Senator FLETCHER.
That was on the boat deck?
Mr. BOXHALL.
On the boat deck, yes, sir; on the bridge.
Senator FLETCHER.
What did he say to you?
Mr. BOXHALL.
He asked me why I was not getting the boat away.
Senator FLETCHER.
What did you reply to that?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I told him I had no orders to get the boat away. I said the crew were ready and people were getting in the boat.
Senator FLETCHER.
What did you do then?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I went on with my work.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did you proceed then to get the boat away, and get them ready?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir; the chief officer got that boat ready, and it was just ready to lower when the captain told me to get in her; that is, they had just started to lower when the captain told me to get in her.
Senator FLETCHER.
The captain told you what?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I think they were either just starting to lower or I had heard them sing out, "Lower away" when the captain told me to get in the boat. I did not load it. The chief officer loaded it and superintended the lowering.
Senator FLETCHER.
You did not assist in loading any of the boats?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I was there some little time before that; I can not say what boat it was that I was assisting in clearing away, and I can not say what boats they were, but they were on the port side.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did you assist in lowering the boat in which you went away, that the chief officer told you to get into?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir. He did not tell me to get into that boat.
Senator FLETCHER.
Capt. Smith did?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Capt. Smith did.
Senator FLETCHER.
Where was he at that time?
Mr. BOXHALL.
He was standing up on the boat deck, just by the bridge.
Senator FLETCHER.
Where?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Alongside of the fiddley; alongside the officers' house.
Senator FLETCHER.
And not far from boat No.4?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Right abreast of No. 2 boat.
Senator FLETCHER.
No. 2 boat?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Was Mr. Ismay there, too?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I did not notice Mr. Ismay there.
Senator FLETCHER.
Had not the captain previously given the command to get the boats away before Mr. Ismay told you about that?
Mr. BOXHALL.
He may have done so, but I did not hear it.
Senator FLETCHER.
How many of the crew went in that boat in which you left?
Mr. BOXHALL.
One steward, one cook, a sailor, and myself.
Senator FLETCHER.
The captain wanted you to go in order to have some one in charge of the boat, to be sure that some one could use the oars? Was that the idea?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Probably.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did he ask for anybody who could row to get in the boat?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Did the captain ask?
Senator FLETCHER.
Yes.
Mr. BOXHALL.
No; I did not hear him.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did you see the captain after that?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir; not after I was lowered away.
Senator FLETCHER.
Did you see Mr. Ismay after that?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Not until he came up alongside of the Carpathia; when his boat pulled up alongside, I was passing people out of one of the other boats. That is the first time I saw him afterwards.
Senator FLETCHER.
Mr. Ismay was in the collapsible boat, was he not?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
Do you know which one?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I do not know, sir. There was no collapsible boat away from the ship when I left, unless the one on the starboard side had gone away. I can not remember whether she had gone away or not. There was none on the port side.
Senator FLETCHER.
After you got in the water did you see the light from this steamer that you had seen previously?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes; I saw it for a little while and then lost it. When I pulled around the ship I could not see it any more, and did not see it any more.
Senator FLETCHER.
Apparently that ship came within 4 or 5 miles of the Titanic, and then turned and went away in what direction, westward or southward?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I do not know whether it was southwestward. I should say it was westerly.
Senator FLETCHER.
In westerly direction; almost in the direction which she had come?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER.
That is all.
Senator SMITH.
Mr. Boxhall, you saw this ship with the light?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
And you took the rockets and fired them, to signal to it?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
We have been figuring the distance the Californian was away from the Titanic, and from the positions given we have concluded - that is, we have evidence to support the theory - that the Californian was but 14 miles distant from the Titanic. Do you think that under those circumstances you could have seen the Californian?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I do not know, sir. I should not think so.
Senator SMITH.
You should not?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No. Five miles is the distance the British Board of Trade requires masthead lights to show - that is, the white steaming lights of the steamer - but we know that they can be seen farther on such a clear night as that.
Senator SMITH.
Suppose the Californian, 14 miles away, had been firing rockets for you and you had been on the bridge or on the boat deck, do you think you could have seen the rockets?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Not at 14 miles; I should not think so.
Senator SMITH.
You have had 13 years experience?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
In navigation?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
You have spent 12 months in a training school?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
At the risk of invading a field with which neither one of us may be familiar, I want to ask you about the watertight compartments of the Titanic. Are you familiar with them?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir. I did not go down in the watertight compartments of the Titanic, or view the electrical appliances down below.
Senator SMITH.
Were you familiar with the watertight compartments above?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
Have you been in them?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I have walked through them, sir.
Senator SMITH.
On which deck or decks were they located?
Mr. BOXHALL.
They were located on pretty nearly every deck, I should think, from what I remember. I can not say the highest deck where there were watertight compartments. I did not take particular notice of that.
Senator SMITH.
Can you tell to what decks the watertight bulkheads extended?
Mr. BOXHALL.
There were watertight doors on E deck; I know that.
Senator SMITH.
On A deck?
Mr. BOXHALL.
On E deck.
Senator SMITH.
Assuming that the watertight bulkheads extended to the upper or E deck, were there hatches on E deck?
Mr. BOXHALL.
There were watertight doors on D deck.
Senator SMITH.
Were they fitted with watertight covers or doors?
Mr. BOXHALL.
The door, sir, is simply an iron door with clamps on it on both sides.
Senator SMITH.
That could not be sealed?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes; you can seal that door from either side. The clamps work right through the door.
Senator SMITH.
I am talking about the hatches. Are you talking about the hatches?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No sir; I am talking about the doors.
Senator SMITH.
Were the hatches on E deck fitted with watertight covers?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes; but not to keep out a rush of water like this. They would only keep out the -
Senator SMITH. (interposing)
Deck water?
Mr. BOXHALL.
The deck water that would wash over the deck.
Senator SMITH.
They were not intended to resist the sea?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Not water with a pressure; they were not intended to resist that. They were not intended to resist pressure from underneath.
Senator SMITH.
They were fitted with coamings, in the language of the sea?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
And not with a watertight cover?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, there is a watertight cover just to prevent the sea-going down. There are wooden hatches on the top instead of the coamings; wooden hatches laid across the beams, and after the hatches are put on the watertight covers are spread over.
Senator SMITH.
Then you said you went down in the mail room?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
And saw the water coming in?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, I did not see water coming in. I said I could hear the water coming in.
Senator SMITH.
Where did you explain you saw the water coming in the mail room?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I was standing in the sorting room, and the water was just then within two feet of this deck I was standing on. I could see it through the opening in the staircase which led down to the lower place.
Senator SMITH.
Do you know whether there was any way of sealing the hatch to the mail room to keep the water from coming into E deck?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, I do not know, sir.
Senator SMITH.
You did not see anything of that kind?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir.
Senator SMITH.
You have heard some witnesses testify that there was water on E deck?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No; I have not heard that, sir.
Senator SMITH.
This Englishman who was on the stand first this afternoon said there was water on A deck.
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes; but he left the ship after I did, according to his evidence.
Senator SMITH.
You heard no testimony, then, that the water was on E deck?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir.
Senator SMITH.
You left before there was water on E deck?
Mr. BOXHALL.
There may have been water on E deck before I left.
Senator SMITH.
But you did not see it?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir.
Senator SMITH.
You do not know how it got there?
Mr. BOXHALL.
I know how it would get there. It would come up through this hole that was probably underneath the mail room.
Senator SMITH.
Come up through the boat?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
To E deck?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
These watertight compartments are watertight at the bottom?
Mr. BOXHALL.
They are watertight as far as they extend, sir.
Senator SMITH.
They are watertight at the sides?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
Are they watertight at the ceiling?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir.
Senator SMITH.
If they had been watertight at the ceiling, would the Titanic still be afloat?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Not in that particular case, because there were evidently three or four of the watertight compartments ripped up. They were all damaged or else the ship would not have gone down.
Senator SMITH.
There seems to be a great deal of confusion about the watertight compartments, and I have innumerable letters and telegrams asking that these compartments be searched by the Navy Department. The only watertight compartments that I have ever seen were on the Baltic, and I was shown about the watertight compartments by the late captain of the Titanic, about six years ago, so that I have not very much knowledge about them except from what I saw then. But to be watertight the ceiling should be able to resist the water as well as any other part of the watertight compartment, should it not?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir; it should; but if the ship is going to float after she has been damaged the water in that one compartment will not rise any higher than the level of the sea, so there is no strain on the ceiling, or there is probably no strain on the ceiling
Senator SMITH.
I think you have given the information I was seeking. The reason why the upper part of the watertight compartment is not so constructed as to resist the water is because some means of ingress and egress must be left or provided?
Mr. BOXHALL.
That is so.
Senator SMITH.
In the case of the watertight compartments on the Titanic there were staircases?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
Leading out of these watertight compartments?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
Suppose the passengers with no lifeboats and no lights in sight were confronted with the alternative of leaping into the open sea or inclosing themselves in these compartments to die there, is there any means by which they could get into these compartments themselves?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes; probably if they went down to the cabin they might get into one of these compartments.
Senator BOURNE.
Are you familiar with the boiler room?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir.
Senator BOURNE.
Are you familiar with the coal bunkers beside the boilers, between the boilers and the skin of the ship?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir; I was not down there in that ship.
Senator BOURNE.
You have no knowledge appertaining to that?
Mr. BOXHALL.
None at all.
Senator NEWLANDS.
How about the ice in the locality in which you placed it on the chart? Was it likely to drift; and if so, in what particular direction?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes; we should expect it to drift to the northward and to the eastward.
Senator NEWLANDS.
And not toward the south?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Not to the southward, as a rule; not in the Gulf Stream.
Senator NEWLANDS.
So that, as you proceeded along the track after you had charted this ice, your assumption would be that the ice would drift farther away from your track rather than drift toward it?
Mr. BOXHALL.
More to the northward and eastward; yes, sir.
Senator BOURNE.
Mr. Boxhall, you are a practical navigator, as I understand?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator BOURNE.
Would it be feasible and desirable to have a map in the chart room, and to note each day the information that you might acquire by wireless from other ships as to their location? Would that be an advantage in any way in navigation?
Mr. BOXHALL.
We do that.
Senator BOURNE.
That is noted on the map, as it is?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir; on the chart in the officers' chart room and on the chart in the captain's chart room.
Senator BOURNE.
You keep your record then, both of your own position and the position of other ships with which you have been in communication by wireless?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator BOURNE.
How often are those records put down?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Do you mean do we put down on the chart the positions of the ships from which we receive messages?
Senator BOURNE.
Yes.
Mr. BOXHALL.
No; we do not put their position on the chart. If they report derelicts, or wreckage, or anything like that, we plot those positions on the chart.
Senator BOURNE.
Would it not bring about a better correlation between you and other ships in that vicinity if you noted on the chart the relative positions, in conjunction with your own, at the time you noted your own position?
Mr. BOXHALL.
They do not always give their positions.
Senator BOURNE.
They do not?
Mr. BOXHALL.
No, sir.
Senator BOURNE.
Would it be any benefit to navigation if they were required do so?
Mr. BOXHALL.
A few of them give their positions. It is very handy.
Senator BOURNE.
It perfectly practical, is it?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Oh, yes; certainly.
Senator BOURNE.
And might be, and in your judgment would be, a benefit to navigation if required?
Mr. BOXHALL.
Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH.
Mr. Boxhall, you seem to be the one upon whom we must rely to give the difference between ship's time and New York time; or, rather, to give ship's time and give the New York time when this accident occurred.
Mr. BOXHALL.
At 11.46 p.m., ship's time, it was 10.13 Washington time, or New York time.
Senator SMITH.
And that was the time of the impact?
Mr. BOXHALL.
There is a question about that. Some say 11.45, some say 11.43. I myself did not note it exactly, but that is as near as I can tell I reckoned it was about 11.45.
(Witness Excused.)
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