Page 196 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

behind. Some of them went to the boat deck, and found it rather cold, and saw the boats being lowered away, and thought themselves more secure on the ship, and consequently returned to their cabin. 9925. You say they thought themselves more secure on the ship.? Did you hear any of them say so? - Yes, I heard two or three say they preferred to remain on the ship than be tossed about on the water like a cockle shell. 9926. Can you in any way help us to fix the time, or about the time, when the order was given to pass the third class women and children up to the boat deck? Could you tell us how long it was after you were first roused, or how long it was before the ship went down? - Well, as near as I can. The vessel struck, I believe, at 11.40. That would be 20 minutes to 12. It must have been three parts of an hour before the word was passed down to me to pass the women and children up to the boat deck. 9927. (The Commissioner.) This would be about 12.30? - Yes, my Lord, as near as can be. 9928. (The Solicitor-General.) You say the word was passed down and you heard it? - Yes. 9929. And you had your other colleagues there, other third class stewards. Was the word passed along? - Yes, we were in a bunch. The whole sections are in a bunch. The word was passed right round, “Women and children to the boat deck,” at somewhere about 12.30. 9930. When you heard it you would repeat it? - The word was passed along; it was said loud enough for anybody to hear. 9931. In order that your third class women and children should get from those quarters up to the boat deck, they would have to mount a number of decks and go up a number of stairs? - I did not take them that way. 9932. How did you take them? - I took them along to the next deck, the C deck, the first saloon deck. 9933. You are making it very clear. There is a third class stairway going up? - Yes. 9934. Did you take them by the third class stairway up to C deck? - I took them up into the after-well deck, that would be the third class deck up one companion to C deck. 9935. Do you see the plan (pointing on the plan.)? - There is no occasion; I know the ship. 9936. It is to help us, not you. You say there are a series of stairways indicated. It is the third class stairway going up, is it not? - Yes. 9937. The regular way by which third class passengers would go up if they were going to get to -? - The after-well deck. 9938. And is that the way you took them up? - Yes. 9939. As far as the C deck? - Yes. 9940. It is marked on the plan? - It is up one companion. 9941. It is marked on the plan, “Third class Entrance,” I think? - I do not know how the plan is marked. 9942. Is it a wide stairway with rails dividing the stairs into sections? - Yes, it is very wide. 9943. So that 20 or 30 people could walk up abreast? - Well, hardly that. 9944. Well, 15 people? - I should imagine six aside could go up easily. 9945. That would bring them up then, as I follow you, to the C deck, to the after-well deck; and how would you get them from there to the boat deck? - I took them along to the first class main companion from there. 9946. (The Commissioner.) You did yourself? - Yes. 9947. (The Solicitor-General.) You led them, you guided them? - I went ahead of them. 9948. That would mean on C deck going forward. Would it mean passing the second class library, and all that? - Yes. The beginning of that deck is the second class, and further along, the saloon. The Solicitor-General: Your Lordship has the plan of C deck. I do not know whether that is