefer the Englehardt boats or the Berthon boats? - My Committee do not want to pin ourselves to any particular patent, but what we call the decked lifeboats, such as the Englehardt boats, we think are far the best; but we do not consider those are collapsible boats. 24677. You do not think the Englehardt boats collapsible? - No. 24678. You apply that term only to the Berthon boats that double up? - I do not want to deal with particular patents.