Shipwrecks -- North Atlantic Ocean -- History -- 20th century; Titanic (Steamship)
Picked up two babies in his arms and went into a collapsible boat on
the starboard side under Officer Murdoch’s order, in which were women
and children. There were altogether sixty-six passengers and five of
the crew, a quartermaster in charge. The ship had a list on the port
side, her lights burning to the last. It was twenty minutes to two
when they started to row away. He remembers this because one of the
passengers gave the time.
* * * * *
J. B. Ismay, President International Mercantile Marine Co. of America,
New Jersey, U. S. A. (Am. Inq., pp. 8, 960):
There were four in the crew--one quartermaster, a pantryman, a butcher
and another. The natural order would be women and children first. It
was followed as far as practicable. About forty-five in the boat. He
saw no struggling or jostling or any attempts by men to get into the
boats. They simply picked the women out and put them into the boat as
fast as they could--the first ones that were there. He put a great
many in--also children. He saw the first lifeboat lowered on the
starboard side. As to the circumstances of his departure from the
ship, the boat was there. There was a certain number of men in the
boat and the officer called and asked if there were any more women,
but there was no response. There were no passengers left on the deck,
and as the boat was in the act of being lowered away he got into it.
The _Titanic_ was sinking at the time. He felt the ship going down. He
entered because there was room in it. Before he boarded the lifeboat
he saw no passengers jump into the sea. The boat rubbed along the
ship’s side when being lowered, the women helping to shove the boat
clear. This was when the ship had quite a list to port. He sat with
his back to the ship, rowing all the time, pulling away. He did not
wish to see her go down. There were nine or ten men in the boat with
him. Mr. Carter, a passenger, was one. All the other people in the
boat, so far as he could see, were third-class passengers.
* * * * *
Examined before the British Court of Inquiry by the Attorney-General,
Sir Rufus Isaacs, Mr. Ismay testified:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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