British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry
Day 11
Testimony of Elizabeth Leather
Examined by Mr. BUTLER ASPINALL.
13156. Were you serving as a first class stewardess on the "Titanic" on the occasion of this disaster?
- Yes.
13157. Were you asleep, or rather, were you turned in at the time of the collision with the iceberg?
- Yes.
13158. Did you get up?
- Not for some time afterwards.
13159. When you speak of some time, do you mean in five minutes or half-an-hour, or what?
- About half-an-hour or three-quarters.
13160. You thought there was no reason for getting up?
- Yes.
13161. And your judgment is that in about half-an-hour or three-quarters of an hour you got up?
- Yes.
13162. Would it be your business to look after some of the ladies in your part of the ship?
- Certainly.
13163. And did you go to look after them?
- They had already gone out of their rooms.
13164. By the time you got up you found they were all up?
- Yes.
13165. Where did you go after you got up?
- Up to B deck.
13166. Did you see any of your stewardesses about?
- Yes, quite a number.
13167. Were the stewardesses, as far as you could see, all doing their duty?
- Yes; they had blankets and ciderdowns to put round people.
13168. And as a class they were doing all they were being told to do were they?
- Yes.
13169. Looking after the lady passengers?
- Yes.
13170. You went to B deck; did you remain on B deck or did you go elsewhere?
- I went down to the cabin again.
13171. To your cabin?
- Yes.
13172. I do not want to go into this in great detail. You went to your own cabin and then later on did you go up?
- Yes.
13173. To which deck?
- To A deck.
13174. Were you after a time helped into No. 16 boat?
- Yes.
13175. And you were ultimately taken on board the "Carpathia"?
- Yes.
Examined by Mr. SCANLAN.
13176. Have you been for a considerable time a stewardess?
- Yes.
13177. Is it the practice on liners to give each stewardess a boat station?
- Yes.
13178. And at some time on the voyage are the stewardesses as well as the other hands called to their stations?
- Only on sailing days; there is then a boat muster.
13179. But you had not that on the "Titanic"?
- On the sailing day we all mustered in the companion to pass the doctor.
13180. You mean the day you left Southampton?
- Yes.
13181. But were you told then what your boat station was?
- No, we were supposed to look for it ourselves on the list.
13182. But you had not been told the station you would take on the boat?
- No.
13183. After the collision you and all the other stewardesses were doing their duty in helping the people as much as possible?
- Yes.
Examined by Mr. HARBINSON.
13184. Do you know if after the collision any general alarm was sounded on the "Titanic"?
- I do not know.
Examined by Sir ROBERT FINLAY.
13185. Before your boat put off did you hear the question asked whether there were any more women and children?
- Yes, and there were no more to be seen when we went off.
(The Witness withdrew.)
