Shipwrecks -- North Atlantic Ocean -- History -- 20th century; Titanic (Steamship)
Nos. 12, 14 and 16 were down about the same time. I told Mr. Moody
that three boats had gone away and that an officer ought to go with
them. He said: “You go.” There was difficulty in lowering when I got
near the water. I dropped her about five feet, because I was not going
to take the chance of being dropped down upon by somebody. While I was
on the Boat Deck, two men tried to jump into the boat. I chased them
out.
We filled boats 14 and 16 with women and children. Moody filled No. 16
and I filled No. 14. Lightoller was there part of the time. They were
all women and children, barring one passenger, who was an Italian, and
he sneaked in dressed like a woman. He had a shawl over his head.
There was another passenger, a chap by the name of C. Williams, whom I
took for rowing. He gave me his name and address (referring to book),
“C. Williams, Racket Champion of the World, 2 Drury Road,
Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex, England.”
As I was being lowered, I expected every moment that my boat would be
doubled up under my feet. I had overcrowded her, but I knew that I had
to take a certain amount of risk. I thought if one additional body was
to fall into that boat, that slight additional weight might part the
hooks, or carry away something; so as we were coming down past the
open decks, I saw a lot of Latin people all along the ship’s rails.
They were glaring more or less like wild beasts, ready to spring. That
is why I yelled out to “look out,” and let go, bang! right along the
ship’s side. There was a space I should say of about three feet
between the side of the boat and the ship’s side, and as I went down I
fired these shots without any intention of hurting anybody and with
the positive knowledge that I did not hurt anybody. I fired, I think,
three times.
Later, 150 yards away, I herded five boats together. I was in No. 14;
then I had 10, 12, collapsible “D” and one other boat (No. 4), and
made them tie up. I waited until the yells and shrieks had subsided
for the people to thin out, and then I deemed it safe for me to go
amongst the wreckage; so I transferred all my passengers, somewhere
about fifty-three, from my boat and equally distributed them among my
other four boats. Then I asked for volunteers to go with me to the
wreck, and it was at this time that I found the Italian. He came aft
and had a shawl over his head, and I suppose he had skirts. Anyhow, I
pulled the shawl off his face and saw he was a man. He was in a great
hurry to get into the other boat and I got hold of him and pitched him
in.
Senator Smith: Pitched him in?
Mr. Lowe: Yes; because he was not worth being handled better.
Senator Smith: You pitched him in among the women?
Mr. Lowe: No, sir; in the forepart of the lifeboat in which I
transferred my passengers.
Senator Smith: Did you use some pretty emphatic language when you did
this?
Mr. Lowe: No, sir; I did not say a word to him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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