Page 37 - British Inquiry into Loss of RMS Titanic Day 6 - 9
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in the ship hear it? - You could have heard it, but you did not really know what it was. It was not an explosion or anything like that. It was like as if the iron was parting. 6050. Like the breaking of metal? - Yes. 6051. Was it immediately after that sound that you heard this rushing of people and saw them climbing up? - Yes. 6052. What did you do? - I kept out of the crush as much as I possibly could, and I followed down - followed down getting towards the well of the deck, and just as I got down towards the well she gave a great list over to port and threw everybody in a bunch except myself. I did not see anybody else besides myself out of the bunch. 6053. That was when you were in the well, was it? - I was not exactly in the well, I was on the side, practically on the side then. She threw them over. At last I clambered on the side when she chucked them. 6054. You mean the starboard side? - The starboard side. 6055. The starboard was going up and she took a lurch to port? - It was not going up, but the other side was going down. 6056. It is very difficult to say how many, I daresay, but could you give me some idea, of how many people there were in this crush? - I have no idea, Sir; I know they were piled up. 6057. What do you mean when you say, “No idea.” Were there hundreds? - Yes, there were more than that - many hundreds, I should say. 6058. (The Solicitor-General.) You said this vessel took a lurch to port and threw them in a heap. Did she come back; did she right herself at all? - No, Sir. 6059. She took a lurch and she did not return? - She did not return. 6060. Can you tell us what happened to you? - Yes, I eventually got on to the starboard side of the poop. 6061. (The Commissioner.) Will you point out to me where you got to? - This is where I eventually got to. (Showing on the model.) 6062. You got on to the poop, did you? - Along here (showing). 6063. (The Solicitor-General.) What you said, I think, was that you got to the starboard side of the poop? - Yes, on the side of the ship. 6064. On the side of the ship? - Yes. 6065. Is that on the bulwark itself? - I do not know what you call it, Sir. It is the side. 6066. (The Commissioner.) “I got on the side of the ship by the poop”? - Yes. 6067. (The Solicitor-General.) You see on the model that part of it is painted black and part of it is painted white. Do you mean you were on the part that is painted black or the part that is painted white? - I got along here (showing), and eventually got hold of the rails here. This side here was like this. This side, instead of being like this, was like that. (Showing on model.) 6068. You got hold of the rail. Let Mr. Wilding turn the model up till you say how far you think it had gone. (Mr. Wilding turned the model.)? - I should say about that, but then the forward part is sloping. (Showing on model.) 6069. The forward part is down by the head? - Yes. 6070. Did you find anybody else holding that rail there on, the poop? - No. 6071. You were the only one? - I did not see anybody else. 6072. Were you holding the rail so that you were inside the ship, or were you holding the rail so that you were on the outside of the ship? - On the outside. 6073. So that the rail was between you and the deck? - Yes. 6074. Then what happened? - Well, I was just wondering what next to do. I had tightened my belt and I had transferred some things out of this pocket into my stern pocket. I was just wondering what next to do when she went. 6075. And did you find yourself in the water? - Yes.
