(The witness was sworn by the chairman.)
Senator SMITH.
Give your full name and address.
Mr. BRIGHT.
Arthur John Bright, 105 Fir Grove Road; Southampton.
Senator SMITH.
How old are you?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Forty-one, sir.
Senator SMITH.
What is your business?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Quartermaster.
Senator SMITH.
Were you quartermaster on the steamship Titanic on the voyage from Southampton to the place of the accident?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
Were you on duty when the accident occurred?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No, sir.
Senator SMITH.
Were you on duty Sunday?
Mr. BRIGHT.
From 6 to 8 in the evening.
Senator SMITH.
Then you were relieved?
Mr. BRIGHT.
At 8 o'clock.
Senator SMITH.
What did you do after you were relieved?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I turned in.
Senator SMITH.
When did your next watch occur?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Twelve o'clock.
Senator SMITH.
Where were you when the collision occurred?
Mr. BRIGHT.
In the bunk, asleep.
Senator SMITH.
How were you awakened?
Mr. BRIGHT.
One of the watch on deck came and called me and told me that the ship had collided.
Senator SMITH.
Do you remember who did that?
Mr. BRIGHT.
The man has gone to England. Wynn, his name was. No; it was one of my own watch.
Senator SMITH.
What did he say to you?
Mr. BRIGHT.
He says, "The ship is going down by the head."
Senator SMITH.
Was that immediately after the impact?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I do not know. I did not feel the impact at all. It did not wake me up.
Senator SMITH.
What did you do? Did you rise?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I got up and dressed myself then.
Senator SMITH.
And what did you do after that? I want you to tell, in your own way, just what you did after you dressed yourself.
Mr. BRIGHT.
I went out to the after-end of the ship to relieve the man I should have relieved at 12 o'clock, a man by the name of Rowe. We stood there for some moments and did not know exactly what to do, and rang the telephone up to the bridge and asked them what we should do. They told us to bring a box of detonators for them - signals. Each of us took a box to the bridge. When we got up there we were told to fire them - distress signals.
Senator SMITH.
Who fired them?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Rowe and I, and Mr. Boxhall, the fourth officer.
Senator SMITH.
How long did you continue firing the rockets?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Six were fired in all, I think.
Senator SMITH.
One at a time.
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes, sir; at intervals.
Senator SMITH.
At intervals of how long?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I could not say. After we would fire one we would go and help clear the boats away, and then we would come back again.
Senator SMITH.
This firing of rockets continued for some time, did it?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I should say probably half an hour.
Senator SMITH.
In the meantime were the Morse signals given?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I could not say.
Senator SMITH.
You could not see them?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No, sir.
Senator SMITH.
What color did these rockets that were fired show?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I did not notice the color; but they burst after they got up in the air.
Senator SMITH.
And then what colors were displayed?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I did not look to see.
Senator SMITH.
You say you went to the boats after that, or from time to time while this firing was going on. Did you assist in loading the boats?
Mr. BRIGHT.
After we had finished firing the distress signals there were two boats left. I went and assisted to get out the starboard one; that is, the starboard collapsible boat. Rowe went away to help to get the other one out, and I went away myself.
Senator SMITH.
Was the starboard collapsible boat forward?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Close to the bridge, on the boat deck.
Senator SMITH.
And on the starboard side?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes.
Senator SMITH.
Did you assist in loading that boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I assisted to get it up.
Senator SMITH.
You assisted to get it up in position?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes.
Senator SMITH.
Do you know the number of that boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I could not say. As soon as the boat was up in place I was sent away to clear another one in place.
Senator SMITH.
And you do not know who got into the boats - what members of the crew or passengers?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I have only learned since, that Rowe, the man that was working with me, got into that boat. He was in charge of the boat, Rowe was. I was in charge of the other one.
Senator SMITH.
You do not know how many people he had in it?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Not in his boat; only my own.
Senator SMITH.
And you do not know what proportions there were of men and women?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I could not say, sir.
Senator SMITH.
In this collapsible?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No; that one. My own boat I know about.
Senator SMITH.
Do you know whether Mr. Ismay was in Mr. Rowe's boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I have learned so since; I could not say then.
Senator SMITH.
That was a collapsible lifeboat forward?
Mr. BRIGHT.
There were four collapsibles. That was one of them.
Senator SMITH.
I understand. That was a collapsible lifeboat forward, on the starboard side?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Close to the bridge; yes.
Senator SMITH.
Where did you go after that? You went to this other boat; but where was it?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I was on the opposite of the deck to what that was.
Senator SMITH.
On the port side?
Mr. BRIGHT.
On the port side, right forward, close to the bridge.
Senator SMITH.
And what was that, a collapsible?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes; identically the same as the other one.
Senator SMITH.
What did you do there?
Mr. BRIGHT.
We got that one out and filled it up with passengers.
Senator SMITH.
How many passengers; how many people?
Mr. BRIGHT.
When the boat left the ship there were 25; all it would hold.
Senator SMITH.
Did you count them?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I did not count them then; but after we got away there was Mr. Lowe, the fourth [fifth] officer, came alongside of us in another boat, and told us stick together, and then he asked the number in the boat, and there was a steward by the name of Hardy counted them and told him, and then they put ten or a dozen men into our boat because it was not filled up.
Senator SMITH.
Ten or a dozen into your boat from where?
Mr. BRIGHT.
From some other boat. It was dark, and I could not tell which one it was.
Senator SMITH.
Was it from a swamped boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No; from a boat that was overloaded.
Senator SMITH.
You do not remember the number of it?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No; it was dark and I could not see.
Senator SMITH.
You do not remember what officer was in charge of it, if any?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Mr. Lowe, the fifth officer.
Senator SMITH.
You took these passengers from Mr. Lowe's boat into yours?
Mr. BRIGHT.
There were five boats, all close up together; and where boats were overloaded he was taking the people out and putting them into the boats that had room to carry them.
Senator SMITH.
Did he take any people out of your boat and put them into his?
Mr. BRIGHT.
One seaman out of my boat.
Senator SMITH.
When you got part of Mr. Lowe's passengers into your collapsible, how many did you have altogether in it?
Mr. BRIGHT.
If we took a dozen it would be 37. I did not count them afterwards. There were 25 before.
Senator BRIGHT.
How did it happen that you did not load this lifeboat to its capacity before it left the boat deck?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I had nothing to do with the loading of it. The officer was in charge of that.
Senator SMITH.
What officer was superintending the filling of this boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
The last officer I saw there was Mr. Lightoller.
Senator SMITH.
Did it accommodate comfortably these passengers that you took from officer Lowe's boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Oh; there was room for more.
Senator SMITH.
Did you get any more?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No; not until some time afterwards. Just at daylight we got some more.
Senator SMITH.
Where did you get them?
Mr. BRIGHT.
We saw a boat, one of the collapsible boats, that was awash, just flush with the water.
Senator SMITH.
You mean being swamped?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes; and the same officer, Mr. Lowe, came back and took my boat in tow, because we had very few men to pull, and towed us down to this one that was just awash, and took 13 men and 1 woman off that.
Senator SMITH.
Did you leave anybody in it?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No; except those two dead bodies. There were two dead bodies.
Senator SMITH.
They were standing in water when you came up to them?
Mr. BRIGHT.
About half way - just about the ankles.
Senator SMITH.
Were they making signs to you?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No, sir. They had been singing out in the dark. As soon as it got daylight we could see them.
Senator SMITH.
When it got daylight you went to them?
Mr. BRIGHT.
We rescued them then.
Senator SMITH.
And you turned the swamped boat adrift?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes; there was no way to do anything with it. We left it there.
Senator SMITH.
With the two bodies?
Mr. BRIGHT.
With two dead bodies. They were covered up with a lifebelt over their faces.
Senator SMITH.
You left them?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
Did you take up any more people after you left this swamped boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No; we did not pick up anybody.
Senator SMITH.
Before you reached the Carpathia?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No; we were taken in tow and towed back under sail to the Carpathia.
Senator SMITH.
You were taken in tow by Mr. Lowe's boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes.
Senator SMITH.
Under sail?
Mr. BRIGHT.
He was under sail.
Senator SMITH.
And you were towed?
Mr. BRIGHT.
To the Carpathia.
Senator SMITH.
I will show you that little picture (handing photograph to witness). Do you see anything about that that looks like your boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No, sir.
Senator SMITH.
This boat that is ahead there is not under sail?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No; that is a collapsible boat behind, but we were in tow. That boat, if it had been behind, would have been under sail. That is a collapsible boat behind, but it is not the boat I was in.
Senator SMITH.
Mr. Lowe's boat had a sail?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes, sir; it had a sail.
Senator SMITH.
Do you know the names of any of the passengers or members of the crew that were in the lifeboat in which you reached the Carpathia?
Mr. BRIGHT.
The only one I know of is Steward Hardy. He is up here now.
Senator SMITH.
What is his name?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Hardy. I knew several third class passengers by sight but not by name. One man was in, but has gone to Albion. He was a passenger to Albion.
Senator SMITH.
Mr. Ismay was not in your boat, was he?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No, sir; he was in the starboard collapsible boat.
Senator SMITH.
Were there any other lifeboats on the boat when you took to the lifeboat yourself?
Mr. BRIGHT.
All the lifeboats were away before the collapsible boats were got off.
Senator SMITH.
All were away before the collapsible boats were lowered?
Mr. BRIGHT.
They had to be, because the collapsibles were on the deck and the other boats had be lowered before they could be used.
Senator SMITH.
In other words, the same tackle -
Mr. BRIGHT. (interrupting)
The same tackle that took the other ones took the collapsibles.
Senator SMITH.
The same tackle and gear with which the lifeboats were lowered and the emergency boats?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes.
Senator SMITH.
The same tackle with which the lifeboats and emergency boats were lowered was employed, after they had gone, in lowering the collapsible boats?
Mr. BRIGHT.
That is right, sir.
Senator SMITH.
How do you know Mr. Ismay was in the collapsible that was on the other side, on the starboard side?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I saw him standing there, and that was the only two boats left.
Senator SMITH.
He was not in your boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No.
Senator SMITH.
Therefore he must have gone in the other?
Mr. BRIGHT.
I find out he was saved, so he must have gone in that one.
Senator SMITH.
Did he make any attempt to get in yours?
Mr. BRIGHT.
No; he did not make an attempt to get in any boat.
Senator SMITH.
I do not think I have asked you how many of the 55 in your lifeboat were members of the crew?
Mr. BRIGHT.
There was just a steward and one fireman.
Senator SMITH.
And all the others were women?
Mr. BRIGHT.
There were two men passengers there. The remainder were women and children.
Senator SMITH.
Five men and 20 women and children?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes, sir; at first; then there were 10 or a dozen more, afterwards.
Senator SMITH.
Tell us exactly. I recall just what you said about taking the others.
Mr. BRIGHT.
When we left there were 20 of them.
Senator SMITH.
Did you see these lights on the horizon that night?
Mr. BRIGHT.
You mean after the ship went down?
Senator SMITH.
No.
Mr. BRIGHT.
Before?
Senator SMITH.
Yes; in any direction. I do not mean in the direction of the Titanic; I mean away from the Titanic.
Mr. BRIGHT.
As soon as we got away from the ship, we were told to keep together, if possible, to keep as close to each other in the boats as possible. There was a light sighted away, I should say, possibly 4 or 5 miles away, off the port bow of the ship. It looked to me like a sailing ship - like a fishing boat. There were no lights to be seen about the hull of the ship, if it was a ship. We pulled toward that for a time.
Senator BOURNE.
What was the color of the light that you thought you saw?
Mr. BRIGHT.
It was a white light, like the steaming light of a ship would be.
Senator FLETCHER.
I am not clear about a statement I understood you to make, that Lowe went away in the starboard collapsible boat?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Rowe, one of the quartermasters.
Senator FLETCHER.
Another quartermaster?
Mr. BRIGHT.
Yes; Mr. Lowe is fifth officer, and Rowe was quartermaster.
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