United States Senate Inquiry

Day 7

Testimony of James Widgery

(Testimony taken separately before Senator Fletcher on behalf of the subcommittee.)

(The witness was sworn by Senator Fletcher.)

9406. What is your full name and address?
- James Widgery, 67 Oxford Street, Southampton.

9407. What was your position on the Titanic?
- In the second class.

9408. Second class what?
- I had charge of the bath on the forward deck.

9409. You were in charge of the bath?
- Yes; on the forward section of F deck.

9410. Were you up that night?
- I went to bed about 10 o'clock. I went to bed right after inspection. I went to bed and was asleep when the accident happened.

9411. When did you first know of the accident, and how?
- When I heard the noise, it woke me up. That was about 25 of 12. I looked at the clock hanging on the bed.

9412. You mean 25 minutes of 12?
- Yes, sir.

9413. Ship's time?
- I could not say that, sir. I do not know what it was, except it was 20 and 5 of 12 when I looked at the clock hanging by my bed.

9414. What did you do?
- It woke me up, and I wondered what it was, and it seemed to me like a grating, sir. One of the men got up and opened the port, and it was blowing very cold and we told him to shut it. We were talking amongst ourselves for a little while, and I did not think it was much and turned over and started to go to sleep again. An order came up that all men had to take their lifebelts and go up on deck.

I went down to F deck, and when I got down there, there was nobody there but our bedroom steward. All the passengers had gone. I went up on deck to my boat, No. 7.

9415. Which side?
- The starboard side. When I got up there, it was just about to be lowered. The purser sent me along to No. 9. They had taken the canvas off of No. 9 and lowered it, and just then some biscuits came up from the storekeeper. I helped him put one of the boxes into the bottom of the boat, and the purser took hold of my arm and said, "Get in the boat." He said, "Get in the boat and help the boatswain's mate pass the ladies in." So I got in the boat, and stepped on the side, and we passed the ladies in. We thought we had them all in, and the purser called out, "Are there any more women?" Just then some one said, "Yes." This woman came along, rather an oldish lady, and she was frightened, and she gave me her hand. I took one hand, and gave it to the boatswain's mate, and he caught hold of the other hand, and she pulled her hand away, and went back to the door and would not get in. One of them went after her, but she had gone down the stairs.

The chief officer [referring to First Officer Murdoch] was there and called out for any more women, and there seemed to be none, and he told the men to get in, four or five of them. We were filled right up then. Then they started to lower away.

9416. Were there any more men there?
- No, sir; only the men that were put in the boat to row.

9417. Were there any more men on the deck?
- Yes, sir; several men up on the deck, quite a lot. There were no more women there. Then we were lowered down to the water, and just before we went away the chief officer called out to the boatswain to keep about 100 yards off. We got into the water, and I cut loose the oars - I was the only one that had a knife amongst us - and we stood off a little ways. Of course, we gradually got a little farther away from them all the time.

9418. That was the boat Mr. Ward was in?
- The same boat; yes, sir.

9419. And all the balance of his statement would be your statement?
- About the same; yes, sir.

9420. Did you know about any passengers being in their cabins and not awakened or not aroused?
- No, sir; they were all out of that deck before I went up.

9421. You do not know about the other decks?
- No, sir; because that is a separate deck of itself - the forward section of F.

9422. Do you know whether any water was coming in?
- No, sir; I saw no water. We were too far up for that.

Senator Fletcher: I believe that is all I want to ask you, Widgery, and that would apply also to Ward and Hardy. You had better be in the hearing room at 10 o'clock in the morning, and the committee will meet and determine whether we will put you on the stand at that time.

(Witness Excused.)