13666. (Senator Smith.) You were sworn the other day.
- Yes, sir.
13667. You were the fourth officer on the Titanic?
- Yes, sir.
Senator Smith:
Senator Fletcher wants to ask you some questions.
13668. (Senator Fletcher.) Mr. Boxhall, do you know whether the air ports on the Titanic were closed at the time of the collision, or before or just afterwards?
- The air ports? I do not know what the air ports are.
13669. The port holes.
- Oh, the port holes? No; I could not say about that, sir.
13670. You gave no order to have them closed?
- I did not hear any orders.
13671. You do not know whether they were closed or not?
- No, sir.
13672. If they were not closed -
- The ports I saw down below in the steerage, when I first visited down there a few moments after the ship struck, to the best of my memory were closed. That was in the fore part of the ship, between the forecastle head and the bridge. Those ports, to the best of my memory, were closed.
13673. You did not have occasion to observe them anywhere else?
- No, sir
13674. What was the custom or practice on the ship as to leaving them open in calm weather?
- I could not say about that, but in foggy weather it had to be reported on the bridge whether they were open or closed, and in bad weather, of course, if there was any sea at all running, we knew then about the ports, and the orders were given from the bridge. But in calm weather, I am at a loss to remember what was done about them.
13675. I understood you to say in your direct examination that you had no knowledge of the presence of icebergs; that no information of that kind reached you?
- I do not remember any information coming on Sunday. There were icebergs reported from the captain of the Touraine [La Touraine], some time previously; it might have been a couple of days before. I put their position on the chart, and found that those positions were considerably north of the track. In fact, they were between the northern track and the southern track.
Later, more positions came. I did not remember the name especially, but as soon as I saw the positions as shown at the time of the meeting of the committee, or when some member of the committee showed me those positions, with the name of the German boat, the Amerika, I recognized the positions. So they were evidently those of the Amerika that had been sent. I put those on the chart. I do not remember that any of them were on the track. To the best of my knowledge they were all to the northward of the track.
13676. How far north?
- I really did not calculate the distance. As soon as I saw they were on the north track I did not bother about measuring the distance.
13677. How far ahead of the ship?
- I did not measure that, either. Of course, it was before we turned the corner.
13678. Did you have any information at all that would lead you to appreciate the fact that the Titanic was approaching ice fields, or a position where icebergs were liable to be found?
- From all the positions of icebergs that I had, of course I knew that we should be getting close up to those positions in the early hours of the middle watch; at least. I did not think we should be up to any of those positions before midnight that night.
13679. Have you had any experience and knowledge as a seafaring man whether or not there is any effect on the temperature occasioned by the presence of ice fields and icebergs?
- Yes; I have had quite a lot of experience in field ice and to the best of my knowledge I do not think the temperature indicates anything. I do not think that is anything to go by.
13680. You made no observations?
- Yes; I have made observations, years ago; but on the Titanic the sixth officer or the fifth officer had to note all those observations, and that is why I did not know the temperatures recorded.
13681. You did not know the temperature of the air or of the water that night?
- Yes; I happened to remark that it was rather cold, and somebody said, "It is 31"; but I do not know what time it was. I think it was during my watch from 4 to 6 Sunday evening.
13682. Could you tell whether the temperature had been falling?
- Yes; you could tell that.
13683. Since about what time?
- I had only gone on deck at 4 o'clock. I went on deck at 4 Sunday afternoon and was on deck until 6, and I knew it was colder than it was at noon, when I left the bridge.
13684. Did you get by wireless the positions of the icebergs that you mentioned?
- Yes, sir.
13685. And you plotted them, you say, on the chart?
- Yes, sir.
13686. Were you careful as to the locations in placing them on the chart?
- With regard to the French steamer's positions, they were of no use to us, because he was considerably north of the track.
I put them on the chart; but I remarked to the captain, "This fellow has been to the north of the track the whole way." So they were of no use to us; but they were on the chart, just the same.
13687. As to the other positions, did anyone help you in plotting them?
- No; I showed them to the captain and I had the wireless telegram alongside of me and saw that they were quite correct.
13688. Did anyone check you up or verify your calculations or assist you in seeing that they were correct?
- They may have done so; I do not know.
13689. What was the course of the Amerika?
- I could not say whether she was eastbound or westbound. The Touraine, I think, was eastbound.
13690. Could you say whether the Amerika was taking practically the same track as the Titanic?
- No; I could not say that, either.
13691. Do you know whether she usually did?
- Yes; I think those ships keep the track.
13692. The Amerika, then, was on the same track that the Titanic was on, practically?
- That depends on whether she was eastbound or westbound.
13693. Assuming she was eastbound, would she be on the same track?
- No; she would be to the southward of us.
13694. How much?
- I do not know what distance she would be south of us in that position. Just about the corner. Probably 40 or 50 miles. You could take it off the chart.
13695. Did she locate the bergs near her?
- She located the bergs that she had seen as far as I know. Someone else may have reported them to her.
13696. If she had seen bergs she must have seen them south of your track?
- That is, if she was eastbound.
13697. Yes; if she was eastbound.
- But these bergs I did not put down in positions that were south of the track, or else I should have made a special note to the captain about them. If I had seen any on the track or the southward of the track I should have done that.
13698. I understood you to say that you saw a steamer almost ahead of you, or saw a light that night, about the time of the collision?
- Shortly afterwards; yes, sir.
13699. Did you describe that light? What was the character of the light you saw; and did you see more than one?
- At first I saw two masthead lights of a steamer, just slightly opened, and later she got closer to us, until, eventually, I could see her side lights with my naked eye.
13700. Was she approaching you?
- Evidently she was, because I was stopped.
13701. And how far away was she?
- I considered she was about 5 miles away.
13702. In which direction?
- She was headed toward us, meeting us.
13703. Was she a little toward your port bow?
- Just about half a point off our port bow.
13704. And apparently coming toward you?
- Yes.
13705. And how soon after the collision?
- I can not say about that. It was shortly after the order was given to clear the boats.
13706. Did you continue to see that steamer?
- I saw that light, saw all the lights of course, before I got into my boat, and just before I got into the boat she seemed as if she had turned around. I saw just one single bright light then, which I took to be her stern light.
13707. She apparently turned around within 5 miles of you?
- Yes, sir.
13708. Had the rockets then gone off on the Titanic?
- Yes, sir. I had been firing off rockets before I saw her side lights. I fired off the rockets and then she got so close I could see her side lights and starboard light.
13709. What was the character of the rockets fired off on the Titanic, as to colors?
- Just white stars, bright. I do not know whether they were stars or bright balls. I think they were balls. They were the regulation distress signals.
13710. Not red?
- Oh, no; not red.
13711. Can you say whether any rockets fired at night by a ship under those conditions form a distress signal, or whether rockets may be sent up that are not distress signals?
- Some companies have private night signals.
13712. What are they?
- They are colored as a rule; stars, which you can see. These rockets were not throwing stars, they were throwing balls, I remember, and then they burst.
13713. It seems that an officer on the Californian reported to the commander of the Californian that he had seen signals; but he said they were not distress signals. Do you know whether or not under the regulations in vogue, and according to the custom at sea, rockets fired, such as the Titanic sent up, would be regarded as anything but distress signals?
- I am hardly in a position to state that, because it is the first time I have seen distress rockets sent off, and I could not very well judge what they would be like, standing as I was, underneath them, firing them myself. I do not know what they would look like in the distance.
13714. Have you ever seen any rockets sent off such as you say are private signals?
- Yes, sir.
13715. Under what circumstances?
- Ships passing in the night, signaling to one another.
13716. Were those rockets carried on the Titanic for the purpose of being used as distress signals?
- Yes, sir; exclusively.
13717. They were not carried or supposed to be used for any other than distress signals?
- No; no, sir. We did not have any time to use any of those things.
13718. Did you see any other rockets from any other ships that night?
- Yes; I did. I saw rockets on the Carpathia.
13719. That was in the morning?
- Yes, sir; it was in the morning. It was quite dark.
13720. About what time was that?
- I do not know. I think it was a little after 4 o'clock, sometime, when I got on board the Carpathia. It might have been three-quarters of an hour before.
13721. What sort of a rocket was that?
- An ordinary rocket. I think it was, so far as I could see, a distress rocket in answer to ours.
13722. What kind of steamer was that which you saw, that apparently turned around, as to size and character?
- That is hard to state, but the lights were on masts which were fairly close together - the masthead lights.
13723. What would that indicate?
- That the masts were pretty close together. She might have been a four-mast ship or might have been a three-mast ship, but she certainly was not a two mast ship.
13724. Could you form any idea as to her size?
- No; I could not.
13725. You know it was a steamer and not a sailing vessel?
- Oh, yes; she was a steamer, carrying steaming lights - white lights.
13726. She could not have been a fishing vessel?
- No, sir.
13727. Was she a sailing vessel?
- No, sir; a sailing vessel does not show steaming lights, or white lights.
13728. I understood you to say all the lifeboats but one had been lowered when the one you were in was lowered . Was that correct?
- There was one boat hanging on the davits on the port side when I left.
13729. Was that a collapsible boat?
- No, sir; it was a lifeboat; No. 4 lifeboat.
13730. Had the collapsible boats all been lowered?
- There was no collapsible boat touched on the port side when I left. They could not lower them until the boat I was in got away and left our falls clear.
13731. Then the collapsible boats were all lowered after the boat in which you left was lowered?
- Yes, sir.
13732. Did you say how many went in that boat you were in?
- Approximately, I should judge there were between 25 and 30; 25 or 30, as nearly as I can tell.
13733. That was one of the boats that had a capacity of 60 or 65?
- No, sir.
13734. It was not?
- No, sir; she was one of the smaller boats. She was an emergency boat.
13735. What they call a sea boat or sun boat?
- Yes, sir; a sea boat.
13736. Could you tell anything about the suction when you were half a mile away?
- No; but I did find there was a little suction just as I was pulling around the ship. I was lowered on the port side, and pulled around to the starboard side shortly afterwards, and I found there was suction then; that the ship was settling down broadside.
13737. Were you convinced, when you took to the boat in which you left, that the Titanic would go down?
- I was quite undecided about it.
13738. Did you say you talked with Mr. Ismay on the bridge about three quarters of an hour before the Titanic sank?
- I talked to Mr. Ismay a little while before I left the ship. I do not know whether it was three quarters of an hour or not before the ship sank.
13739. Where was it?
- I had just fired a distress signal and was going to the chart room to put the lanyard back in the chart room and go out again, and Mr. Ismay was standing by the wheelhouse door.
13740. You had not begun to prepare for lowering the boats?
- Oh, yes; some of the boats had gone.
13741. Some of the boats had gone?
- Yes.
13742. What was Mr. Ismay doing there?
- He just came to the door on the bridge, as nearly as I can tell; walked up as far as the door. He was not there when I went to the lanyard; at least not when I went to fire the distress signal a moment before.
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