Page 33 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9

to it, No. 12, was the one that the man Poingdestre was in, and the next one to that, No. 14, is the one that Morris and Scarrott were in, and this one we have not dealt with. (To the Witness.) Did you go to your boat, No. 10? - Yes. 5943. And what did you find was the situation there? - Everything orderly. The Chief Officer was there. 5944. Is that Mr. Wilde? - Yes, Mr. Wilde. 5945. Were there passengers there? - A good many passengers there. 5946. What was happening, how far had things got? - They were getting the boat ready for getting the passengers in, and Mr. Wilde shouted out for the stewards to keep the people back, to keep the men back, but there was no necessity for it. The men kept back themselves, and we made a line and passed the ladies and children through. 5947. Who made the line? - The stewards mostly - stewards and seamen; they were all together. 5948. I think I caught you to say that though Mr. Wilde gave the order to keep the men back there was really no necessity, they kept back themselves? - Yes. 5949. Was the order good - the discipline good? - Splendid. 5950. No. 10 was being got ready. When you saw it had anybody got into the boat yet? - No. 5951. Now tell us about No. 10 in order: What happened? - It was swung out, the stewards, firemen and sailors all got in a line. We passed the ladies and children through. 5952. Into No. 10? - Into No. 10. Then we got it about half full, and then we had difficulty in finding ladies for it. They ran away from the boat and said they were safer where they were. 5953. You heard ladies saying that? - I am sure of that. 5954. (The Commissioner.) “When the boat was half full we had difficulty in finding more ladies”? - Right, Sir. 5955. “They ran away, saying they were safer where they were”? - Yes. 5956. (The Solicitor-General.) Up to this time, could you tell me had you seen any third-class passengers - women from the third-class? - Yes, Sir, plenty. 5957. So far as you saw, was any distinction made between the different classes - first-class ladies or second-class ladies or third-class ladies? - None at all. 5958. Of course, at ordinary times this boat deck is a first-class deck, a promenade, is it not? - Yes. 5959. And the third-class people would not get on to it? - It is railed off just from the boats, and the saloon passengers use it as a sunning deck. 5960. But at this time were there any barriers up? - No. 5961. You know the way, I suppose, that third-class people would have to go in order to get on to this top deck, they would have to mount some stairs, would not they? - They have to go up some stairs, but there was an emergency door from the third-class into the second-class leading up the broad staircase that was open very early. 5962. We will find where that is. There was an emergency door from there leading from the third-class to the second-class? - From the third-class alleyway, what we call the working alleyway, there is a wide door, and that was open early on. 5963. Could you tell us whether that door was open? - It was open. 5964. Let us just fix this. It opens, you said, into the broad staircase? - Yes. 5965. What staircase is that; who uses it as a rule? - Second-class passengers as a rule while at sea. 5966. Is that the staircase - correct me if I am wrong - that runs up the funnel place, as it were? - No, Sir, it runs up the centre of the ship to the second-class smoke-room and the decks. 5967. It is abaft of the fourth funnel? - Oh, yes, it is abaft the after-funnel. The Solicitor-General: Will your Lordship look for a moment at the big section?.