(Testimony taken separately before Senator Smith on behalf of the subcommittee.)
(Mr. Haines was duly sworn by Senator Smith.)
10231. Where do you live?
- In Kent. My home is in Kent.
10232. How old are you?
- Thirty-one, sir.
10233. What is your occupation?
- Boatswain's mate.
10234. What are your duties on ship?
- I take charge of one watch, sir; the starboard.
10235. What watch?
- The starboard watch, sir.
10236. What are your duties?
- I am in charge of one of the watches, doing the work of the ship.
10237. Of what does your duty consist?
- In keeping the decks clean, and the paint work; looking after the men, and keeping the decks clean - washing the decks down.
10238. When did you join the Titanic?
- I joined her at Belfast.
10239. On what date?
- I was there just about a week before she came away.
10240. Before she sailed from Belfast?
- Yes, sir.
10241. Were you on board when the trial trips were made?
- Yes, sir.
10242. Did you have anything special to do during those trips?
- No, sir.
10243. Where was your station on watch?
- I am stationed out on the poop. I have the watch out on the poop going in and out of the harbor.
10244. You went with the ship from Belfast to Southampton?
- Yes, sir.
10245. And sailed with the Titanic on its voyage from Southampton on April 10?
- Yes, sir.
10246. On the trip from Southampton to the place where this accident occurred, will you just tell what you did and what you saw, if anything?
- There was nothing unusual occurred until we had the accident.
10247. Where were you when the accident occurred?
- I was standing by, down below. It being Sunday night, the men did not work Sunday night, and the men were in the mess room, and I was outside, sir. If it had been any other night, we would have been washing the decks.
10248. What do you mean by the expression "standing by"?
- Standing by for any orders. I was standing under the forecastle, waiting for any orders, so that I would be available if they wanted me.
10249. Did you receive any orders that night?
- Not before she struck; no, sir.
10250. Did you see the captain on the bridge?
- Afterwards. I saw him when we was getting the boats out.
10251. After the collision?
- Yes, sir.
10252. Did you see him before?
- No, sir; I did not have cause to go on the bridge before.
10253. He might have been there and you not have seen him?
- Yes, sir.
10254. Did you see Officer Lightoller there that night?
- No, sir.
10255. Or Officer Murdoch?
- Yes, sir; I was working with Officer Murdoch; and Mr. Wilde, chief officer, was working with us, too.
10256. Did they give you any orders?
- Yes, sir.
10257. What orders?
- When I first heard the blow, I heard some air escaping right forward, and I ran forward to the exhaust from the forepeak tank. I said the forepeak tank was filling and the air was coming out and the water was coming in. It was an overflow pipe.
10258. What was said about that?
- Just as I got there the chief officer, Mr. Wilde, had gotten there, and the lamp trimmer was there, Mr. Hemming.
10259. What was said there?
- We said the forepeak tank was filling; the air was coming out and the water was coming in.
He asked if there was any water in the forepeak, and the store-keeper went into the forepeak, and there was no water there, sir. That is the forepeak, sir; not the forepeak tank. The forepeak tank was full.
The chief officer then went on the bridge to report.
10260. What time was that?
- The right time, without putting the clock back, was 20 minutes to 12.
10261. What was done then?
- I went down to look at No. 1 hole.
10262. What did you find there?
- The tarpaulin was bellying up, raising, showing that the water was coming in.
10263. What did you do then?
- I went on the bridge and reported to the chief officer.
10264. What was said then?
- I told him No. 1 hole was filling. He gave me an order then to get the men up and get the boats out.
10265. What did you do?
- I worked on the boats, sir; got all the boats swung out.
10266. The lifeboats?
- The lifeboats; yes, sir. Then I went and stood by my own boat, sir, No. 9.
10267. On which side?
- On the starboard side.
10268. What happened then?
- We had the boat crew there, and Mr. Murdoch came along with a crowd of passengers, and we filled the boat with ladies, and lowered the boat, and he told me to lay off and keep clear of the ship. I got the boat clear, sir, and laid out near the ship. I did not think the ship would sink, of course, sir.
When I saw her going down by the head, I pulled farther away, for the safety of the people in the boat.
10269. How far away?
- About 100 yards away at first, sir.
10270. Mr. Murdoch told you to get into this boat?
- Yes, sir. I was in charge of that boat. That was my own boat, there being two sailors with me.
10271. What were their names?
- One was named McGough, and there was one by the name of Peters. That was my boat's crew.
10272. That is, your regular boat's crew?
- Yes, sir; just the two men.
10273. Was there a station bill posted at that time on the Titanic?
- Yes, sir; a boat-station bill, before ever the ship left. As soon as the crew is known they make out the list and put it up in the crew's quarters. Every man has a lifeboat station.
10274. Of the crew?
- The crew had; every one of the crew. They were told off in the different boats.
10275. Then what happened?
- We saw the ship go down by the head.
10276. Did you go back near the ship?
- I had a boat load, sir, and I asked the men if they thought it advisable to go back. They said there was no more room, sir, and the boat was overloaded. To go back I thought would be dangerous.
10277. How many men were there in the boat?
- We had over 50 in our boat all together.
10278. Men?
- The two sailors; and then I could not exactly say how many men, but there were three or four stewards, and three or four firemen.
10279. Do you remember their names?
- I think the stewards are here with us now, sir.
10280. Just give their names, please. - I do not know their names.
10281. You do not remember just who they were?
- I know their faces; but I do not know their names, sir.
10282. Besides the stewards?
- We had some firemen and two or three men passengers.
10283. Do you know who they were?
- No. sir.
10284. Have you heard, since, who they were?
- No, sir; I never spoke to any of them afterwards.
10285. How many stewards were there in your boat?
- There might have been half a dozen. I do not know the exact number, sir.
10286. And how many firemen?
- I could not say, sir; two or three, or three or four.
10287. And were there any other members of the crew?
- No, sir; no more of the crew.
10288. Then there were about 15 men, altogether?
- Yes, sir.
10289. How many men were there in the boat?
- I counted them. I guess there were about 45 to 48. When there were no more women forthcoming, the boat was full. They were singing out for the women, and the men then jumped in the bows of her and filled the bow up. The boat was chockablock, sir.
10290. You had 63 in your boat?
- I could not say within one or two, but around 60, I had.
10291. Was this the first boat that was lowered?
- No, sir.
10292. On the starboard side?
- No, sir. We started forward, and I was No. 9. I was about the fifth boat to be lowered on the starboard side.
10293. Do you know any of the women in this boat?
- No, sir; I do not know their names. I would know them by sight, some of them.
10294. Did you afterwards find out who any of them were?
- No, sir.
10295. Did you have any difficulty in lowering your boat?
- No, sir.
10296. And you handled it after you got to the water, all right?
- Yes, sir.
10297. Was this one of the largest sized lifeboats?
- Yes, sir. One of the largest size, sir.
10298. Was there any officer in that boat?
- No, sir.
10299. Did Mr. Murdoch tell you to do anything with that boatload of people and to then come back to the ship; or did any officer tell you that?
- No, sir; he told me to keep them away, and lay off clear. That is what he said.
10300. How far were you from the Titanic? How far off did you lay?
- I laid off close to her at first, sir.
10301. How close?
- Within 100 yards at first, sir, until I saw her going down by the head.
10302. You kept within a hundred yards of her?
- For a time; yes, sir.
10303. Until you saw her going down by the head?
- Yes; until I saw she was gradually sinking farther and farther down.
10304. You then pulled away farther?
- Yes, sir.
10305. Did you see any people in the water?
- No, sir.
10306. Did you hear any cries for help?
- Yes, sir; we heard some cries after the ship went down.
10307. Did anybody in your boat urge you to return?
- No, sir. I called the sailors aft, and I passed the remark to them: "There is people in the water." I said, "Do you think it advisable?" I said, "We can't do nothing with this crowd we have in the boat," because we had no room to row, let alone do anything else, sir; and it was no good of our going back. by the time we got back there, we could not have done anything. We could not move in the boat, let alone row. I thought it unsafe to go back there, sir, having so many in the boat.
10308. What did you do after the ship went down?
- I told the men it was no good rowing; that we could not do anything until the morning, and I just lay there all night, sir.
10309. did you have a light on your boat?
- Yes, sir; I had a lamp there, a little pocket lamp.
10310. Was the lamp lighted?
- Yes, sir.
10311. Did you have any provisions on your boat?
- Yes, sir.
10312. Did you have water?
- Yes, sir; biscuits and water, sir.
10313. What happened then?
- Just as it got daylight, sir, I saw the Carpathia's lights, and I pulled toward her and went alongside and put the passengers aboard the Carpathia.
10314. Were the passengers all alive when you got to the Carpathia?
- Yes, sir.
10315. Did the women urge you to go back toward the boat?
- No, sir; the women did not, sir. I was in charge of the boat, sir, and if I had thought it possible I would have gone back. I took charge of the boat.
10316. Did you help load the other boats?
- No, sir; we were turning out the after boats while they were filling the forward ones. As soon as we finished turning the boats out I went to my own station. I got to my own boat just in time, as they filled my boat. The boatswain missed his boat, No. 7. No. 7 was gone before he got there. My own boat was No. 9.
10317. You did not see any of the other boats loaded?
- No, sir; I did not see any of them loaded. I came back just in time to take charge of my own boat.
10318. Is that all you know about this matter?
- Yes, sir.
10319. These davits were of a new type, were they?
- Yes, sir.
10320. Had you ever worked with them before?
- In the Olympic I worked with them.
10321. Did they work all right?
- They worked very free.
10322. Do you know of any of them that did not work all right?
- No, sir. The screws were all in good condition, and they keep them covered with little canvas covers. You take the cover off and one man can haul them out or in, if they are in good condition.
10323. And when you were on the deck that night, near the bridge, did you see any ice?
- I saw the ice on the forewell deck, where she hit small ice.
10324. I mean did you see any ice before she struck?
- No, sir.
10325. After she hit, did you see any ice?
- I saw a little small ice on the forward side of the forewell deck.
10326. In the morning, when it got daylight, did you see any ice?
- All around, sir.
10327. You saw ice all around the boats - icebergs?
- Yes, sir; and there was a big field of ice there, too.
10328. How many icebergs?
- I could not say. There was a good few of them, sir. They were dotted all over the place.
10329. Had you ever seen icebergs before?
- I had seen them before; yes, sir.
10330. Where?
- I had seen them off Newfoundland.
10331. Up in this same region?
- Further north, sir.
10332. Near the Grand Banks?
- I had seen them up at St. Johns, Newfoundland.
10333. How many icebergs do you think you saw the Monday morning following the accident?
- Well, there were anywhere from 30 to 50.
10334. Besides field ice?
- Besides the icebergs, sir, there was a big field of ice, miles long.
10335. When you said that you saw these icebergs, did you include large and small ones?
- Yes, sir.
10336. "Growlers," in other words?
- Yes, sir.
10337. How high was the largest one that you saw?
- I should say from 80 to 100 feet high.
10338. How far away from you was it when you saw it?
- About half a mile, sir.
10339. You had been on the Olympic, had you not?
- Yes, sir.
10340. Doing the same work?
- No, sir; I was quartermaster there, sir.
10341. Had you made a trip from Southampton to New York on the Olympic?
- I was in her from the time she started right up to the trip we went to the Titanic, sir.
10342. Did you ever see any icebergs while you were on the Olympic?
- No, sir.
10343. How many of the crew of the Titanic had you worked with before?
- There were several of the Olympic's crew there. The men that I had worked with were pretty well all White Star men. Some of them I had worked with in the Adriatic, and some of them in the Olympic, sir.
10344. You had not been out very long on the Titanic?
- No, sir.
10345. And you had not worked with one another very long, had you?
- Only from Southampton, sir.
10346. Is there anything more you care to say about this matter?
- No, sir.
I know of one incident there, where a lady would not come into the boat. That is all, sir. She would not come into the boat when they were filling it. One of the ladies refused to get into the boat.
10347. Did you ask her to get in?
- The officers were trying to get her in.
Mr. Murdoch, then, was trying to get her in the boat, and she would not get into the boat.
10348. Do you know who it was?
- No, sir; I could not say who it was.
10349. How old a woman was it?
- I could not say, sir. I could not see. I only know there was a lady there that would not get into the boat, and she went back.
10350. Did she say she would not get into the boat because of her family or husband?
- No, sir; I do not think it was that, at all. I think she was afraid to get into the boat.
10351. Did the women hesitate a little about getting into the boat?
- No, sir; none of the others. I did not see any of the others hesitate, except this one.
10352. Did the men passengers try to get into the boats?
- No, sir; I did not see any of them do it, at least.
10353. Were they told to stand back?
- Yes.
10354. By Officer Murdoch?
- Yes, sir.
10355. What did he say when he told them that?
- He just stood there; that is all.
10356. What did he say?
- He filled the boats with the ladies. He told me to put all these ladies in the boat, and he filled her up, sir. When she was full two or three men jumped in the bow of her. He said, "That is enough," and he lowered her down.
10357. What officer stood with you at the boat you lowered; that is, at the boat, and helped load it and lower it?
- Mr. Murdoch, sir.
10358. Was there any other officer there?
- I never noticed any other; no, sir.
10359. Did you see Mr. Lowe?
- No, sir: I did not see him.
10360. Did you see Mr. Boxhall?
- No, sir.
10361. Or Mr. Pitman?
- No, sir; I never saw any of them, only Mr. Murdoch. He was in charge. He filled our boat alone, sir.
10362. And with 63 people in your boat, she lowered all right?
- She lowered from the davits; yes, sir. She lowered from the boat deck, sir.
10363. Did all the occupants of your boat get in from the boat deck?
- Yes, sir.
10364. Did any of them attempt to get in as it was being lowered to the water?
- No, sir; I did not see any of them. We had only to pass one deck where they could get in. That would be A deck.
10365. Did you have a compass in your boat?
- I did not see one, sir. I do not know whether there was one in there or not. We did not require one, sir. As soon as it got daylight, sir, we sighted the ship.
10366. Do you know whether the board of trade regulations required one to be in the boat?
- They have them aboard, sir. They are aboard. They have a place where they stow them in the lockers. But whether they were put into the boat or not I do not know, sir.
10367. You did not see any?
- I did not see it, and I did not look for it.
Senator Smith:
That is all.
(Witness Excused.)
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