Page 240 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

11053. (The Solicitor-General.) We can only take the witness for the moment. (To the Witness.) Supposing you were coming up by those stairs from G deck round the side of the Squash Racquet Court, mounting up; you know those stairs which are immediately on the after side of the Squash Racquet Court, you see them there on the plan on F? - Yes. 11054. Supposing that you had got on F deck there, not up the stairs but on F deck - let me show you where I mean (indicating the position on the small plan.) Sir Robert Finlay: My Lord, we have a larger plan here. I do not know whether your Lordship would like to look at it. The Commissioner: I think I should. (Sir Robert Finlay handed the plan and explained it to the Commissioner.) The Attorney-General: Is your Lordship satisfied? The Commissioner: I think I know where the bulkhead door is. There is a door in the bulkhead at the bottom of the ship. There is none in the Orlop deck. The bulkhead as it rises into the Orlop deck has no doorway. When the bulkhead rises on to G deck it has no doorway in it at all; but when it rises on to F deck it has this doorway which you find in the plan in the D bulkhead by the linen room. The Attorney-General: Between the linen room and the squash racquet court on the port side. The Commissioner: Yes. Now that is the first open passage that there is in that bulkhead, after of course you leave the automatic door in the bottom of the ship. The door at the bottom of the ship would have been closed when the button was pressed? The Attorney-General: Certainly. The Commissioner: And you would have had then, with this particular bulkhead, a complete wall from the bottom of the ship, until you come to that watertight door which is by the linen closet? The Attorney-General: Yes. The Commissioner: And if that was shut - we do not know yet whether it was shut or not - we would have to get the water over the top of the bulkhead? Sir Robert Finlay: That is it. The Commissioner: In order that the water should find its way to the place where he saw it trickling down? The Attorney-General: That is right. 11055. (The Solicitor-General - To the Witness.) You were a first class steward? - Yes. 11056. You had nothing to do with the third class? - No. 11057. Forward of this bulkhead, my Lord has been speaking about, it is third class, is it not, on the port side? - On A deck? 11058. On F deck? - I do not know of any door. 11059. I am not asking about any door. I say forward of the bulkhead it is third class? - Yes. 11060. Then you know nothing about that? - No. 11061. Your business is aft of that? - Yes. 11062. Whether there is a watertight door there or not, was there at that time when you were there any opening there? - No. 11063. You are sure of that? - Yes. The Solicitor-General: I think your Lordship will find the watertight door shut from the third class side. The Commissioner: If there was no opening there it means the door was shut. 11064. (The Solicitor-General.) Yes, it is the same thing. (To the Witness.) When you got up on to E deck did you see anything of any third class passengers? - There were a few there, five or six, I should say. 11065. Where were they coming from? - They were making from forward aft.