Page 239 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

11043. Now, what I would like you to explain, if you will, is this: Imagine yourself on F deck, standing on F deck at that point. Is there any watertight door at that level? - No. 11044. At that place? - No. 11045. It is a solid bulkhead without any openings in it? - There is an opening for the stairway to go down. 11046. Apart from the stairway? - There is nothing else. 11047. Just look at the plan for a moment, because I cannot help seeing in that line, just a little on the port side “W.T.D.” The Commissioner: That is the one I was asking about. 11048. (The Solicitor-General.) That is what I want to follow - on the port side of the squash racquet court? - That would be in the third class; either the third class or one of the fidleys. 11049. It is marked in our plan as being between the squash racquet court and the place marked “Linen”? - There is no bulkhead door down the squash racquet court. 11050. You know all about it, and we want to know about it? - There is no bulkhead door there. 11051. “W.T.D.” is marked here (pointing on the plan)? - That must be the other side of the bulkhead. There is nothing down there. The Solicitor-General: Sir Robert has suggested to me on the large plan what appears to be the true explanation. I am still speaking of bulkhead D, as shown on the plan of deck F. If one carries one’s eye along that bulkhead, from starboard to port side, it runs for a distance straight across the ship, and then it takes a right-angled turn and runs a little to the rear of the squash racquet court. The Commissioner: Yes, then it turns back again. The Solicitor-General: It turns back again, and it turns back again under the stairs. The Commissioner: It does. The Solicitor-General: That is to say, those stairs indicated close to the word “Squash” are really stairs which start from the F level and mount up to the E level, so that the bulkhead runs under those stairs at the side. Sir Robert Finlay: At the side? The Solicitor-General: At the side and then under them. Sir Robert Finlay: Immediately aft of the stairs. The Solicitor-General: Immediately aft of them, and then takes a turn under them when those stairs have reached the next deck. Sir Robert Finlay: Yes, that is to say, on the port side of the stairs? The Solicitor-General: Then, still tracing out the bulkhead, immediately following that there is a watertight door shown, which Sir Robert thinks must have been shut, and I gather it is a watertight door which would normally separate the third class from the first class? The Witness: No. The Commissioner: You notice there is a watertight door also in the bulkhead that starts from C? The Solicitor-General: There is, my Lord, in the same line, according to this plan. The Commissioner: Therefore you have a watertight door which, if opened, would have let the water into the space between C and D, and you have another watertight door which if opened would have let the water into the space between D and E? The Solicitor-General: Yes. Where this theory breaks down is, that the witness does not take the view that there is a watertight door there. The Witness: Do you mean down by the Squash Racquet Court? 11052. Yes? - There is no watertight door there. The Commissioner: Which is right, the witness or the plan?