DEPOSITION OF EMILY BORIE RYERSON
Q. They made a great noise exploding?
- Yes.
Q. And only women were allowed in the boat, except a sailor or two?
- My husband said, “When they say women and children, you must go,” and I said, “Why do I have to go on that boat,” and he said, “You must obey the Captain’s orders, and I will get in somehow.” They said only women and children; but after we got stuck some men swarmed in that were not sailors.
The Captain called “How many women have you” and some one said “twenty-four”
and he said “That is enough” and after we stuck some one said something about a knife, but we never used it, and during that wait some men got into the boat.
Q. Were they steerage passengers?
- Possibly, I think so, I don’t know who they were, I never saw them afterwards, they seemed to disappear - they weren’t first class passengers.
Q. It was one of the large boats?
- Yes.
Q. And after you were in the water, you heard some talk about a gangway?
- Yes, I said to this man in the bow, Perkis, he was smoking a pipe and seemed quite unconcerned, and I said, “What were your orders?” and he said, “There is another companion-way aft, and we are ordered to go there,” and some of the women were standing up in the boat, and they said “Don’t go, the ship is going down and we will be swamped” and he didn’t seem to care which way we went.
Q. Those orders to go to the gangway were not obeyed?
- No, they weren’t followed out. We saw no gangway, we looked and peered, but it was so black when we got in the water we couldn’t see anything at first, and they were throwing things into the water, steamer chairs, and doors, and casks.
Q. Could you tell direction - what part of the boat you were?
- I should say we were about the middle of the boat.
Q. It was a long way to the after gangway?
- Yes, of course, there seemed to be a mess of things between us.
Q. Of course you don’t undertake to say, or wish to be understood as saying that the boat hadn’t the equipment of a compass, water and biscuit?
- Oh, no, I heard afterwards, on the Carpathia, they were all fitted out; but nobody could find them, and we saw none - we had none so far as we knew.
The emergency boat had a light, of course.
Q. Was it considerable time before the ship sunk - three-quarters of an hour, or so?
- It is practically impossible to tell; I might say soon, very soon after, we didn’t get far away, we could look up at her.
Q. You think you weren’t far away?
- No, because everyone thought we would be sucked in.
Q. Did anybody in the boat call “Row away.”?
- Yes, somebody said “Row for your lives.” Everybody rowed, Mrs. Thayer, and my daughter, and all the women.
Q. There were oars enough?
- Oh, yes, there were enough, they had small, narrow blades.
Q. When did your boat tie up with the others?
- Some time in the night, I don’t know when.
Q. Four or five together?
- Four or five together, and the officer in charge was Lowe - he called out orders so we could hear him in the dark.
Q. Did he not afterwards transfer some of the passengers from one or two boats afterward and make off to save some people?
- Yes, he went, and he called out to know what boat would volunteer to go, in the dawn, to this overturned boat, where there were these men you could see standing up, it must have been about dawn, we heard them shouting, and that boat and one other went, and he put people from his boat into another boat.
Q. His boat being practically empty?
- He set a sail and sailed over toward this boat.
Q. Did he save many lives?
- Yes, and we picked up some and we came together and took on four or five - we rowed over, yes. These others had gone ahead so we were pretty late in getting to the Carpathia on that account.
Q. In that way he saved nearly twenty?
- Yes.
Q. Were they standing up on the collapsible boat that had overturned?
- Yes. They were standing in water and just balancing, and the water was so quiet they could do it; but very soon after the water came up rough and they couldn’t have lasted.
Q. You think that it must have been breaking day, almost dawn when he could see them and undertook this?
- Yes, I couldn’t tell exactly when, because after a time you got accustomed to the darkness and could see a good deal.
Q. Were those four or five boats tied together for any time, an hour or so?
- Yes, I should say so.
Q. Did you see ay bad conduct on the part of the sailors or officers at that time?
- None.
Q. Did Lowe behave, also, properly?
- It was too far off, but as far as I could see it was very quiet. One or two men were picked up when the ship went down, we picked up seven or eight, and these men were cursing and fighting.
Q. Stokers?
- I don’t know, they weren’t up near me.
Q. Were they from the crew?
- I think from the crew, not passengers, one died, I think there.
Q. How many were there on your boat, finally, when you got on the Carpathia?
- I couldn’t possibly tell, there were twenty-four, and those people getting on as we were going down, and we picked up some, I should think over forty, pretty close to fifty, they weren’t stowed in solid, you could put more in.
Q. You say the weather was very clear?
- Yes.
Q. Was it exceptionally so?
- Exceptionally so.
Q. Did you see the stars?
- You could see the reflection of the stars in the water - made it look like ship’s lights.
Q. And it was so smooth and the atmosphere so clear you could see the reflection of the stars in the water?
- Yes, it was very noticeable, I remember being struck by that.
Q. Yet dark or not, though, you all of you must have been peering into the night - did you see anything of any ice?
- No.
Q. Did you hear the water lapping against the ice as some have testified?
- No, I didn’t.
Q. I understand that the open portholes you saw were in the two upper rows?
- Yes.
Q. And you think the B and C decks?
- I think so.
Q. There are no portholes in A, that is the open deck, closed in?
- No, my impression was it was the same deck we were on in which the portholes were open, because it had the same kind of upholstery and colors and silk hangings.
Q. Could you see a sinking of the portholes so it was plain the ship was by the head as they say?
- This was about the first thing that made me realize the ship was gone; I saw she had settled, or was sunk to a certain point, and lost hope.
Q. It was a passenger you heard say “Put on your life belts”?
- Yes.
Q. Who gave the order to get into the life-boats, do you know?
- I don’t know; my impression would be it was Stout, the second steward; he was at the foot of the stairs as we came from the boat deck, and he put his hand in front of my little boy, who is 13, and said “He can’t go.” My husband said “Of course that boy goes with his mother.” The man said “Very well, sir, but no more boys.” And some woman rushed forward and took her hat off and put it on her little boy’s head, so he could go as a little girl, Mrs. Carter, I think.
Q. It appears that the discipline on the deck was very rigid?
- On that side, yes.
Q. So far as reserving the boats for women and children?
- Yes. I remember seeing Mr. Astor leaning out, and a man said “You can’t go.” and he said “I don’t want to go, I was looking to see if my wife was all right,” and he dropped his gloves over to her.
Q. You didn’t dine in the restaurant at all?
- No, I had my meals in my room, I didn’t know my way about the ship at all. I hadn’t been on deck except that one time in the day time.
Q. Did you see any steerage people in your boat?
- Yes.
Q. Women?
- Yes.
Q. How many?
- A good many, and three or four babies.
Q. Steerage passengers?
- Yes, a woman next to me, and a woman done up in a blanket - four or five, and possibly more.
Q. There was no discrimination at that time between the classes?
- None whatever. That is the reason, Mr. Burlingham, if I may say so, because I don’t want any question or discrimination about my testimony; if it is any value I want to give it, and I don’t want you to feel I am giving it in any spirit of criticism.
Mr. Burlingham:
We appreciate it, Mrs. Ryerson.
Q. Now, as I understand it, you were really not at all interested in Mr.
Ismay, or his conversation, at this time?
- No.
Q. You had been induced by your friend Mrs. Thayer to go out on deck for a little walk, and he came up and spoke to you both?
- Yes.
Q. And it was - I suppose his conversation was partly with Mrs. Thayer?
- Yes, the conversation about the telegram was partly with her, but mostly with me.
Q. Were there any others there?
- No.
Q. Just you three?
- Yes.
Q. He sat down with you?
- Yes.
Q. On a chair there, I suppose?
- I think he sat on the end of a steamer-chair.
Q. Was Miss Bowen there too?
- She passed, and saw him sitting there.
Q. Now he pulled out of his pocket a Marconigram and passed it in front of you both?
- Yes.
Q. You didn’t read it?
- I glanced at it, but I didn’t read it carefully.
Q. Do you remember that it was from the Baltic?
- No.
Q. Do you happen to remember that it began with the Greek Steamer Athinai reports passing icebergs and large quantity of field ice to-day in latitude 41.51 north, longitude 49.32 west?
- No, I saw none of that.
Q. Does the Greek steamer with its foreign name call it to your mind?
- He was as far from me as Mr. Loughlan (about three feet) I should say, and about all I remember is the word “Deutchland” (sic) - it was the width of one steamer chair.
Q. He said something in addition to showing you the telegram?
- First he showed the telegram - then he said “We are in among the icebergs.” The impression he gave to me was we were in the region of the icebergs and that was the reason it was so cold; but he didn’t say so.
Q. Did he say “We expect to get into ice?” Do you remember that expression? You can’t say positively he said “We are among the icebergs”?
- He said “We are in among the icebergs” or “We are in the ice.”
Q. Wasn’t it “We are going in the ice?” - No, “We are in among ice, “ or “in among the icebergs.” He wasn’t talking officially at all, he was talking to two women.
Q. And this matter of the knots you were making, was that with regards to the time you would get in?
- No, with regards to how fast we were going. Something was said about speed and he said we hadn’t been making much speed, twenty or twenty-one knots, and he said “We are going to start up some new boilers this evening”
- that was the impression left on my mind - that was the substance of what he said. I didn’t know what starting up new boilers meant unless going faster. He didn’t make any explanation of it.
Q. Did you say anything to him about the “Deutchland” (sic) ?
- Yes, I said “What are you going to do about that?” because that was the only thing I noticed about the telegram.
Q. Did you happen to notice that the Marconigram said that the Deutchland (sic) wished to be reported to New York and other steamers?
- I understood him to say - (I didn’t see anything but the name “Deutchland” (sic) on the telegram,) I understood him to say they wanted aid, were out of coal, or wanted aid.
Q. Will you kindly look at the Marconigram. You see they weren’t asking for aid, but were asking to be reported to other steamers and New York, and wished all success to the Titanic; that certainly indicated they didn’t expect the Titanic to aid them.
- Yes; but I asked him because I got the impression they wished for aid, being out of coal. Perhaps that was on my mind, my impression.
Q. Now you have given the whole of the conversation with Mr. Ismay as you remember it, but it is more an impression rather than a distinct recollection - is that right?
- Yes, it is more than an impression, it is a record of the impression it left on my mind, a very distinct recollection on every single point.
Q. You didn’t say anything to him about slowing the boat down?
- No.
Q. He didn’t say anything to you about speeding the ship up to get out of the ice?
- No, that was merely the impression that was left on my mind.
Q. My question is not whether he spoke about their putting on more boilers and going faster; but I am confining my question to whether he said, or suggested to you, anything that indicated that they were going to increase their speed in order to get out of the ice?
- As I say, that was merely the impression left on my mind.
Q. Nothing was said?
- No, not in so many words - that was the impression left on my mind.
Q. You don’t wish to be understood the Titanic was trying to make a speed record across the Atlantic?
- I should say my impression was they were going to show - surprise us all by what she could do, on that voyage.
Q. As a matter of fact, was it discussed whether she should get in on Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning?
- Yes.
Q. Among passengers?
- Yes, and in this conversation with Mr. Ismay also, there was some question about it, because I discussed it with my husband after I got down to the cabin.
Q. You wouldn’t say Mr. Ismay said they were going to make a record?
- No, I wouldn’t say he said those words - his attitude, or his language, was assumed that that was - that we were trying to make a record. I wouldn’t say he used those words.
RE-DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. BETTS:
Q. When you say your impression, you mean your recollection of incidents now, Mrs. Ryerson?
- Yes, the impression it left on my mind, as I went down with it on my mind directly afterwards; the impression I gave the other people. As I say now, the other coming in since, and all, I couldn’t say exactly the words that Mr. Ismay said to me.
Q. You have correctly stated the substance of what he said, have you not?
- Yes.
Q. Did you see any circular portholes open as your boat got down to the water?
- Yes, those were the ones that were afterward submerged.
Q. Were there many of them open?
- Yes, a great many.
Q. Did you see a whole line of them along the water?
- I couldn’t say; but my impression is there were a great many open.
Q. Did you make an affidavit of what happened after the collision at the request of Senator Smith of Washington?
- Yes.
Q. What did he ask you for when he asked for that affidavit?
- He asked for my testimony in regard to the accident, and my observation as to what happened after the accident.
Q. Were you able to see anything of the iceberg with which the ship collided?
- No.
Emily Borie Ryerson (sig.)
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The following is a copy of the Telegram about which Mrs. Ryerson has been examined:
S. S. Baltic, Apr. 14, 1912
“Capt. Smith, Titanic.
Have had moderate variable winds and clear fine weather since leaving. Greek steamer Athinai reports passing icebergs and large quantity of field ice to-day in latitude 41.51 north, longitude 49.52 west. Last night we spoke German oil tank Deutchland, Stettin to Philadelphia, not under control; short of coal; latitude 40.42 north, longitude 55.11, wishes to be
reported to New York and other steamers and wish you and Titanic all success.Commander.”