Page 29 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

of other water-tight doors, are there not? - I have not seen any, only the doors which they lower down from the bridge. 5873. Do you only know those 12? - Yes, that is all. There are other doors up in the working alleyways which they push to; they have about 12 catches on them. 5874. It is those we want to know about. There are other watertight doors? - Yes, those up in the alleyways. 5875. That is what I want to know something about. Those are not doors which close from the bridge automatically? - No, they swing like an ordinary door. 5876. How are they closed? - They have about 12 catches on them like handles and catches you turn over. You turn them either way. The Commissioner: He says they swing. The Witness: Yes. The Commissioner: They slide, do they not? 5877. (The Attorney-General.) Some slide and some are on hinges. I do not know which these are? - Those are all on hinges which they have there. The Attorney-General: I am told by those who ought to know better that they are sliding doors. The Commissioner: Well, I saw some of them, and those I saw were sliding doors. 5878. (The Attorney-General.) So I understand. (To the Witness.) At any rate they are doors which close comparatively easily by hand. Is that it? - Yes. 5879. You were speaking just now about the alleyways, were you not? - Yes. 5880. Are you sure that watertight doors were there? - Well, I do not know whether they are watertight doors or not. I know there are doors. The Commissioner: When he speaks of alleyways, they are passages between the berths of the third-class passengers, but they are small things of no consequence, and he did not go between any of them, but he went along the broad alleyway in which there are several watertight doors. Will you look at this plan which I have (handing the same to the Attorney-General.). You will see where I have marked a red line. The Attorney-General: That is right. That is where he walked. The Commissioner: That is the passage he walked along. The Attorney-General: Quite right. The Commissioner: And going aft he would have small alleyways on his right going between the berths of the third-class passengers? The Attorney-General: Quite right. The Commissioner: Now, if you look along the broad alleyway he walked along you will find several watertight doors marked. The Attorney-General: I do. The Commissioner: And it is those I want to know something about. The Attorney-General: I agree. Let me ask him to follow it along. Your Lordship is asking about these two through which he passed? The Commissioner: Are there only two? I thought there were three. The Attorney-General: I only see two. The Commissioner: I want to know if they were open or shut. Those are not automatic? 5881. (The Attorney-General.) Your Lordship is quite right; it depends upon where you start from. If you start from the place where he came up there would be three. It had been marked red, and I thought that was the passage. There would be three from his coming up from his engine room if he passes along, assuming that he is going to the point, which I think is the one he indicates, which I am going to ask him about. (To the Witness.) Do you remember, as you passed along aft, coming to a locker which is amidships where the lifebelts were kept? - I cannot say, because we had to go up two alleyways to get to the locker. We had to go past the staircase