British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry
Day 20
Testimony of Edward Wilding, cont.
20869. That is what I would expect, and therefore they are unfamiliar with the different passages that lead from the first and second class quarters to the boat deck, where the boats are installed?
- Quite right, but we have had evidence that they were shown the way.
20870. But in moments of emergency, if there are not people to show the way, would it not be possible to have boats in a position on the ship where people would be able to find their way themselves?
- It would be much better to make regulations to ensure their being shown the way.
20871. Would you prefer that?
- Very much.
Examined by Mr. HOLMES.
20872. Can you tell me the name of the Board of Trade surveyor who was on the "Titanic" some two or three thousand times?
- I think all three surveyors.
20873. Three different ones?
- Yes.
20874. Were they Engineer surveyors or shipwright Surveyors?
- Both. I must say the 2,000 to 3,000 visits include the visit to the engines as well as to the ship, because the whole thing is surveyed.
20875. And in those two or three do you include -?
- In all, there were three.
20876. Does that include the surveyor for the purpose of the passenger certificate?
- He was one; he was the principal one for the ship; he did all the later work for the ship.
Examined by Mr. LEWIS.
20877. Did your firm build the "Teutonic" and the "Majestic"?
- Yes.
20878. Were longitudinal bulkheads placed in those ships?
- I think so, and they were promptly taken out, or holes made in them, at a later date.
20879. Can you tell us why they were dispensed with?
- Because they were considered dangerous.
20880. Can you tell us why they were considered dangerous - from what point of view?
- From the point of view that if one side of the ship got flooded it might lead to a very serious list, and possibly to a capsize.
20881. Not from any difficulty of working arrangements?
- I believe not for the working arrangements; it was done long before I was connected with it.
20882. Now, with regard to the coal bunker, where the fire took place. You remember the evidence with regard to the fire in the bunker?
- Yes.
20883. It was stated by one witness, I think Hendrickson, that the fire caused the bulkhead to be red hot. If that is correct, would that make the bulkhead very brittle? -What do you mean by "very brittle"? It does not convey anything very definite to me.
20884. Well, exceedingly brittle, so that a blow would cause damage much easier than if they were not brittle?
- It depends on the force of the blow. It would not be brittle like a piece of sheet glass, but it might be more brittle than in an undamaged condition.
20885. More brittle than in an undamaged condition?
- It might be a little more - yes, somewhat more.
Examined by Mr. LAING.
20886. With regard to the "President Lincoln" and the "President Grant," which you told us about, have you tabulated the requirements of the different countries, the British Board of Trade, the American law and the German law?
- Yes, it is tabulated on the list I have.
20887. Is it correct so far as you know?
- It was correct at the time the ships were completed.
Mr. Laing:
Would your Lordship like to have that?
The Commissioner:
What is it?
Mr. Laing:
Mr. Laing: It is the particulars of the "President Lincoln" and the "President Grant" which Mr. Wilding told us about; and he has tabulated on a piece of paper the British Board of Trade requirements, the American requirements, and the German requirements.
The Commissioner:
I should like to see it.
(The same was handed to the Commissioner and is as follows.)
PARTICULARs oF BOATS FITTED ON S.S. "PRESIDENT LINCOLN."
| No.
|
Description.
Ft.
- In.
|
Length
Ft.
- In.
|
Breadth
Ft.
- In.
|
Depth
Ft.
- In.
|
Capacity
C. ft.
|
Total Capacity
C. ft.
|
Persons
|
-
|
|
| Lifeboats -wood
|
| " "
|
| Cutter "
|
| Collapsible |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fitted under 6 ½ diam. davits |
| " " " " "
|
| " " 4 ¾ " "
|
| " " 4 ½ " "
|
|
|
Grand total
Total number of souls on board |
13,468
|
1,465 Persons
4,108 |
PARTICULARs oF BOATS FITTED ON S.S. "PRESIDENT GRANT."
| No.
|
Description.
Ft.
- In.
|
Length
Ft.
- In.
|
Breadth
Ft.
- In.
|
Depth
Ft.
- In.
|
Capacity
C. ft.
|
Total Capacity
C. ft.
|
Persons
|
-
|
|
| 12 Lifeboats wood
|
| " "
|
| Collapsible
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Fitted under 6 ½ diam. davits |
|
| " 5 " "
|
|
Grand total
Total number of souls on board |
14,102
|
2 1,516 Persons
3,991 |
|
British Board of Trade require 9,625 C. ft.
American Law requires 11,520 "
German Law requires 13,343 " |
|
| In each vessel.
| |
20888. (The Commissioner.) What line does the "President Lincoln" belong to?
- The Hamburg-Amerika Line.
20889. And also the "President Grant"?
- They are sister ships practically.
The Commissioner:
I see, according to this paper, that on the "President Lincoln," designed to carry 4,108 souls, the boat accommodation is 1,465, and with reference to the "President Grant," with a total number of souls on board 3,991, the boat accommodation is 1,516. How does that bear with reference to the "Titanic"?
20890. (Mr. Laing.) Have you calculated the relation between the capacities and the boat accommodation?
- Broadly speaking, the proportion is about the same.
20891. I will take your word for it at present?
- It will, of course, have to be worked out, My Lord.
Mr. Laing:
Your Lordship sees at the bottom of that paper the various countries are noted with their requirements for particular ships.
The Commissioner:
"Cubic feet." What does that mean - cubic feet for the boat accommodation?
Mr. Laing:
For the boats, yes.
The Commissioner:
Looking at those figures, I find the requirements of the Board of Trade are considerably less than the American requirements.
Mr. Laing:
Yes.
The Commissioner:
And that observation applies with greater force again to the German requirements.
Mr. Laing:
Yes.
The Commissioner:
But I thought the American law substantially the same as our Board of Trade requirements.
Mr. Laing:
I understood so. I will ask Mr. Wilding. He knows.
The Commissioner:
This does not appear to bear that out.
Mr. Laing:
With regard to the British steamers, as I understand it, the American authorities have agreed, by convention, to accept the British requirements. Is not that so?
The Witness:
Quite right.
The Commissioner:
Very well.
Mr. Laing:
Of course, that would not apply to a German ship.
The Commissioner:
Are there any large American liners afloat at all in this trade?
20892. (Mr. Laing - To the witness.) There are some big liners which belong to the American flag, are there not?
- Yes, four in the transatlantic trade.
20893. Just mention them?
- The "Philadelphia," the "New York," the "St. Louis," and the "St. Paul."
20893a. (The Commissioner.) And where do they sail from and to?
- Southampton to New York, My Lord.
20894. Then have you here the carrying capacity of those ships?
- No, My Lord, I have not got the figures. We did not build any of them.
20895. I know you did not, but I thought perhaps you could get them?
- I have not got them.
The Commissioner:
I should like to know what the boat accommodation on these large American liners is - I mean liners sailing under the American flag.
Mr. Laing:
That may be ascertained - you can easily ascertain it, Mr. Wilding.
The Witness:
The White Star Line could easily ascertain it.
The Commissioner:
With reference to those figures at the bottom of the paper you have handed to me, I want to know what the tonnage of the "President Lincoln" was.
Mr. Laing - To the Witness:
Can you tell me the gross tonnage of the "President Lincoln" and the "President Grant"?
20896-7. (The Commissioner.) Was it more than 10,000 tons?
- It is about 16,000 or 17,000 tons.
20898. Now, you have put at the bottom of this paper "British Board of Trade require 9,625 cubic feet." Does that mean the number required for a boat of 10,000 tons?
- 10,000 tons and upwards.
20899. When you give the cubic feet required by the American law and the German law, you are giving the cubic feet required for vessels of the size of the "President Lincoln" and the "President Grant"?
- Quite right, My Lord.
20900. Very much in excess of the 10,000 feet at which the British Board of Trade requirements stop?
- Yes.
The Commissioner:
It does not help very much.
20901. (Mr. Laing.) No; I only thought it might be interesting to compare the three countries. (To the witness.) With regard to the two lines, the P. and O. and the Royal Mail, which carry boats for all their passengers, those lines do not carry steerage passengers at all?
- The Royal Mail carry a limited number.
20902. But it is limited?
- Yes
20903. And the P. and O. carry none at all, I think?
- None at all.
20904. With regard to the pumping arrangements of the "Titanic," were they all put upon a plan and submitted to the Board of Trade?
- They were.
20905. And were they approved?
- They were.
20906. With regard to the bulkhead plating, you gave us some figures which show, I think, that the bulkhead plating is in excess of Lloyd's?
- I gave them in cross-examination.
20907. Can you make the same statement about the stiffening?
- Yes, it was still more in excess - about 50 percent in strength in excess of Lloyd's requirements.
20908. And in excess of the bulkhead Committee's recommendations?
- So far as the latter extend.
20909. In excess of them?
- Yes, considerably in excess.
20910. Now, to the number of watertight bulkheads for a vessel of the size of the "Titanic," Lloyd's Rules do not extend, I think?
- Not quite; 680 feet is their largest.
20911. Applying proportionately the difference in length between 680 feet and the "Titanic's" length, how many watertight bulkheads would Lloyd's requirements want?
- As far as one can tell, 13.
20912. And how many had the "Titanic"?
- Fifteen.
20913. And with regard to the Board of Trade regulations, so far as those regulations are in writing, how many do they require?
- Four.
20914. There was a question cropped up in the evidence about explosions. Can you give us any information as to whether these boilers were likely to explode or not?
- I should think it was very unlikely. There are very few cases, I believe, of boilers examined in ships after they have been flooded which have exploded. Of course, when sea water reaches a hot boiler there is a great cloud of steam which might give a certain impression of explosion.
20915. Some witnesses spoke of noises, and some of them suggested that the noises might have been caused by the machinery falling forward when she got tipped up considerably. Do you think there is anything in that?
- The boilers might have moved; I do not think the machinery did.
The Commissioner:
It was thought the boilers had got loose from their seats.
20916. (Mr. Laing.) Yes. (To the witness.) Is that a reasonable theory?
- When the ship was about 35 degrees by the head.
20917. That might have happened?
- When the bow was down so that her stern was up, so that the slope fore and aft of the ship was about 35 degrees.
Mr. Laing:
The question of her breaking in two has been referred to. I do not know whether I need go into that.
The Commissioner:
I do not think you need trouble about that.
20918. (Mr. Laing.) There is another matter about the boilers which occurs to me. The fact that the electric lights of this vessel remained burning up to the moment almost that she disappeared, does that indicate anything to you as to the condition of the boilers?
- It indicates that one boiler room, Most probably No. 2, was still supplying steam to the emergency dynamos.
20919. There is evidence that certainly one, and I think two, of the funnels fell?
- Yes.
20920. I think the evidence is that the forward one and the after-one fell?
- Yes.
20921. What would account for that?
- The funnels are carried from the casings in the way of the comparatively light upper decks - that is, the boat deck and a deck. When these decks became submerged and the water got inside the house, the water would rise outside much faster than inside, and the excessive pressure on the comparatively light casings which are not made to take a pressure of that kind would cause the casing to collapse; would take the seating from under the funnel and bring the funnel down.
20922. With regard to the expansion joint which has been described to us in the upper works of this vessel, somebody suggested that that might have caused the weakness or the breaking of the vessel. Is there any foundation for that?
- No; the expansion joints go down to the strong deck and are made to save the light upper plating from the stresses.
20923. Can you assist us at all as to the maximum speed the "Titanic" would be likely to develop?
- When everything had got into good working order, and the staff got used to the ship, in fine weather I think she probably would have done about 23 1/4 knots.
20924. Would that require the whole of your boiler power?
- Oh, yes, every boiler.
20925. With regard to the engines, how many of Harland and Wolff's staff were on the ship for the voyage?
- Nine.
20926. Nine altogether?
- Nine altogether.
20927. Including Mr. Andrews, who was practically the designer?
- One of our managing directors and eight others.
20928. And I think none of them were saved at all?
- None.
20929. There is a small point to clear up. Did you ever have these boat falls tested?
- I have had them tested since the statements that have been made in Court that they were not considered sufficient.
20930. And what was the result of the test?
- As has been mentioned in Court there are 12 parts of the fall to each boat, and the results of the test were that a single section stood between 5 and 5 1/2 tons. There were 12 parts, and therefore that means that the falls passing through the blocks were good for something like 60 tons.
20931. And the boat with its complement would weigh what?
- About 5 1/2 to 5 3/4 tons.
Continued >
