Page 228 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

10808. On the starboard side; and you thought it was the stern light of a ship going the same way as yourself in advance of you? - Yes. 10809. And did you row towards that light? - For a matter of about two hours as hard as we could row. 10810. And did you lose sight of it in the end? - Yes. Examined by Mr. SCANLAN. 10811. Who was in charge of No. 11? - Mr. Wheat, the assistant second steward. 10812. Were all nine of you able to row? - Yes. 10813. And you found that nine of you could manage this boat, even with that very full load of passengers? - Yes. 10814. Had your boat a lamp? - No. 10815. Did you look for it? - Yes. 10816. Had she got a compass? - No. 10817. Did you look for it? - Yes. 10817a. You are quite sure it had not? - Yes. 10818. How long have you been going to sea? - 17 years the 7th of last May. 10819. I suppose you have experience of a number of lines? - Yes. 10820. Have you had training in the managing of lifeboats? - Yes. 10821. Where? - The Royal Mail Company, the Union Castle Company. 10822. And what others? - The American Line and the White Star. 10823. Is that training given to stewards and stokers and firemen as well as to sailors? - It is given to all hands in the ship. 10824. Does it go the length of getting you into the boats and rowing you round the harbour? - Yes. 10825. Is that frequently done? - Well, in one or two companies, yes, out of the four I have been in. 10826. What are the one or two in which it is frequently done? - The Royal Mail Company, the Union Castle, and the Union before the Union and Castle were amalgamated. 10827. How often? - The day before sailing, and the day of sailing. 10828. And on those vessels is it also the practice to have during the voyage a boat muster or a fire muster? - On a seven weeks’ voyage fire and boat muster takes place at the end of each week; fire muster on the Saturday, boat stations on the Sunday at the muster. 10829. On boats crossing the Atlantic, is there a boat muster each week? - One each end - not for the boats to be lowered in the water. 10830. I mean, calling the men on the boat deck and showing them their stations? - Yes. 10831. I call that a boat muster. Do you agree with me there? - Yes, a boat muster; that is quite right. 10832. Had you got a boat station? - Yes. 10833. What was it? - No. 3. Examined by Mr. HARBINSON. 10834. I did not catch whether you picked anybody up after the “Titanic” went down? - No. 10835. You did not see anybody? - We could not have picked up anybody if we had seen them. 10836. The boat was so full? - Yes. 10837. You did not see anybody near you? - Nobody at all.