Page 15 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

have done. 5572. In order to release the clutches so that you could heave them up? - Yes. 5573. Then you had to go right to the afterpart of the ship there, had you, into the tunnel? - We went down the escape ladder. 5574. That was for the purpose of getting there in order to open up that watertight door which is the last, the aftermost watertight door? - Yes. 5575. That is the one which you did proceed then to heave up? - Yes. 5576. And then you released your mate who was there at work? - Yes. 5577. Then when you released him what did you do? - We had to go up the escape again, and we went down the turbine. 5578. You went up the escape then and got back again into the turbine engine room? - Yes. 5579. Did you leave the watertight door open? - Yes. 5580. And so far as you know, was it ever closed? - No, because they were all opened afterwards. We heaved them all up again. We went back and heaved up the one which we opened about two feet, we heaved it right up. 5581. Now let us follow it. The first time you go there to release your mate you heaved it up two feet? - Yes. 5582. That released him? - Yes. 5583. Then you went back to the turbine engine room? - Yes. 5584. Then when you got there did you get further orders about the watertight doors? - Yes, the engineer of the watch in the engine room. 5585. What did he tell you to do? - He told us to heave all the watertight doors up. 5586. Did you go right aft again to the aftermost tunnel? - Yes, we went right through. We opened one up in the afterside of the turbine room, and then went right through them till we got to the after one, which we had opened up about two feet. 5587. Now, let us see if I follow. In order to get to the aftermost tunnel you would again have to go up the escape? - If we had not opened the doors we would have to go up the escape; but as we went through we opened them up. 5588. I thought you went up the escape and then opened them coming forward? - No. 5589. Did you open them going aft? - You are bound to, because the handle is this side of the door. 5590. The handle is this side of the door? - Yes; and then we passed through and opened up another. 5591. You would pass first of all from the turbine engine room? - Into the electric engine room. 5592. And you go into the electric engine room. When you say you opened them, how much did you open them? - Right up. 5593. Can you give us an idea how much that is? - Just over 6 feet, I think. I could walk through them easy without bending down. 5594. Then from the electric engine room at the afterpart you again opened in the same way? - To get into the tunnel. 5595. Then from the tunnel you come to the last water-tight door? - Yes. 5596. That again, you have to open from the afterend? - Yes. 5597. You open them and then you come to the place where your mate had originally been? - Yes, that is the after one of the lot. 5598. After having done that, you walk through again? - Yes, we go back into the main engine room then. 5599. And you left all those doors open? - All those doors open. The Commissioner: Then all the watertight doors aft of the main engine room were opened?