United States Senate Inquiry

Day 1

Testimony of Charles H. Lightoller, cont.

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And that was not done?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
From 6 until 10 o'clock was the captain on the bridge at all?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
When did he arrive?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Five minutes to 9.

Senator SMITH.
Five minutes to 9?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
But he was not there from 6 o'clock until five minutes of 9?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I did not see him, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You would have seen him if he had been there, would you not?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
If he had been actually on the bridge, yes, I should have seen him.

Senator SMITH.
You did not see him?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I did not see him.

Senator SMITH.
And you were there during all that time?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
During all that time.

Senator SMITH.
When he came to the bridge at five minutes of 9 what did he say to you or what did you say to him? Who spoke first?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I could not say, sir. Probably one of us said "Good evening."

Senator SMITH.
But you do not know who?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No.

Senator SMITH.
Was anything else said?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes. We spoke about the weather; calmness of the sea; the clearness; about the time we should be getting up toward the vicinity of the ice and how we should recognize it if we should see it - freshening up our minds as to the indications that ice gives of its proximity. We just conferred together, generally, for 25 minutes.

Senator SMITH.
For 20 or 25 minutes?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Was any reference made at that time to the wireless message from the Amerika?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Capt. Smith made a remark that if it was in a slight degree hazy there would be no doubt we should have to go very slowly.

Senator SMITH.
Did you slow up?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
That I do not know, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You would have known if it had been done, would you not, during your watch?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Not necessarily so, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Who would give the command?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
The commander would send orders down to the chief engineer to reduce her by so many revolutions.

Senator SMITH.
Through a megaphone?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir; by word of hand.

Senator SMITH.
By speaking tube?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No; by word of hand; notes.

Senator SMITH.
Did you see anything of that kind done?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir; I did not see it on the bridge.

Senator SMITH.
And the captain was on the bridge?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
How long did he remain on the bridge after coming there at 5 minutes of 9?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
He remained there until about 20 minutes past 9, or something like that.

Senator SMITH.
About 20 minutes past 9?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
About 25 minutes altogether.

Senator SMITH.
Then did he leave the bridge?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
He left the bridge.

Senator SMITH.
With any special injunction upon you?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
What did he say?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
"If in the slightest degree doubtful, let me know."

Senator SMITH.
What did you say to him?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
"All right, sir."

Senator SMITH.
You kept the ship on its course?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And at about the same speed?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir; as far as I know.

Senator SMITH.
When did you next see the captain?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
When I came out of the quarters, after the impact.

Senator SMITH.
You mean that he did not return to the bridge until your watch expired?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
About 10 o'clock?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You left?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And Murdoch took command?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Do you know where you were at the hour that you turned over the watch to Mr. Murdoch?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Not now, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you know at the time?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Can you give us any idea?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
When I ended the watch we roughly judged that we should be getting toward the vicinity of the ice, as reported by that Marconigram that I saw, somewhere about 11 o'clock.

Senator SMITH.
That you would be in that latitude?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Longitude

Senator SMITH.
At 11 o'clock.

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Somewhere about 11; yes.

Senator SMITH.
Did you talk with Mr. Murdoch about that phase of it when you left the watch?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
About what?

Senator SMITH.
I say, did you talk with Mr. Murdoch about the iceberg situation when you left the watch?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did he ask you anything about it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
What was said between you?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
We remarked on the weather, about its being calm, clear. We remarked the distance we could see. We seemed to be able to see a long distance. Everything was very clear. We could see the stars setting down to the horizon.

Senator SMITH.
It was cold, was it not?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Sharp?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
How cold was it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Thirty-one, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Above zero?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Thirty-one degrees above zero, yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Is that unusually cold for that longitude?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
At that time of the year?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you see Mr. Murdoch after that?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir; I saw him when I came out of the quarters after the impact.

Senator SMITH.
Where was he?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
On the bridge.

Senator SMITH.
With the captain?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
One on one side, and one on the other side of the bridge; one on each side.

Senator SMITH.
Did you speak to him after that?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
I mean after he took the watch?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You never spoke to him again?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No; sir.

Senator SMITH.
You were not together when finally parted from the ship?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You saw him on the bridge at the time?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Immediately after the impact; yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did he remain there until the end?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
He was getting the boats out on the starboard side later on.

Senator SMITH.
Later?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you see him at that work?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir; I was on the port side.

Senator SMITH.
How do you know that he did it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I saw him at the last boat.

Senator SMITH.
Just what time he left the bridge, I don't suppose you know?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Where did you last see the captain?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
On the boat deck, sir.

Senator SMITH.
On the boat deck?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
How long before the vessel sank?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I could not say, sir; I saw him about the boat deck two or three times. I had no occasion to go to him.

Senator SMITH.
Was the vessel broken in two in any manner, or intact?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Absolutely intact.

Senator SMITH.
On the decks?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Intact, sir.

Senator SMITH.
When you came out of your room after the impact, did you see any ice on the decks?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you see or hear any exclamations of pain?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Do you know whether anyone was injured?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
By ice on deck?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Tell us, as nearly as you can, just where you saw the captain last, with reference to the sinking of this ship.

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I think the bridge was the last place I saw him, sir; I am not sure. I think he was crossing the bridge.

Senator SMITH.
What do you mean by that?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Walking across.

Senator SMITH.
From one side to the other?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir; just coming across. I merely recognized a glimpse. I have a slight recollection of having seen him whilst I was walking. It is my recollection that I saw him crossing the bridge. I think that was the last.

Senator SMITH.
How large was this bridge? How large was it on the Titanic?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
It extends the width of the ship, sir.

Senator SMITH.
It extend the width of the ship?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir; and 18 inches over each side.

Senator SMITH.
And how far forward?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
In amidships, about 20 feet; in the wings, about 10 feet.

Senator SMITH.
When you saw him was he giving any orders?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I was not near enough to know, sir.

Senator SMITH.
How near were you?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
About 50 feet away.

Senator SMITH.
What did he seem to be doing - pacing?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir; not pacing. Just walking straight across, as if he had some object that he was walking toward.

Senator SMITH.
He was walking from one side to the other?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir; from starboard to port.

Senator SMITH.
Did that give him a full sweep of view of the situation?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
If he had been giving orders would you have heard them?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And you did not hear any such thing at that time?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
At that time; no, sir.

Senator SMITH.
What were the last orders you heard him give?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
When I asked him, "Shall I put the women and children in the boats?" he replied, "Yes; and lower away." Those were the last orders he gave.

Senator SMITH.
Where was he at that time?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
About abreast the No. 6 boat.

Senator SMITH.
How long was that before the ship sunk?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Approximately somewhere about a quarter to 1, say. I don't know what time it was, sir. It would be only a guess.

Senator SMITH.
It was after this impact?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
After the collision?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
And about how long after? What time did the collision occur?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I do not know. I understand - I only gather it - that it occurred shortly before 12 o'clock.

Senator SMITH.
When you heard it, did you look at your watch or make a note of it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
How long was the vessel afloat after this collision?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
That I do not know either, only from what I was told.

Senator SMITH.
What were you told?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I was told she sunk at 2:20.

Senator SMITH.
Who told you that?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
We came to the conclusion amongst the officers, by various indications.

Senator SMITH.
Did any officer that you communicated with know the exact moment of this impact or collision?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
That I could not say, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Of course you had a watch with you?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you have a watch in your room?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
In my room; yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you keep it or is it gone?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Oh, it is gone, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You did not know whether it was running or stopped? You did not look at it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I did not look at it, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You asked the captain on the boat deck whether the lifeboats should take the women and children first, if I understand you correctly?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Not quite, sir; I asked him: "Shall I put the women and children in the boats?" The captain replied, "Yes, and lower away."

Senator SMITH.
What did you then do?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I carried out his orders.

Senator SMITH.
Except as to this one boat that could not be lowered?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I am speaking of the port side of the ship. I was running the port side only.

Senator SMITH.
Were all the boats lowered on the port side?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
They were all lowered with the exception of one, the last boat, which was stowed on top of the officers' quarters. We had not time to launch it nor yet to open it.

Senator SMITH.
I did not get the first word, Was it injured?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir; I said it was stowed on top of the officers' quarters. And when all the other boats were carried away, I called for the men to go up there, told them to cut her adrift and throw her down.

Senator SMITH.
How did it happen to be stowed up there? Was that an unusual place for it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Well, what happened to that boat?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
It floated off the ship, sir.

Senator SMITH.
It floated off?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes.

Senator SMITH.
Without anyone in it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I understand the men standing on top, who assisted to launch it down, jumped onto it as it was on the deck and floated off with it.

Senator SMITH.
What type of boat was it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Collapsible.

Senator SMITH.
Did you see it afterwards?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Eventually. It was the boat that I got on.

Senator SMITH.
Eventually that was the boat that you got on?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir; bottom up.

Senator SMITH.
Did you see the captain after that final order with reference to the women and children?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Where?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Walking across the bridge, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did you have any further communication with him?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir; none.

Senator SMITH.
So far as you know, was that the last place that he was seen?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I could not say, sir.

Senator SMITH.
You don't know what occurred to the captain after that?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir.

Senator SMITH.
This lifeboat which was taken from the top of the officers' quarters, and that you finally reached, contained how many people?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
When it floated off the ship?

Senator SMITH.
Yes.

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I could not say how many.

Senator SMITH.
How many after you had gotten into it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
We were thrown off a couple of times. It was cleared; it was a flat collapsible boat. When I came to it, it was bottom up, and there was no one on it.

Senator SMITH.
No one on it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
And it was on the other side of the ship.

Senator SMITH.
What did you do when you came to it?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I hung on to it.

Senator SMITH.
You floated with it merely?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Was that all the service it ever rendered? Was that the only service this lifeboat performed'?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir. Eventually about 30 of us got in it

Senator SMITH.
Tell us just how it occurred.

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
From the time the ship went down you mean?

Senator SMITH.
No; from the time you found this overturned lifeboat.

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir. Immediately after finding that overturned lifeboat, and when I came up alongside of it, there were quite a lot of us in the water around it preparatory to getting up on it.

Senator SMITH.
With life preservers?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir. Then the forward funnel fell down

Senator SMITH.
Were there any persons there without life preservers?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
No, sir. Not that I know of. The forward funnel falling down, it fell alongside of the lifeboat, about 4 inches clear of it.

Senator SMITH.
What was this that fell?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
The forward funnel.

Senator SMITH.
Did it strike the boat?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
It missed the boat.

Senator SMITH.
Then what?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
It fell on all the people there were alongside of the boat, if there were any there.

Senator SMITH.
Injure any of them seriously?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I could not say, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Did it kill anybody?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I could not say, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Was this vessel sinking pretty rapidly at that time?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Pretty quickly, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Do you know any of the men who were in the water as you were and who boarded this lifeboat?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Yes, sir.

Senator SMITH.
Give their names.

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Mr. Thayer, a first class passenger; the second Marconi operator - I can tell you his name in a minute - Bride.

Senator SMITH.
Was that the boat that Col. Gracie --

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
Oh, yes; and Col. Gracie.

Senator SMITH.
Col. Gracie of the United States Army?

Mr. LIGHTOLLER.
I think I have his card.

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