(The witness was sworn by Senator Fletcher.)
Senator FLETCHER.
State your full name and address.
Mr. BULEY.
Edward John Buley; 10 Cliff Road, Pear Tree Green, Itchen, near Southampton.
Senator FLETCHER.
What was your position on the Titanic?
Mr. BULEY.
Able seaman.
Senator FLETCHER.
How long had you been serving?
Mr. BULEY.
This was my first trip, sir. I was just in the merchant service; I had just left the navy.
Senator FLETCHER.
How long have you been in the navy?
Mr. BULEY.
Altogether, about 13 years.
Senator FLETCHER.
What pay does a seaman in the merchant service receive?
Mr. BULEY.
Five pound a month.
Senator FLETCHER.
And board?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Anything else?
Mr. BULEY.
No, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Is there any extra money allowed any of the crew for the saving of life or rescuing people, or anything of that sort, so far as you know, in the merchant service?
Mr. BULEY.
No, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did you observe anything out of the ordinary or usual on board ship up to the time of this accident?
Mr. BULEY.
No, sir. I was sitting in the mess, reading, at the time when she struck.
Senator FLETCHER.
Were you on duty?
Mr. BULEY.
I was in the watch on deck, the starboard watch. At 12 o'clock we relieved the other watch.
Senator FLETCHER.
You were then on your watch?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Where were you sitting, reading?
Mr. BULEY.
On the mess deck. If it was Sunday night, we never had anything to do. Ordinary nights we should have been scrubbing the decks.
Senator FLETCHER.
What was your first notice of the collision?
Mr. BULEY.
The slight jar. It seemed as though something was rubbing alongside of her, at the time. I had on my overcoat and went up on deck, and they said she had struck an iceberg.
Senator FLETCHER.
Who said that?
Mr. BULEY.
I think it was a couple of firemen. They came down. One of our chaps went and got a handful of ice and took it down below. They turned in again.
The next order from the chief officer, Murdoch, was to tell the seamen to get together and uncover the boats and turn them out as quietly as though nothing had happened. They turned them out in about 20 minutes.
Senator FLETCHER.
How do you mean?
Mr. BULEY.
Uncovered and turned them out. They are on deck, and the davits are turned inboard. You have to unscrew these davits and swing the boat out over the ship's side.
The next order was to lower them down to a line with the gunwale of the boat deck, and then fill the boats with women and children. We turned them up and filled them with women and children.
Senator FLETCHER.
Where were you stationed?
Mr. BULEY.
I was over on the starboard side at first, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did you lower the boats?
Mr. BULEY.
I helped lower all the starboard boats.
Senator FLETCHER.
That is, to lower them as far as the boat deck, to get the gunwales in line?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
That is the deck on which the boats were?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Not to any lower deck?
Mr. BULEY.
No, sir; not to the lower deck. We lowered all the starboard boats, and went over and done the same to the port boats. There was No. 10 boat, and there was no one there, and the chief officer asked what I was, and I told him, and he said, "Jump in and see if you can find another seaman to give you a hand." I found Evans, and we both got in the boat, and Chief Officer Murdoch and Baker also was there. I think we were the last lifeboat to be lowered. We got away from the ship.
Senator FLETCHER.
How many people were in that boat?
Mr. BULEY.
From 60 to 70.
Senator FLETCHER.
Mostly women?
Mr. BULEY.
Women and children.
Senator FLETCHER.
How many men?
Mr. BULEY.
There were the steward and one fireman.
Senator FLETCHER.
And yourself?
Mr. BULEY.
And myself and Evans, the able seaman.
Senator FLETCHER.
That is all the men?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
The other passengers were women?
Mr. BULEY.
That is all there was. All the others were ladies and children.
Senator FLETCHER.
Were any ladies on the deck when you left?
Mr. BULEY.
No, sir. Ours was the last boat up there, and they went around and called to see if there were any, and they threw them in the boat at the finish, because they didn't like the idea of coming in.
Senator FLETCHER.
Pushed them in, you mean?
Mr. BULEY.
Threw them in. One young lady slipped, and they caught her by the foot on the deck below, and she came up then and jumped in.
We got away from the ship, and about an hour afterwards Officer Lowe came alongside, and he had his boat filled up, and he distributed them among the other boats, and he said to all the seamen in the boat to jump in his boat until he went back among the wreckage to see if there were any people that had lived.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did you go in the last boat?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Who had charge of the boat you were in?
Mr. BULEY.
I was in charge of that.
Senator FLETCHER.
But when you left that?
Mr. BULEY.
I left that, and I believe he put some more stewards in the boat to look after the women. All the boats were tied together.
Senator FLETCHER.
You were then with Lowe in his boat and went back to where the Titanic sank?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir; and picked up the remaining live bodies.
Senator FLETCHER.
How many did you get?
Mr. BULEY.
There were not very many there. We got four of them. All the others were dead.
Senator FLETCHER.
Were there many dead?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir; there were a good few dead, sir. Of course you could not discern them exactly on account of the wreckage; but we turned over several of them to see if they were alive. It looked as though none of them were drowned. They looked as though they were frozen. The life belts they had on were that much (indicating) out of the water, and their heads were laid back, with their faces on the water, several of them. Their hands were coming up like that (indicating).
Senator FLETCHER.
They were head and shoulders out of the water?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
With the head thrown back?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
And the face out of the water?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
They were not, apparently, drowned?
Mr. BULEY.
It looked as though they were frozen altogether, sir.
In the morning, after we picked up all that was alive, there was a collapsible boat we saw with a lot of people, and she was swamped, and they were up to their knees in water. We set sail and went over to them, and in a brief time picked up another one.
Senator FLETCHER.
Another boat?
Mr. BULEY.
Another boat filled with women and children, with no one to pull the oars, and we took her in tow. We went over to this one and saved all of them. There was one woman in that boat. After that we seen the Carpathia coming up, and we made sail and went over to her. I think we were about the seventh or eighth boat alongside. During the time I think there was two died that we had saved, two men.
Senator FLETCHER.
How far were you from the Titanic when she went down?
Mr. BULEY.
About 250 yards.
Senator FLETCHER.
Could you see people on the decks before she went down?
Mr. BULEY.
No. All the lights were out.
Senator FLETCHER.
Could you hear the people?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes; you could hear them.
Senator FLETCHER.
Calling?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Before she went down?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir; and we laid to, not because we could give any assistance, but because the boat I was in was full up, and we had no one to pull the oars. There was three only to pull the oars, and one could not pull at all. He was a fireman. That left but two people to pull the oars, so I directed the steward to take the coxswain's watch.
Senator FLETCHER.
Before she went down, you could hear people calling for help?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Was there very much of that?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir; it was terrible cries, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Most of the witnesses have said they could hear no cries for help until after the ship went down.
Mr. BULEY.
This was after the ship went down when we heard them.
Senator FLETCHER.
I have been asking you about hearing cries before the ship went down.
Mr. BULEY.
No, sir; there was no signs of anything before that at all.
Senator FLETCHER.
Before the ship went down you did not hear any cries for help?
Mr. BULEY.
No cries whatever, sir. Her port bow light was under water when we were lowered.
Senator FLETCHER.
How long after you were lowered and put in the water was it before she went down?
Mr. BULEY.
I should say about 25 minutes to half an hour.
Senator FLETCHER.
Was yours the last boat?
Mr. BULEY.
Mine was the last lifeboat, No. 10.
Senator FLETCHER.
Were the collapsibles lowered after that?
Mr. BULEY.
The collapsibles were washed off the deck, I believe, sir. The one we picked up that was swamped, I think they dropped her and broke her back, and that is why they could not open her.
Senator FLETCHER.
Were there people in that collapsible?
Mr. BULEY.
She was full up, sir; that is the one we rescued the first thing in the morning.
Senator FLETCHER.
How soon after the Titanic went down was it before you got back there with Lowe to help rescue people?
Mr. BULEY.
From an hour to an hour and a half.
Senator FLETCHER.
And your idea is that the people were frozen.
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, frozen.
Senator FLETCHER.
Frozen in the meantime?
Mr. BULEY.
If the water had been warm, I imagine none of them would have been drowned, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Then you got some people out of the water, and some of those died after you rescued them, did they?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Were they injured in any way?
Mr. BULEY.
No, sir. I think it was exposure and shock.
Senator FLETCHER.
On account of the cold?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir. We had no stimulants in the boat to revive them, at all.
Senator FLETCHER.
They seemed to be very cold when you got them out of the water?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir, and helpless.
Senator FLETCHER.
Numb?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir. There were several in the broken boat that could not walk. Their legs and feet were all cramped. They had to stand up in the water in that boat.
Senator FLETCHER.
Do you know of any banquets or drinking on board the ship that night?
Mr. BULEY.
No, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
So far as you know, the crew were sober.
Mr. BULEY.
The crew were all asleep, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did you see any of the crew arousing people or giving the alarm?
Mr. BULEY.
That was the steward's work, sir. We had nothing to do with that.
Senator FLETCHER.
The question is whether you observed it, in any way?
Mr. BULEY.
No, sir. We were away from the saloons altogether. We were in the forecastle head.
Senator FLETCHER.
Do you know when the water began to come into the ship?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir; a little after she struck. You could hear it.
Senator FLETCHER.
Immediately?
Mr. BULEY.
You could hear it immediately. Down where we were, there was a hatchway, right down below, and there was a tarpaulin across it, with an iron batten. You could hear the water rushing in, and the pressure of air underneath it was such that you could see this bending. In the finish I was told it blew off.
Senator FLETCHER.
What part of the ship would you call that?
Mr. BULEY.
The forecastle head.
Senator FLETCHER.
How far was that from the bow?
Mr. BULEY.
About 20 yards, I should think.
Senator FLETCHER.
That condition could not have obtained unless the steel plates had been torn off from the side of the ship?
Mr. BULEY.
From the bottom of the ship. It was well underneath the water line.
Senator FLETCHER.
And the plates must have been ripped off by the iceberg?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
There was no way of closing that up so as to prevent water coming in?
Mr. BULEY.
It was already closed up. The carpenter [John Hutchinson or John Maxwell] went down and tested the wells, and found she was making water, and the order was given to turn the boats out as well as possible, and then to get the life belts on.
Senator FLETCHER.
Could not that ship take a great deal of water and still float?
Mr. BULEY.
She ought to be able to do it, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
There was no way of filling one compartment completely, and still not affecting the other part of it?
Mr. BULEY.
No. I should think if that had been a small hole, say about 12 by 12 feet square, in a collision, or anything like that, it would have been all right; but I do not think they carried collision mats.
Senator FLETCHER.
What is a collision mat?
Mr. BULEY.
It is a mat to shove over the hole to keep the water from rushing in.
Senator FLETCHER.
You think she did not carry collision mats?
Mr. BULEY.
I do not believe she did. I never saw one.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did you ever see collision mats used on merchant ships?
Mr. BULEY.
I had never been on a merchant ship before. I have seen them frequently used in the navy.
Senator FLETCHER.
You think if she had had collision mats, she might have been saved?
Mr. BULEY.
That would not have done much good with her, because I believe she was ripped up right along.
Senator FLETCHER.
For what distance?
Mr. BULEY.
I should say half way along, according to where the water was. I should say the bottom was really ripped open altogether.
Senator FLETCHER.
The steel bottom?
Mr. BULEY.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
So no amount of mats would have done any good?
Mr. BULEY.
It would not have done any good in that case. Should the ship have had a collision or anything like that, it would have done some good.
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}