Page 18 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

going to see further whether we can exhaust the time. He is telling us by the clock. Of course we shall have to contrast it. He is a trimmer who was on duty in the engine room, and this man’s business, so far as I understand, was always in the turbine department. The Witness: Yes. 5630. After you had heard all these orders can you tell me how long it was before you went aft to the aftermost tunnel to release your mate? - Well, I should say it was just over the half-hour I should think. 5631. You mean just over half an hour from when? - From the time the doors were lowered and we went and let him out. 5632. If that is right it would be very soon after you heard the last order given? - To stop? 5633. Yes. - No, it was about a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes after that. 5634. I want to see if we can exhaust the time. A quarter of an hour or twenty minutes after you heard the last order “Stop,” you went to release your mate? - Yes. 5635. Then you came back at once? - Yes. 5636. How long do you think all that took, to release your mate and back again into the engine room? - About ten minutes. 5637. Then you got the order to open the watertight doors? - Yes. 5638. That, I think you said, was about a quarter to one? - Yes, about a quarter to one. 5639. (The Attorney-General.) That is right. I mean the time he gives at any rate tallies with that. It would then bring it up to about 12.40 or 12.45 and that is right. That is why I was trying to exhaust it to see what happened. (To the Witness.) When you came back into the engine room, did you wait for orders? - Yes, I went back into the main engine room then. 5640. And did you get an order to go up on deck? - Yes, the engineer came down and told everybody to go out of the engine room. 5641. Which one was it? - I could not say. 5642. But one of the officers? - Yes. I think it was one of the senior engineers. 5643. Was there any water to be seen? - No, it was as dry as we are here. 5644. That was so at all times; there was never any water there? - No water at all in either engine room. 5645. Then did you go on deck? - Yes, up the working alleyway. 5646. And then did you get orders? - Some of the firemen came down and told us we had to get some lifebelts. 5647. What did you do then? - We got them at the Third-class; from there we went up on the boat deck. There were two boats left then on the port side; lowered down to the ship’s side they were then. 5648. Were there any on the starboard side? - No. 5649. Let us see if we can get this quite clearly. Did you look over the starboard side? - Yes, we went to the starboard side first. 5650. And you looked over the side? - Yes, the highest side of her where she had a list. 5651. The highest side? - Yes, the port side was where she had listed over, and we went to the starboard side. 5652. It was the port side that had listed over? - Yes. We went up the starboard ladder and came this side of her. We looked, and there was no boat. We went to the port side, and there were no boats then lowered to the ship’s side. 5653. Was it an appreciable list? Did you notice as you were walking? - I never took that much notice. I know she had a list that side. 5654. And you remember looking over the side? - Yes. 5655. Then you went back to the port side? - We went to the port side then. 5656. Then you looked over that? - Yes.