Page 23 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

5771. You all went in a bunch and got these lifebelts? - Yes. 5772. And you all went up in a bunch? - No, we had to get them one at a time. 5773. But you followed each other afterwards? - Yes. 5774. How long were you occupied in getting these lifebelts? - Not long. 5775. It is at any rate an appreciable distance from the sleeping apartments of the third-class passengers to the deck, is it not? - I should say we would get up in five minutes in a case like that. 5776. Did you see any third-class passengers on your way from the sleeping apartments up to the deck? - No. 5777. You saw none? - No, I never looked for any. 5778. Your evidence is that during the whole of this time you did not see from beginning to end a single third-class passenger? - There may have been some about there, but I never noticed them. 5779. You did not see them? - I never noticed any. 5780. Were many belts left in the compartments? - I cannot say. 5781. Were you one of the first or one of the last of the men? - I was about the fourth one to get a belt. 5782. At the time did you think whom these belts were intended for? - No. 5783. You made no inquiries? - No. 5784. All you did was to go and get them? - Yes, the Chief Steward of the third-class told us. 5785. Told you to do so? - Yes. 5786. And you cannot tell me his name? - No. Examined by Mr. HOLMES. 5787. Were there any third-class passengers by the boats? - I could not tell you; there were only two boats left; those were the two on the port side. 5788. That is where you saw the shots fired? - I saw one shot fired, that was by the officer in one of the boats. 5789. Do you know which officer it was? - No. 5790. Do you know what it was that led to his firing the shot? - I could not tell you. 5791. You did not see any confusion on deck? - No, none at all. 5792. Did you see him fire any shots anywhere but into the water? - No, that is all I saw him fire - one shot between the ship’s side and the boat. 5793. You did not see the circumstances that led up to that? - No. Examined by Mr. EDWARDS. 5794. When you got the order, “All out of the engine room,” did you see any of the engineers coming up? - No, not at the time. 5795. Between the time when you left the engine room and the time that you say that you saw certain engineers on the boat deck, how much time had elapsed? - I should say about half an hour. 5796. Did you at the time, or immediately after you heard the order, “All out of the engine room,” hear any orders given to close the watertight doors? - No. 5797. It has been said that there is a float that automatically closes the doors? - It works by electricity. 5798. Is not that float below the level of the engine room? - I cannot say; I never saw one. The Attorney-General: We will give some evidence of it later on - we know something about it