Shipwrecks -- North Atlantic Ocean -- History -- 20th century; Titanic (Steamship)
In the case of the last boat I got out, the very last of all to leave
the ship, I had the utmost difficulty in finding women. After all the
other boats were put out we came forward to put out the Engelhardt
collapsible boats. In the meantime the forward Emergency boat (No. 2)
had been put out by one of the other officers, so we rounded up the
tackles and got the collapsible boat to put that over. Then I called
for women and could not get any. Somebody said: “There are no women.”
This was on the Boat Deck where all the women were supposed to be
because the boats were there. There were between fifteen and twenty
people put into this boat--one seaman and another seaman, or steward.
This was the very last boat lowered in the tackles. I noticed plenty
of Americans standing near me, who gave me every assistance they
could, regardless of nationality.
* * * * *
And before the British Court of Inquiry the same officer testified:
Someone shouted: “There are no more women.” Some of the men began
climbing in. Then someone said: “There are some more women,” and when
they came forward the men got out of the boat again. I saw no men in
her, but I believe a couple of Chinese stowed away in her.
When that boat went away there were no women whatever. I did not
consider it advisable to wait, but to try to get at once away from the
ship. I did not want the boat to be “rushed.” Splendid order was
maintained. No attempt was made to “rush” that boat by the men. When
this boat was being loaded I could see the water coming up the
stairway. There was splendid order on the boat until the last. As far
as I know there were no male passengers in the boats I saw off except
the one man I ordered in, Major Peuchen.
* * * * *
A. J. Bright, Q. M. (Am. Inq., p. 831):
Quartermaster Rowe, Mr. Boxhall and myself fired the distress signals,
six rockets I think in all, at intervals. After we had finished firing
the distress signals, there were two boats left (Engelhardt
collapsibles “C” and “D”). All the lifeboats were away before the
collapsible boats were lowered. They had to be, because the
collapsible boats were on the deck and the other boats had to be
lowered before they could be used. The same tackle with which the
lifeboats and the Emergency boats were lowered was employed after
they had gone in lowering the collapsible boats.
Witness says that both he and Rowe assisted in getting out the
starboard collapsible boat “C” and then he went to the port side and
filled up the other boat “D” with passengers, about twenty-five in
all. There was a third-class passenger, a man, in the boat, who was on
his way to Albion, N. Y. (The passenger list shows this man to have
been Joseph Dugemin.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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