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

5324. Apart from the crew? - Yes. 5325. Were there any men passengers? - Yes. 5326. How many? - I think I counted two, but I could not swear, not to be correct. 5327. Do you know whether they were first, second, or third-class? - One was a second-class passenger. 5328. (The Commissioner.) One of the men? - Yes. 5329. (Mr. Raymond Asquith.) You cannot say about the other? - No. 5330. Can you say to what class the women belonged? - I think some were third-class passengers, the ladies, Irish women. 5331. You think some of them were Irish women? - Yes, by the way they spoke. 5332. I do not know whether you can say at all, how many you thought were Irish women? - No. 5333. Was the Fifth Officer in the boat himself? - Yes. 5334. What orders did he give you after you were lowered? - He told us to pull away from there, and not to pull too far. 5335. How far away did you pull? - About a quarter of a mile on a rough estimation. 5336. And did you wait there till the “Titanic” sank? - No, when we pulled away from her, Mr. Lowe asked how many were in the boat, and he said we had not enough, and he said we would have to pull back and see who we could pick up. 5337. You are now speaking of the time before the “Titanic” sank, are you? - Yes. As we were rowing round in the vicinity of the “Titanic” we came upon four lifeboats, and Officer Lowe asked who was in charge, if they had an officer, and they said “No”; and he said, “Consider yourself under my charge.” Then we put our women and children into their boats, and then he asked if our sail was all right, and we put up the mast of the sail because he said it might be useful in the night. After the boat was down he said we would have to do our best to try and pick up as many as we could. 5338. (The Commissioner.) Did you pick up any passengers from any other lifeboat? - No. 5339. Did you put any of your passengers into any other lifeboat? - We put all our passengers in. 5340. Then did it leave your boat empty? - Yes. 5341. And what did you do then? - We pulled towards the wreckage to see who we could pick up. 5342. That is to say, after the “Titanic” had gone down? - Yes. 5343. And how many did you pick up? - Three. 5344. Did you pick up no more? - No; we only heard those three crying for help. 5345. And when you were picked up by the “Carpathia” were there on your boat only the seven men of the crew and these three persons whom you had picked up? - No, because we had picked up another collapsible boat that was making towards the “Carpathia.” 5346. What happened with that boat? - The gunwales had not been properly fixed of this collapsible boat. 5347. Did you take the passengers on the collapsible boat into your boat? - Yes. 5348. How many were there? - I think there were about eighteen; I could not swear to the number at the time. 5349. Now, did you take any more people on board your boat before your boat was picked up by the “Carpathia”? - No, only the three we picked up out of the water. 5350. Did you take any more? - No. 5351. Then you had eighteen that you took from the collapsible boat? - Yes. 5352. And three you had taken out of the water? - Yes. 5353. That was 21? - Yes.